Ideal City

The utopian concept of an Ideal City originates in Antiquity, and was often used in the Renaissance and later on providing better living conditions for factory workers e.a.

World Heritage Sites connected to 'Ideal City':

  • Amsterdam Canal Ring "In the 17th and 18th centuries, Amsterdam was seen as the realization of the ideal city that was used as a reference urban model for numerous projects for new cities around the world." (SOV statement)
  • Aranjuez The city of Aranjuez was developed as an Enlightened City from 1750 on, with strict geometry.
  • Brasilia
  • Crespi d'Adda
  • Ferrara
  • Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos The Jesuits were inspired by the humanist Ideal City idea (AB ev)
  • Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis The towns and the way people lived and worked together was seen as utopian by some.
  • Jesuit Missions of Trinidad and Jesus
  • La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle The town was almost entirely destroyed by fire in 1794 and had to be rebuilt from scratch. "Rationalist" principles were adopted which addressed the relationship between living conditions and "health". A town plan was developed in 1835 "designed by one of Pestalozzi's pupils (Charles-Henri Junod) and inspired by an ideal town called "Sonnenstadt", planned in 1824 by a Dr Bernhard Christoph Faust. Features included having most houses facing onto small gardens receiving the midday sun. ; link
  • Mantua and Sabbioneta Sabbioneta
  • Mining Sites of Wallonia Grand Hornu: designed as an ‘ideal city’ at the very beginning of the Industrial Revolution on the European Continent (1810-20) (AB ev)
  • New Lanark
  • Old Town Lunenburg "The model town was an important aspect of imperial policy for the British, to provide the functional space thought necessary for the smooth working of a colony"
  • Pienza
  • Royal Palace at Caserta The Silk factory etc was intended to be part of the utopian town of Ferdinandopolis
  • Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans Project was planned, but never constructed
  • Saltaire
  • San Cristobal de La Laguna
  • Urbino
  • Villa Adriana (Tivoli) Conceived as an Ideal City, planned for this purpose by the Emperor Hadrian (AB ev)
  • Zamosc "A unique example of a Renaissance town in Central Europe, consistently designed and built in accordance with the Italian theories of the "ideal town," on the basis of a plan which was the result of perfect cooperation between the open-minded founder, Jan Zamoyski, and the outstanding architect, Bernardo Morando. (Wiki)