3 Reimagining the city: views of the future from the past and present
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Timothy J. Dixon
Abstract
Humankind’s capacity to envision the future and to be able to imagine alternative futures is a relatively recent development, relating directly to the age of enlightenment (Gidley, 2017a). Thus, ‘utopian’ thinking, founded on the work of writers such as Plato and Thomas More, was transformed during this period into ‘euchronia’ (or a time of perfect social, technological and ecological harmony), which enabled different places in different times to be imagined. The city has often been at the heart of much of the utopian and euchronian literature, film and related art that has emerged since then. As Clarke suggested: ‘For at least the past five centuries … the make-believe city has been the benchmark of all imaginary societies’ (Clarke, 1992: 702). Moreover, the resultant ‘urban imaginaries’ that have been developed have been founded on both utopic (‘good’) and dystopic (‘bad’) futures. In turn, this body of work has helped shape and influence the nature of urban design and urban planning.
In this chapter, we will first examine what is meant by the term ‘vision’ and how writers such as Plato and Thomas More have influenced our thinking about the future, through their utopian ideas. We then compare and contrast utopian and dystopian views of the future, drawing on literature and film (and related art) to examine questions such as what sort of ‘urban imaginaries’ emerge from literature and film, and do these imaginaries shape the way our cities look and feel today (and will do in the future), and vice versa?
Abstract
Humankind’s capacity to envision the future and to be able to imagine alternative futures is a relatively recent development, relating directly to the age of enlightenment (Gidley, 2017a). Thus, ‘utopian’ thinking, founded on the work of writers such as Plato and Thomas More, was transformed during this period into ‘euchronia’ (or a time of perfect social, technological and ecological harmony), which enabled different places in different times to be imagined. The city has often been at the heart of much of the utopian and euchronian literature, film and related art that has emerged since then. As Clarke suggested: ‘For at least the past five centuries … the make-believe city has been the benchmark of all imaginary societies’ (Clarke, 1992: 702). Moreover, the resultant ‘urban imaginaries’ that have been developed have been founded on both utopic (‘good’) and dystopic (‘bad’) futures. In turn, this body of work has helped shape and influence the nature of urban design and urban planning.
In this chapter, we will first examine what is meant by the term ‘vision’ and how writers such as Plato and Thomas More have influenced our thinking about the future, through their utopian ideas. We then compare and contrast utopian and dystopian views of the future, drawing on literature and film (and related art) to examine questions such as what sort of ‘urban imaginaries’ emerge from literature and film, and do these imaginaries shape the way our cities look and feel today (and will do in the future), and vice versa?
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of figures, tables and boxes iv
- Acknowledgements vi
- Foreword vii
- Preface ix
- Urban futures: planning for city foresight and city visions 1
- Cities and integrated urban challenges 17
- Reimagining the city: views of the future from the past and present 41
- Planning and governing the future city 65
- Future narratives for the city: smart and sustainable? 79
- Theoretical approaches to urban futures 101
- Using city foresight methods to develop city visions 123
- Shaping the future: city vision case studies 153
- The innovative and experimental city 181
- Visioning and planning the city in an urban age: a reality check 201
- Conclusions: facing the urban future to 2050 and beyond 217
- Appendix: selected examples of city visions 233
- Notes 239
- References 241
- Index 283
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of figures, tables and boxes iv
- Acknowledgements vi
- Foreword vii
- Preface ix
- Urban futures: planning for city foresight and city visions 1
- Cities and integrated urban challenges 17
- Reimagining the city: views of the future from the past and present 41
- Planning and governing the future city 65
- Future narratives for the city: smart and sustainable? 79
- Theoretical approaches to urban futures 101
- Using city foresight methods to develop city visions 123
- Shaping the future: city vision case studies 153
- The innovative and experimental city 181
- Visioning and planning the city in an urban age: a reality check 201
- Conclusions: facing the urban future to 2050 and beyond 217
- Appendix: selected examples of city visions 233
- Notes 239
- References 241
- Index 283
