polis: a collective blog about cities worldwide

Leonie Sandercock on the Ideal City




"I dream of a city of bread and festivals, where those who don't have the bread aren't excluded from the carnival. I dream of a city in which action grows out of knowledge and understanding; where you haven't got it made until you can help others to get where you are or beyond; where social justice is more prized than a balanced budget; where I have a right to my surroundings, and so do all my fellow citizens; where we don't exist for the city but are seduced by it; where only after consultation with local folks could decisions be made about our neighbourhoods; where scarcity does not build a barb-wire fence around carefully guarded inequalities; where no one flaunts their authority and no one is without authority; where I don't have to translate my 'expertise' into jargon to impress officials and confuse citizens."

Leonie Sandercock, from "City Songlines: A Planning Imagination for the 21st Century," in Cosmopolis II: Mongrel Cities in the 21st Century, 2003

This is part of a collection of quotes related to cities. They don't necessarily reflect our views, just topics of interest. We welcome you to add others.

Credits: Photo of Uttarayan Kite Festival by Meena Kadri.

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