{"id":40297,"date":"2025-06-19T11:14:27","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T09:14:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/the-ideal-city-between-utopia-and-reality\/"},"modified":"2025-06-19T11:14:31","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T09:14:31","slug":"the-ideal-city-between-utopia-and-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/en\/selections-en\/the-ideal-city-between-utopia-and-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"The ideal city. Between utopia and reality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-quelle-est-la-ville-ideale\">What&#8217;s the ideal city?<\/h2>\n\n<p>Philosophers, historians, urban planners, archaeologists and other specialists will attempt to answer this question at a forthcoming symposium, <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20221007230133\/https:\/\/news.unil.ch\/document\/1650958919349.D1653919767412\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>La Ville id\u00e9ale<\/em>, <em>Entre utopie et r\u00e9alit\u00e9<\/em><\/a>, at the University of Lausanne.<\/p>\n\n<p>What did the ideal city look like in ancient times? A short journey from utopia to reality. <\/p>\n\n<p>For <a href=\"https:\/\/renouvaud1.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/discovery\/search?query=any,contains,platon%20critias&amp;tab=Physical_resources&amp;search_scope=Physical_resources&amp;vid=41BCULAUSA_LIB:VU2&amp;facet=library,include,2852%E2%80%93385324550002852&amp;offset=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Plato<\/a>,<strong>Atlantis<\/strong> undoubtedly represented the ideal city, and a beautiful one at that:  <\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><\/p><cite>\u201c<em>The entire temple, on the outside, was clad in silver, except for the acroteria, which were clad in gold; inside, the vault was all ivory enameled with gold, silver and orichalcum; everything else, walls, columns and pavements, was trimmed with orichalcum. <\/em>\u201d<em>(Critias, <\/em>116d)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n<p>According to legend, Athens&#8217; magnificent rival was swallowed up by Zeus because of its excessiveness.<\/p>\n\n<p>Other ancient cities with exceptional destinies, not to mention the Greek cities and Rome, are well worth a visit.<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Babylon<\/strong>, the <em>Gateway of God<\/em>, is known not only for its<em> Hanging Gardens<\/em>, one of the <em>Seven Wonders of<\/em> the ancient world, but also for its famous <em>Tower of Babel<\/em>. Mentioned in the Bible<em>(Genesis<\/em>, XI, 1-9), this astonishing construction is described by <a href=\"https:\/\/renouvaud1.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/discovery\/fulldisplay?docid=alma991014209119702852&amp;context=L&amp;vid=41BCULAUSA_LIB:VU2&amp;lang=fr&amp;search_scope=Physical_resources&amp;adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&amp;tab=Physical_resources&amp;query=any,contains,h%C3%A9rodote%20enqu%C3%AAte&amp;facet=library,include,2852%E2%80%93385324550002852&amp;offset=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Herodotus<\/a><em>(Enquiry<\/em>, I, 181-183): <\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><\/p><cite>&#8221; <em>It&#8217;s a regular square with a hundred stadia in every direction. In the middle is a massive tower, one stage long and one stage wide; on top of this tower rises another, and on top of this second another, and so on: so that there are up to eight of them. On the outside, there are revolving steps by which you can climb up to each tower.<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"617\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/samarra366848928_50f957603c_b-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26765\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/samarra366848928_50f957603c_b-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/samarra366848928_50f957603c_b-1-300x181.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/samarra366848928_50f957603c_b-1-768x463.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/samarra366848928_50f957603c_b-1-600x362.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Ziggurat, Samarra. Gustaf Wallen <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p><strong>Carthage<\/strong> was considered by Aristotle to be the city with the best governance. A sworn enemy of Rome, it was razed to the ground, burned and annihilated by Scipio&#8217;s legions in 146 BC. Taking advantage of its exceptional geographical location, the city was rebuilt by the Romans, who did not hesitate to make it the capital of proconsular Africa. And this despite the advice of Cato the Elder: \u201c<em>Delenda est Carthago!<\/em>\u201d, <em>\u201cCarthage must be destroyed!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/tunisie_carthage_ruines_13-1-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26799\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/tunisie_carthage_ruines_13-1-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/tunisie_carthage_ruines_13-1-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/tunisie_carthage_ruines_13-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/tunisie_carthage_ruines_13-1-1536x1021.