IAWA Symposium 2019 Keynote: The Practical Nature of Utopian Visions

Considering that architecture and the urban fabric are the built expression of a society, they reflect its character and structure. When a utopian vision is formulated it is in search of a “better place”. Literally: no-where? Given that, aren’t the terms utopia and architecture a contradiction? The essence of a utopia is that its goals place everything in question, even “reality”, which is exactly its very useful aspect. In the world of scientific research, the most important results generally accrue while trying to obtain fundamentally inaccessible knowledge. Referring back to the built environment, the question is; can utopian visions indeed provide a basis of communication in order redefine architectural and urbanistic ideals?