URBAN DREAMS AND THINKERS: A CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS OF WRIGHT, HOWARD AND LE CORBUSIER'S URBAN MODELS

Year 2025, Volume: 15 Issue: 4, 1567 - 1584, 01.10.2025

Yasemin Tuzlu Erol

https://doi.org/10.7456/tojdac.1754856

Abstract

This study examines three utopian city models that have created transformative effects in the history of urban planning: Ebenezer Howard's Garden City, Frank Lloyd Wright's Broadacre City, and Le Corbusier's Ville Radieuse, within a conceptual and comparative framework. These models, which aim to produce alternatives to urban issues such as density, disorder, and social inequality that emerged after the Industrial Revolution, have been evaluated not only as physical planning but also as visions of an ideal society. In this study, a mixed-methods qualitative research design was employed, combining conceptual review and case study methods. Models selected through homogeneous purposive sampling were analyzed within the themes of spatial organization, sustainability, and user-centeredness. This methodological approach has provided an opportunity to evaluate the relationship between historical urban visions and modern planning principles. As a result of the analysis, it was revealed that each of the three models provided unique responses to the issues of their respective eras; however, the fundamental principles they embody, such as harmony with nature, planned development, human scale, and social balance, continue to be relevant in today's planning practices. In this context, the urban models of utopian thinkers stand out not only as historical documents but also as important intellectual resources that can be referred to in the search for solutions to contemporary urban issues.

Keywords

Keywords: Garden City , Broadacre City , Ville Radieuse , Modern Urbanism , Urban Planning , Utopian city models

KENT DÜŞ(ÜNÜR)LERİ: WRIGHT, HOWARD VE LE CORBUSIER’NİN KENT MODELLERİ ÜZERINE KAVRAMSAL BİR ANALİZ

Abstract

Bu çalışma, kent planlama tarihinde dönüştürücü etkiler yaratmış Ebenezer Howard’ın Garden City’si, Frank Lloyd Wright’ın Broadacre City’si ve Le Corbusier’in Ville Radieuse’u olmak üzere üç ütopyacı kent modelini kavramsal ve karşılaştırmalı bir çerçevede incelemektedir. Sanayi Devrimi sonrası ortaya çıkan yoğunluk, düzensizlik ve sosyal eşitsizlik gibi kentsel sorunlara alternatif üretme amacı taşıyan bu modeller, yalnızca fiziksel planlama değil, aynı zamanda ideal toplum tahayyülleri olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Araştırmada, kavramsal inceleme ve durum çalışması yöntemlerinin bir arada kullanıldığı karma nitel araştırma tasarımı benimsenmiştir. Homojen amaçlı örnekleme yoluyla seçilen modeller, mekansal organizasyon, sürdürülebilirlik ve kullanıcı odaklılık temaları çerçevesinde analiz edilmiştir. Bu yöntemsel yaklaşım, tarihsel kentsel vizyonların modern planlama ilkeleriyle ilişkisini değerlendirme olanağı sunmuştur. Analiz sonucunda, üç modelin de kendi dönemine özgü sorunlara özgün yanıtlar verdiği; ancak doğayla uyum, planlı gelişme, insan ölçeği ve toplumsal denge gibi taşıdığı temel ilkelerin günümüz planlama pratikleri açısından da geçerliliğini sürdürdüğü ortaya konmuştur. Bu bağlamda, ütopyacı düşünürlerin kent modelleri, yalnızca tarihsel belgeler değil; aynı zamanda günümüz kent sorunlarına yönelik çözüm arayışlarında başvurulabilecek önemli düşünsel kaynaklar olarak öne çıkmaktadır.

Keywords

Garden City , Broadacre City , Ville Radieuse , Modern Şehircilik , Kent Planlama , Ütopyacı Kent modeli

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