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/tunisie_carthage_ruines_13-1-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/tunisie_carthage_ruines_13-1-600x399.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Carthage. Calips <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p><strong>Pompeii<\/strong>, meanwhile, has been frozen in time since 79 AD. In 62, the city had already suffered a fearsome earthquake, from which it recovered, before its beautiful image of a happy and prosperous city was definitively buried under a blackish layer several meters thick. <a href=\"https:\/\/renouvaud1.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/discovery\/fulldisplay?docid=alma991012986059702852&amp;context=L&amp;vid=41BCULAUSA_LIB:VU2&amp;lang=fr&amp;search_scope=Physical_resources&amp;adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&amp;tab=Physical_resources&amp;query=any,contains,pline%20le%20jeune&amp;facet=library,include,2852%E2%80%93385324550002852&amp;offset=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pliny the Younger<\/a> recounts the eruption of Vesuvius and the death of his uncle, Pliny the Elder: <\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><\/p><cite>&#8221;  <em>He (Pliny the Elder) was in Misene, commanding the fleet in person. On the 9th before the calends of September, around the seventh hour, my mother told him that an extraordinary cloud had been seen, both in size and appearance. [&#8230;] My uncle found all this curious and good to know more closely, knowing as he did. [&#8230;] Frequent, widespread earthquakes shook the houses, which seemed to be torn from their foundations, swaying one way and then the other. Fragments of pumice, light and porous it&#8217;s true, but feared, fell into the open air.    <\/em>  &#8220;<em>(Letter to Tacitus, <\/em>excerpts)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/pompei192428934_9e47d36f51_b-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26767\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/pompei192428934_9e47d36f51_b-3.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/pompei192428934_9e47d36f51_b-3-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/pompei192428934_9e47d36f51_b-3-768x525.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/pompei192428934_9e47d36f51_b-3-600x410.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Porta Marina, Pompeii, Trey Ratcliff<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p><strong>Petra<\/strong>, carved out of the rock and nestling at the bottom of a rocky gorge, was abandoned in the 7th<sup>century <\/sup>AD and then forgotten until the first archaeological excavations in 1812. To reach it, you have to follow a very narrow gorge (only 3 to 11 metres wide) for almost three kilometers. <a href=\"https:\/\/renouvaud1.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/discovery\/fulldisplay?docid=alma991005031959702852&amp;context=L&amp;vid=41BCULAUSA_LIB:VU2&amp;lang=fr&amp;search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&amp;adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&amp;tab=Everything&amp;query=Browse:%20Strabo&amp;sortby=author&amp;facet=library,include,2852%E2%80%93385324550002852&amp;mode=browse&amp;offset=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Strabo<\/a> describes it as follows:  <\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><\/p><cite>&#8221; <em>The capital of the Nabataeans, Petra, derives its name from the peculiar circumstance that, built on a generally flat and level terrain, it is surrounded by a rampart of rock, which, steep and abrupt on the outer side, contains on its inner slope abundant springs, precious for feeding the city and watering the gardens.<\/em><em>(Geography<\/em>, XVI, 4 <em>&#8211; Arabia<\/em>, 21)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"682\" height=\"1023\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/petra8689761132_1bacee8674_b-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26769\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/petra8689761132_1bacee8674_b-1.jpg 682w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/petra8689761132_1bacee8674_b-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/petra8689761132_1bacee8674_b-1-600x900.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px\" \/><figcaption>Tomb of the Khazneh, Petra. Erminig Gwenn <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p><strong>Troy<\/strong>, immortalized by <a href=\"https:\/\/renouvaud1.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/discovery\/search?query=any,contains,hom%C3%A8re%20iliade&amp;tab=Everything&amp;search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&amp;vid=41BCULAUSA_LIB:VU2&amp;facet=library,include,2852%E2%80%93385324550002852&amp;lang=fr&amp;offset=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Homer<\/a> and later by Schliemann, was destroyed and rebuilt 9 times between the <sup>3rd<\/sup> millennium and the <sup>6th<\/sup> century AD.<\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><\/p><cite>\u201c<em>I, Poseidon, built a wall for the Trojans, wide and beautiful, so that the city would be indestructible. <\/em>\u201d<em>(Iliad<\/em>, XXI, 446-447)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"678\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/troie28623986136_a105070efe_b-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26771\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/troie28623986136_a105070efe_b-1.jpg 678w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/troie28623986136_a105070efe_b-1-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/troie28623986136_a105070efe_b-1-600x906.