The document provides information on 10 planned cities from around the world: Palmanova, Italy; Karlsruhe, Germany; Eixample/Barcelona, Spain; Letchworth Garden City, UK; and Brasília, Brazil. It details who designed each city and when, current population sizes and densities, historical context and purpose, systems of control and governance during construction, physical designs and layouts, and how the cities have evolved over time. The planned cities showcase a variety of design approaches and influences on modern urban planning.

1. Palmanova, Italy Karlsruhe, Germany Eixample/Barcelona, Spain Letchworth Garden City, UK Brasília, Brazil
CORE DATA On October 7, 1593 Palmanova was designed by Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace as District of Barcelona between the old city and what In September 1903 the company "First Garden The city was planned and developed in 1956 with
Who designed it, when? Vincenzo Scamozzi a baroque planned community by the great architect were once surrounding small towns, constructed in City Ltd." was formed by Ebenezer Howard, Lúcio Costa as the principal urban planner, Oscar
and town planner, Friedrich Weinbrenner. the 19th and early 20th centuries, designed in 1860 Barry Parker and Raymond Unwin were Niemeyer as the principal architect and Roberto
by the architect Ildefons Cerdà appointed architects, and 16 km² of land Burle Marx as the landscape designer.
outside Hitchin (Hertfordshire, 34 miles outside
London) were purchased for building.
DENSITY 5,415 297,488 262,485 33,600 2,562,963 (3,716,996 in the metropolitan area);
How many people are living in the largest city in the world that did not exist at the
city?
beginning of the 20th century (36,000 inhabitants
in 1960)
What is its density? 410/km2 1.715/km2 36.000/km2 150/km² 449.844/km2
HISTORY In between the points of the star, ramparts protruded Karlsruhe is one of the last great European towns The history of modern urbanism was born with As one of the world's first new towns and the Federal capital of Brazil since 1960 (was built in 41
What is its historical particularity? so that the points could defend each other. A moat founded on the drawing board. Cerdà’s Eixample first 'garden city' it had great influence on months),
surrounded the town, and three large, guarded gates future town planning and the New Towns in the Unesco's World Hertitage List due to its
allowed entry. movement. architecture
Recognised as having the first roundabout on a
public road in the United Kingdom, dating from
circa 1909.
FUNCTION Using all the latest military innovations of the 16th Margrave Karl Wilhelm decided in 1715 to exchange By the middle of the nineteenth century, living Demonstration of the principles established by Brasília's geographically central location should
What is this city for? century, this tiny town was a fortress in the shape of a the medieval confines of his former residence Durlach conditions in the city were dreadful. The population Ebenezer Howard who sought to create an create a more regionally neutral federal capital. An
nine-pointed star. The city’s founding date for a new construction open in arrangement and mind. density, with 856 inhabitants per hectare, was the alternative to the industrial city by combining article of the country's first republican constitution
commemorated the victory of European forces (supplied He sets his idea of a model city of the future into a highest in Spain and one of the highest in Europe. the best of town and country living. dating back to 1891 stated that the capital should
primarily by the Venetian republic) over Ottoman Turks historical document that has far-reaching implications, This extremely high density, a bad water supply, and be moved from Rio de Janeiro to a place close to
in the Battle of Lepanto. the "privileges letter". a poor sewer system made for atrocious conditions of the center of the country.
The letter has already many signs of a highly modern hygiene.
state (French Revolution 1789-1799).
CONTROL Tthe superintendent of the Republic of Venice founded Charles William founded the city on June 17, 1715, Cerdà’s position as the governor’s expert in charge of September 1903 the company "First Garden Juscelino Kubitschek, President of Brazil from 1956
Who owns/plans/builds the city? this revolutionary new kind of settlement. after a dispute with the citizens of his previous capital, the implementation of the extension plan was City Ltd." was formed. The garden city to 1961, ordered the construction of Brasília,
Marcantonio Barbaro headed a group of Venetian Durlach. The founding of the city is closely linked to weakened by the threatening demands of the land movement is a method of urban planning that fulfilling the promise of the Constitution.
noblemen in charge of building the town, Marcantonio the construction of the palace. owners of the Extension. The land beyond the walls – was initiated in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in
Martinego was in charge of construction, and Giulio once cheap and useless-had become, thanks to the the United Kingdom.
