stepan

Hi everybody.

I'm sorry if my question is really weirdly specific. It's something I've been thinking about for a long time.

You ever see those movies, where people live in this techno-future dystopia, skyscrapers and traffic clogged freeways, car - centric urban planning with no greenery, no trees, think of like Times Square NYC, hyper capitalist neolib dystopia kind of thing.

You see in those movies, the main character (a socially detached loner) depressed, part of the reason is not just a horribly atomized and superficial Society, but the other reason is the wretched urban planning and brutalist architecture.

I think there's been a few articles already on the importance of good architecture for creating a more "communal" mental effect for the people in the town.

I'm wondering if you guys found any articles or essays on the importance of specifically good urban planning (I already read about architecture). Stuff about how car centric urban planning atomizes the individual, ruins the social fabric, ruins the communal mentality, etc.. Sociological stuff.

If you do, please comment. I'd love to read.

I'm in Toronto Canada and it's a very car dependent landscape unfortunately and honestly I'm a little jealous seeing European places and how nice they are with their rich history. Meanwhile here in Ontario we have quadruple-carriageways and stroads lined with strip malls and big-box stores with their expansive parking lots. Unless you're with friends, going outside can be pretty bleak to the eye.

My ideal town would be as such

1. a car-free and dense downtown area with rowhouses and condo units above cafes and shops

2. lots of trees and greenery

3. traditional architectural design

What would you think for yours?