From Heaven on Earth to Smart Cities: How Utopianism Shifted from Social Structures to Digital Built Environments in the 21st Century

Future cities are largely mentioned with utopia in the 21st century. Yet, many also think that utopias are pre-21st-century texts or designs. In the early 21st century, the concept of a digital city began to be connected to utopian ideas. Smart city, sustainable city,15-minute city, and many more city forms use "utopian" as an adjective. However, there has been limited research into the utopian features of ideal cities and societies that are proposed in these new technological marvels. Utopian thought is primarily associated with digital cities in multiple aspects, including mobility, security, sustainability, and digitalization. Nevertheless, studies often overlook the connection between the smart city concept that surfaced in the early 21st century and classic utopias. Furthermore, new communities within digital cities have not received sufficient investigation. In classic utopian philosophy, utopias encompass much more than mere technological achievements, as they include ideal societies that extend beyond just technical designs. This dissertation explores the evolution of utopianism in the 21st century and examines how utopian thinking has transitioned from virtuous cities to smart cities, focusing on The Line in Saudi Arabia and Telosa in the United States.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Architecture and Design Research

Department dc:contributor.department

Architecture

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Yusufoglu, Cihan

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Emmons, Paul F.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Staub, Alexandra
• Al, Stefan Johannes
• Sanchez, Thomas W.

• Utopia
• Ideal city
• Smart city
• The Line
• Telosa

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:41405

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/135556