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We really believed, in a quasi-religious sense, in the perfectabilty
‘of human nature, in the role of architecture as @ weapon of social
reform ... the coming utopia when everyone would live in cheap
prefabricated flat-roofed multiple dwellings - heaven on earth.
Utopian planned housing produced by a paternalistic authority
were a financial and human disaster
‘The basis for the Utopian designs was “intuitive beliefes and
Prejudices, embellished by unsupported theorising and made
Contagious by sincerity, enthusiasm, fine phrases and attractive
sketches,
Creativity is not enough. It shoul also be rooted in reality
‘The segregation of... Radiant City developments, with spacious
grounds, extensive parks, huge schools, big shoppping precincts,
industrial estates and ‘cultural complexes, means that few
destinations are within walking distance. Cars are needed for most
purposes. [And so are] deprived of natural opportunities to bulld up
2 web of public acquaintanceship.
‘The prevailing atmosphere is one of anonymity. There is no accepted
set of social mores, which means that some people agonise over
what is acceptable behaviour, while others, at the opposite end of
the scale, find no constraints to curb their excesses.
In the Radiant City... mothers are more fearful about letting them
out into an anonymous world of strangers. Children encounter
restricted adult modes to imitate.
Estate children live in an environment where the distinction between
public and private is blurred by shared grounds,