BROAD ACRE CITY

FL WRIGHT’S SUBURBAN UTOPIA

NIT ROURKELA- HSVA (PA3908)- SURYA VAMSI – 118AR0019

What is a Utopian City?
Utopia is an imagined community or society that possesses
highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its citizens.
Eg: The Good Place , New Utopia ( watchmen)

And what is a Broad Acre city?

Broadacre City was an urban development planning concept put forward by Frank Lloyd Wright.
first appeared in his book "The Disappearing City’" in 1932. Image Source: http://airshipdaily.com/blog/05282014-utopian-cities
Broadway City was also called "Usonian" or "ideal city".
According to Wright,
-structures in a Broadacre city ought to be organic and in harmony with humanity as well as the environment.
-Wright developed a 12 by 12-foot scale model to represent
a hypothetical 4 square mile community.
-He called the model, “New Homes for the Old” and was
sponsored by the Federal Housing Administration.
-The buildings in the Broadacre City model comprised
of new building concept designs.

Motivation
Wright hated discrimination and was disgusted with all the bureaucracy in urban centers.Image Source: https://www.archdaily.com/472031/a-master-architect-s-surprising-obsession
He advocated for multi dimensional freedom and the city with no slum no traffic jams
and no crimes.
Only thing which kept him motivated was the thought process , the dream of the future where people could communicate from home without moving
to any office to pass information.

NIT ROURKELA- HSVA (PA3908)- SURYA VAMSI – 118AR0019

 Design
-Urban area with a low population density and services grouped depending on the type.
-Had a futuristic highway and airfields in an effort to help curb traffic.
-The highways connecting different cities were gigantic, with detailed design and landscaping.
-Public service stations and comfortable vehicles with the city divided into various units.
-There were farm units, factory units, roadside markets, leisure areas, schools.
-Each living unit was given an acre to decorate and nurture.
-Units were organized such that individuals would get any service or commodity accessible by
road or air to make it decentralized and sustainable.

Image Source: https://www.slideshare.net/vikkaloveblue/city-beautiful-and-broadacre-city

NIT ROURKELA- HSVA (PA3908)- SURYA VAMSI – 118AR0019

Affordability
-Units and services were to be affordable in Broadacre cities.
-The system abolished the role of landlords and gave architects more power to
decide on house designs.
-Closeness to all services was to reduce the human expenditure and time.
-The organic buildings were also cheap to build and considered the interests of all social classes thus
settling on what was affordable to the middle and some lower social class.

Aspects of Broad Acre city that became realities

-Quality in urban spread out
-Single family homes on larger scale of land with smaller roads connecting to
larger routes which connecting to free ways.
-People being able to own land build their own home in their own design.
-The city planning
-Agrarian urbanism
Disadvantages and the reasons for failure:

-The project sounded too dream like and too fantasy to be of practical importance.
-According to the idea of Wright, the project comments motor transportation for even the most casual meetings and usage.
-Would have made people more lazy (personal opinion)
-There was a large population increase and the fuel prices constantly got escalating.
-Impact on environment conditions.
- And lastly the idea died after the death of Wright.

NIT ROURKELA- HSVA (PA3908)- SURYA VAMSI – 118AR0019

Bibliography:

1. J. Chepkemoi World Atlas .(2019).What is a Broad acre city?. Retrieved from World Atlas page https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-a-broadacre-
city.html#:~:text=Broadacre%20City%20was%20an%20urban,American%20architect%20Frank%20Lloyd%20Wright.&text=Wright%20developed%20a%2012
%20by,Forum%20at%20the%20Rockefeller%20Center.

2. V. Alix .(2013).City beautiful and Broad acre city. Retrieved from SlideShare. https://www.slideshare.net/vikkaloveblue/city-beautiful-and-broadacre-city

NIT ROURKELA- HSVA (PA3908)- SURYA VAMSI – 118AR0019