Living in the sky a Utopia for this century

The world and the various societies within it, are constantly changing in all aspects. Some important aspects include changes in the human perception of time, the organization of space, the structures of social relationships, economic structures and the availability of resources for energy and industry. In this new century, where phenomenon such as the depletion of fossil fuel, population growth, technological development and climatic changes are witnessed, it is vital to review and think over this moment from a social needs perspective in order to discuss and hopefully solve the challenges of the future. This paper will discuss the utopian impulse within architecture as an aspiration for a better way of life, with a particular focus on the reconstruction of society and the possibility of synthesizing this with the aforementioned social/human needs perspective. This perspective will serve as a way of adjusting some of the important utopian ideas in architecture—such as Le Corbusier’s projects which were more concerned with the rationalization of urban space—in order to create a more environmentally, economically and socially healthy and sustainable urban environment. The particular environment which will be described herein will draw on a modified notion of the skyscraper and propose a new urban element: a vertical city. The history of utopianism within the field of architecture will be briefly discussed, as will some of the many challenges to this utopian project which have emerged since its conception (and continue to emerge into the contemporary moment and beyond). In addition, I will highlight both the positive and negative aspects of the utopian urge within the field and argue that with the advent of new technologies, a more fluid and flexible urban space which retains some of the positive utopian elements is worth consideration and further investigation.