Urban Corporis - Foundations

The twentieth century, marked by profound social, ideological, and technological transformations, produced a new urban body in which visions of the future and historical stratifications coexist in an often fragile balance. This volume of Urban Corporis – Foundations examines the relationship between ideology, planning, and architectural design, analysing the transition from the historic city to the contemporary city through the study of new towns and planned urban fabrics. Starting with the Second Industrial Revolution and the emergence of reinforced concrete as the predominant construction method, architecture and urban planning became central tools for shaping new forms of habitation and collective aspirations. From an international perspective, the volume compares experiences of new towns and planned cities, highlighting analogies, divergences, and contradictions among different urban models, cultures, and identities. The material traces of the last century – situated between utopian ambitions and enduring legacies of the past – thus become the subject of critical analysis, engaging with issues of conservation, abandonment, and contemporary reappropriation. Through contributions addressing both planned outcomes and organic developments, this collection examines the role of planned cities in the present and future, offering a nuanced interpretation of the twentieth century as an ongoing urban laboratory.