The Never-Ending Quest for the Perfect City - Page 84

C2 Proficiency · Multiple Matching · Ready for C2 Proficiency Workbook, Macmillan

You are going to read an article about urban design. For questions 1–10, choose from the sections (A-D). The sections may be chosen more than once.

Renaissance ideals

After poring over the works of the Roman architect Vitruvius, the 15th-century polymath Leon Battista Alberti came up with the Renaissance concept of the Ideal City and soon, any Universal Man worth their salt was devising his own version. Many were notional utopias that would stay on the page or as models: maverick architect Filarete named his pioneering, star-shaped prototype Sforzinda after his patron; Da Vinci's imagined version was inevitably ahead of its time, featuring an underground sewage system, fresh air vents and pedestrian areas. A flurry of Ideal Cities sprung up soon afterwards, among them cosmopolitan Zamość in Poland (another World Heritage Site). Then there's Palmanova, built in 1593 at the northeastern edge of the Venetian Republic and as near to Sforzinda's scheme as imaginable, complete with star-shaped fortifications hidden from view by forest. Though it's UNESCO-protected today and the inspiration for myriad YouTube drone videos, Palmanova proved a hard sell when it was built. A hastily implemented strategy created by the Republic offered land at knock-down prices (often to prematurely pardoned criminals).

Green and pleasant lands

At the turn of the 20th century, one English urban planner was looking for ways to escape the city altogether. Ebenezer Howard's solution was the genteel Garden City. When Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City were built, they intentionally untangled factories from shops and houses with careful zoning. As well as hankering after sensible town planning and leafy environs, Howard had altruistic aims for affordable housing. Though he borrowed money to make it all a reality, his garden cities were soon beyond the means of most working-class families. Howard was a huge inspiration for Walt Disney and his dreams to build EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow). Although destined to become a theme park after Disney's death in 1966, EPCOT was imagined as a community that could 'influence the future of city living for generations to come'. In concept drawings, monorails and pedestrian walkways provide traffic-free links to shopping streets and schools. The whole thing was set under a climate-controlled dome ensuring no resident ever felt too hot or cold or got rained on.

Mid-century cities

Brasília is another mid-century concept city, built in the 1950s to look like an aeroplane and designed to be easily navigable by car. Though its Oscar Niemeyer-designed buildings are works of art, only architecture junkies would holiday in Brasília, which lacks the life and soul of Rio and some of Brazil's other history-layered cities. Seven years later, another idealist metropolis sprung up north of London. Milton Keynes was designed as a low-density town peppered with abundant trees that mixed Garden Cities with a grid system to make something totally unique – but it's always had an image problem. In an attempt to set the record straight, a 1980s TV advert sold it as some kind of bucolic alternative to the capital, complete with lakes, a lively marketplace and plenty of room for cyclists. Pioneering schemes such as a traffic-busting autonomous public transport system form part of its MK New City Plan. Whether the city can keep its unique character is in question, however. Under the plan, its population would almost double by 2050 and grassroots organisations are concerned about damaging infill – to squeeze more people into the existing area – and expansion.

Cities of the future

In South Korea, Songdo bills itself as 'the world's smartest city' and has lots to admire: a revolutionary recycling system that sucks waste from homes via pressurised shoots ready for sorting; 40 per cent of its land designated as green space. The only thing missing is a social life, a situation exacerbated by the fact that it's so near to Seoul that people tend to commute in for work or out for fun. Meanwhile, many other cities are retrofitting themselves for future success with a commitment to be carbon zero by 2030. Singapore is aiming to plant one million trees, triple its more than 500 kilometres of cycle paths and build therapeutic gardens to improve mental health. Even car-heavy Dubai wants to introduce great swathes of cycle paths and walking trails. Egypt is building a new city too. The New Administrative Capital aims to be a satellite to Cairo, its traffic-clogged, ancient neighbour, housing government buildings, businesses, homes and even a huge theme park in relative calm. There's even a nod to the great city builder Ramesses II, with lotus flower symbols echoing those of Ancient Egypt.

is claimed to be relatively tedious despite its superior aesthetics?

plans to encourage more inhabitants to get about under their own steam?

aims to provide tranquillity while honouring heritage?

proved economically unviable for many of its intended inhabitants?

may become less attractive as a result of projected astronomical growth?

highlighted its vibrant mart and rural features to dispel scepticism?

has a prestigious pedigree but originally struggled to attract residents?

suffers from its proximity to a more vibrant neighbour?

has metamorphosed into a radically different place than originally envisioned?

is mindful of the psychological wellbeing of its citizens?

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