Analysing the trajectory from the industrial metropolis to the garden cities: the utopian ideals transformed into dormitory cities

Abstract

This paper analyzes the urban transformations that occurred due to the degrading quality of life offered by cities in the period of Industrial Revolution. People’s dissatisfaction with poor hygiene and air pollution led many theorists, planners and researchers to develop utopian principles that underlie the subsequent emergence of garden cities. These principles linking the preservation of natural areas with the growth of cities sought to increase the quality of life not only of wealthier classes, but also of proletariat, so marginalized in the industrial era. However, many of these utopian ideals have never left the design stage, since a large part of urban agglomerations organized on the basis of these principles has not grown as planned due to issues of competitiveness and civility among dwellers. Thus, within this context the North American suburbs emerged, which marked the birth of the dormitory cities characterizing today the dependence on automobiles and often a low quality of life of many commuters who depend on a public transportation infrastructure that is completely out of synch with user demands. Therefore, this study draws a parallel with the problems experienced today by many contemporary cities in order to stimulate discussions about the origins of the contemporary phenomena of urban growth that plague our cities, as well as the search for solutions that often refer to the utopian ideals advocated since the 14th century.

Keywords: utopia, garden city, dormitory city.