The city has always been an engine of futuristic and Utopian thinking. As an image of society, it has exercised a powerful and persuasive hold over those who would wish to experiment with or 'engineer' modes of human existence, representing a convincing means by which to prove effective social change at scale. The idea of the city as 'social laboratory' thus remains as potent today as it has at any point in history. Indeed, virtually every new urban intervention in our cities aspires not only to shape the city 'for the better', but also to hold out a certain prospect of the future. Architects and planners are seen (and like to see themselves) as prophets of a kind, leading society to a happier, more convenient and safer existence, whether realistic or fanciful.
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