How our utopian dreams became the stuff of dystopian nightmares

In the 19th century, many people had a utopian view of the future, as well as fantastic visions of future cities. Then something shifted and we've been obsessed with dystopias ever since.

How 2,000 years of ‘layering’ transformed an ancient Roman city

Verona, Italy, started out with a rigid Roman street grid, then spent two millennia evolving into the charming and quaint city that exists today, layered with generation after generation of history.

Can futuristic utopias solve our housing crisis?

People have been founding new cities forever. However, it turns out building a successful place is harder than it looks — and sometimes takes a very long time.

Why utopias fail and the ‘Ponzi scheme’ of new development

Michael Rodriguez, director of research at Smart Growth America, said that people have been building utopias for millennia, but the best cities are the ones that gradually evolve over time.