# HELP: planned cities...



## russianmuscle (Mar 19, 2007)

I have to write a research paper in a few days for my history of architecture class, my topic being planned cities. The professors emphasized asking "research questions" and answering them in the paper. I feel stuck. I can talk about some planned cities - their physical characteristics, history - but don't know what other content to include. So, I am asking for advice... Any ideas? What sort of content should be in my paper? What kind of questions should I ask and answer? Thanks a bunch!!!


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## ch1le (Jun 2, 2004)

dig into the Soviet planned cities and into the research that has been done how the inhabitants feel bad, die earlier etc  All because of bad planning, well its a start.


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## hossoso (Oct 9, 2005)

In yesterdays (Sunday) New York Times there was a magazine insert called "Key" that was about Real Estate in general but included an article entitled "How to Build a City From Scratch". The area they are focusing on is a complete farmland (rural/agricultural area) now that is called Tejon Ranch. It is about an hour away from LA. They plan to transform it into a community of 70,000 and name it Centennial, with an estimated completion date about 20years from now. The article might give you an interesting insight as to how these projects develop at the very earliest stages to include in your paper.

As for questions, You could ask: are these successful, does it make sense to plan cities? Many of the worlds greatest cities developed organically (for the most part). You could also ask if certain situations are conducive to a pre-planned city. For instance, some of the most famous planned cities (Canberra, Brasilia) function as sites of central governance. If all else fails, go back to Le Corbusier. Good luck.


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## Küsel (Sep 16, 2004)

Brazil also has a long tradition of planned cities since the 19th century from Belo Horizonte over Goiania til Brasilia. The latter is probably the most famous example and a co-work of landscape architect Burle Marx, city planner Lúcio Costa and architect Niemeyer, a student of Le Corbusier.

ch1le (very nice ferret - looks like my Bärli :cheers: ) mentioned it as well - not only in the Soviet Union but also in other communist countries from Slovenia to China you find functionally devided planned cities. Talk about functional cities and their problems starting with La charte d' Athènes and conclude it with the recent reurbanization and revitalization of these stillborne cities of nothingness nowadays


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Planned cities ... Milton Keynes in the UK, and the garden city movement and suburban planning ideologies.


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## Dezz (Mar 11, 2005)

Do some research on Almere, the Netherlands. The city is about 25 years old, has some 180.000 inhabitants and is totally planned.

It is situated in the biggest man made polder in the world, the Flevopolder


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Dezz said:


> Do some research on Almere, the Netherlands. The city is about 25 years old, has some 180.000 inhabitants and is totally planned.
> 
> It is situated in the biggest man made polder in the world, the Flevopolder


Ah .. thanks for the reminder! Here's a thread I posted before about Almere :
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=426671


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## russianmuscle (Mar 19, 2007)

thanks for all the info! the more, the better... also, how do you think the paper should be outlined/organized? i got two days to finish it, i'm such a procrastinator


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## eusebius (Jan 5, 2004)

In France, nearly every 'Villeneuve' is a planned city. In the modern age, Marne-la-Vallée is an example of rather pompous planning.

The English garden town planning is what I much prefer. Where I live (East NL) there's a fascinating clash of those English and French styles. Many grand parks and estates were originally of a 'French' design but through the centuries, people tended towards 'English' designs; an organic landscape as it were. In a few clichés: French = strategic and rigid, English = natural and human.


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## ShowMeKC (May 15, 2006)

Don't research anything like Broadacres, Garden City, Radiant City, etc... I'd research some of the neo-traditional, traditional, new urbanism cities.


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## TohrAlkimista (Dec 18, 2006)

in Italy, in the region of Lazio, there is Latina. completely planned by Mussolini and built during the fascist's regime after the reclamtion of the Pontine Swamps.

It counts more than 110'000 ab, HERE the wiki link


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## Küsel (Sep 16, 2004)

I would make a historical overview - from the first planned cities (Angkor Vat or Beijing are good examples), renaissance and barroque as Karlsruhe to postcolonial provincal and national capitals (Goiania, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Canberra etc.) and "new towns" to put the pressure out of the European centers (London, Netherlands).

Also put in some megalomaniac projects as Germania, EUR etc...

Et voilà!


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## TohrAlkimista (Dec 18, 2006)

Kuesel said:


> I would make a historical overview - from the first planned cities (Angkor Vat or Beijing are good examples), renaissance and barroque as Karlsruhe to postcolonial provincal and national capitals (Goiania, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Canberra etc.) and "new towns" to put the pressure out of the European centers (London, Netherlands).
> 
> Also put in some megalomaniac projects as Germania, EUR etc...
> 
> Et voilà!


do you mean EUR, the area or Roma? ok I give you the link to the italian 3d dedicated to the EUR: HERE! (there are also old photos)

anyway all the area near Latina, as I wrote, are also examples of megalomania of Mussolini...^^


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## Küsel (Sep 16, 2004)

I was twice in EUR - phantastic project even though very "Germania-like" fashistoid but at least not by distroying the inner city.


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## cjfjapan (Oct 10, 2004)

Many planned cities are political centers - often times the compromise leads to economy and blandness (Sapporo, Indianapolis) other times not (Brasilia, Canberra, Washington DC). Good luck with your paper -


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## Küsel (Sep 16, 2004)

Well.... Brasilia was sleeping for 30 years (also because of misplanning) but since the early 90s it's a boomtown - economically and culturally - demographically it is in the meantime the fastest growing metro in the country!


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## TohrAlkimista (Dec 18, 2006)

Kuesel said:


> I was twice in EUR - phantastic project even though very "Germania-like" fashistoid but at least not by distroying the inner city.


EUR is incredible...they built in a huge area, really huge...a new district of Rome...a city in the city...it's amazing...

now, afer a lot of year of debates, there are soooo much project of redevolpment...

I post some pice taken from the 3d I've linked to you:


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## [email protected] (Apr 28, 2004)

In France, the latest planned cities are the "Villes Nouvelles" (70's to 90's):

Cergy-Pontoise:


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## [email protected] (Apr 28, 2004)

Evry:


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## [email protected] (Apr 28, 2004)

Marne la Vallée:


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## [email protected] (Apr 28, 2004)

Sénart:


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## [email protected] (Apr 28, 2004)

St Quentin en Yvelines:


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## TohrAlkimista (Dec 18, 2006)

mmmm especially the first ones...these cities are really ugly...why did they are born?


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## [email protected] (Apr 28, 2004)

In the 1960s, faced by the fast development of Paris, Lyon, Marseilles and Lille and their suburbs, it was decided to control and balance it by creating several new cities around Paris...


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