Savorgnan acted as an adviser. extension, an enormous potential source of income
as the site for the new city.
AESTHETICS/PHYSICAL Geometric nonorthogonal approaches to the planning of The city and its architecture is concentrated along the Cerdà loved straight lines, and his idea was to place Unwin and Parker experimented with small "Plano Piloto" is so called because it is shaped,
LAYOUT towns and villages have many precedents in the form of middle and main axis of the fan, the "Via Triumphalis". two of the Eixample's main avenues along a crescents and cul-de-sacs for inexpensive liberally speaking, in the form of an airplane. The
What are guiding non-functional ancient cities (Castagnoli, 1971). Octagonal layouts This is an example of the planning spirit which has geographic parallel split by roads crossing cottages in Letchworth’s residential areas. In federal government buildings, other public
design principles?
were also popular for ideal cities such as Palmanova always inspired new developments in the fan-shaped perpendicularly. keeping with the ideals only one tree was felled buildings and central business district form the
city. during the entire initial construction phase of fuselage. Then there are two wings, Asa Norte
the town, and an area devoted to agriculture (north) and Asa Sul (south) where apartments and
surrounding the town was included in the plan - local businesses are located. Plano Piloto is home
the first "Green Belt". to less than 200,000 people.
ORGANIZATION Fortress in the shape of a nine-pointed star. Due to similarities to the United States capital city, it Characterized by long straight streets, a strict grid built on radial boulevards, with a high In the original Lucio Costa's plan, the residents of
What is the organizational urbanism Trapezoidal, hexagonal or complex block shapes in has been speculated that Karlsruhe was a model city pattern crossed by wide avenues, and square blocks proportion of parks and open spaces. Brasilia would live in large blocks called Super
structure?
Palmanova, were formed as the consequence of for the cityscape of Washington, D.C. Both cities have with chamfered corners The Garden City should be of a limited size, Quadras. Each Super Quadra should be
regularly organized shapes of the settlement base, they a centre—in Karlsruhe the palace and in D.C. the Howard said, surrounded by a green belt of autonomous, with their own school, play grounds
were inseparable parts of the town, significant not only Capitol Building—from which the streets radiate agricultural land, with a careful combination of and commercial areas; the idea was that no one
for the settlement organization but as well for street outward. Pierre Charles L'Enfant, Washington's city factories, shops and homes. would need to go away from home for their basic
and square planner, had been given the plans of Karlsruhe needs (and if they ever needed, they should have
(among numerous other European cities) as an an efficient transportation system at disposal).
inspiration.
EVOLUTION The fortress town was classified as a "National As far as the development of the city centre at the It was particularly remarkable that the land owners The town, built without government aid, Brasília has one of the highest growth rates in
How was the evolution of the city? Monument" in 1960 by decree of the President of the dawn of the 21st century is concerned, it is once were powerful enough to act beyond the limits of the became a truly "sustainable community" long Brazil, with its population increasing by 2.82%
Republic. All the fortifications and the whole urban area again the Via Triumphalis which will provide the spark bylaws, with no serious opposition from the city before the term gained common currency, with each year, mostly because of internal migration.
come under the protection of the national legislation for the next era in Karlsruhe's architectural history. council. In 1958 the building volume of the block, a strong dose of what Cameron might now call Set well apart from the city are suburban satellite
concerning cultural heritage. Palmanova with its 7 km- The changes planned induced the city to launch an that according to Cerdà’s bylaws should not exceed the "big society" – testament to an cities where the majority of the population is
long fortifications can be considered a "unicum" in urban planning competition to provide it with the 67,200 cubic meters, reached 294,771.63 cubic extraordinary founder whose vision seems as living.
Europe also on account of the state of conservation of ideas it will need to shape its future. meters. fresh today as in 1903.
the town's structure and defences.