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\" \/><figcaption>Tower, Troy. Allison Mickel <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p><strong>Alesia <\/strong>is famous for its siege by <a href=\"https:\/\/renouvaud1.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/discovery\/fulldisplay?docid=alma991000003079702852&amp;context=L&amp;vid=41BCULAUSA_LIB:VU2&amp;lang=fr&amp;search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&amp;adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&amp;tab=Everything&amp;query=any,contains,c%C3%A9sar%20guerre%20des%20gaules&amp;facet=library,include,2852%E2%80%93385324550002852&amp;facet=creator,include,Caesar%20Caius%20Julius&amp;offset=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Julius Caesar<\/a> during the <em>Gallic War<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><\/p><cite>\u201c<em>This place was situated on the top of a mountain, in such an elevated position that it seemed that it could only be taken by a full-scale siege.\u201d<\/em><em>(La Guerre des Gaules<\/em>, 7)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n<p>The city that witnessed Vercingetorix&#8217;s defeat has long been the subject of debate as to its location. Its final fall in 52 BC officially brought Gaul into the Roman Empire.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/alesia6972078178_0c3f2ae632_b-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26775\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/alesia6972078178_0c3f2ae632_b-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/alesia6972078178_0c3f2ae632_b-1-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/alesia6972078178_0c3f2ae632_b-1-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/alesia6972078178_0c3f2ae632_b-1-600x398.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>MuseoParc, Alesia. Archigeek <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p><strong>Knossos<\/strong>, with its labyrinthine palace, was the capital of Minoan civilization. This monumental complex combines various activities: administrative center, workshops and warehouses, sanctuaries and royal residence. This complex of over 1,000 interlocking rooms gave rise to the legend of the <em>Labyrinth<\/em>:  <\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><\/p><cite>\u201c<em>Minos wants to rob the world of the shame of his marriage: he imprisons the Minotaur in the deepest recesses of the palace. Daedalus, the most famous of architects, has laid the foundations. The eye wanders through the infinite paths, with no end and no way out, which intersect, mingle and merge with each other.\u201d<\/em> (Ovid, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/renouvaud1.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/discovery\/fulldisplay?docid=alma991020155089702852&amp;context=L&amp;vid=41BCULAUSA_LIB:VU2&amp;lang=fr&amp;search_scope=Physical_resources&amp;adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&amp;tab=Physical_resources&amp;query=any,contains,ovide%20m%C3%A9tamorphoses&amp;facet=library,include,2852%E2%80%93385324550002852&amp;facet=creator,include,Ovidius%20Naso%20Publius&amp;offset=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Metamorphoses<\/a><\/em>VIII, 157-161)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1023\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/minotaure11367468435_633fc9a2aa_b-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/minotaure11367468435_633fc9a2aa_b-1.jpg 1023w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/minotaure11367468435_633fc9a2aa_b-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/minotaure11367468435_633fc9a2aa_b-1-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/minotaure11367468435_633fc9a2aa_b-1-600x401.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1023px) 100vw, 1023px\" \/><figcaption>Fresco of the Leap over the Bull, Knossos. Egisto Sani <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p>To conclude our journey, let&#8217;s return to our fantasized <strong>Atlantis, <\/strong>through another of <a href=\"https:\/\/renouvaud1.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/discovery\/fulldisplay?docid=alma991011865839702852&amp;context=L&amp;vid=41BCULAUSA_LIB:VU2&amp;lang=fr&amp;search_scope=Physical_resources&amp;adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&amp;tab=Physical_resources&amp;query=any,contains,platon&amp;facet=library,include,2852%E2%80%93385324550002852&amp;facet=creator,include,Plato%20Ca%20427%20Ca%20348%20Av%20J%20C&amp;offset=50\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Plato&#8217;<\/a> s descriptions of this utopian land<em>:<\/em><\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><\/p><cite><em>&#8220;With all the riches they drew from the land, the inhabitants built the temples, the kings&#8217; palaces, the harbors, the shipyards, and embellished the rest of the country in the order I&#8217;m about to describe. They began by building bridges over the seawater ditches that surrounded the ancient metropolis, to provide a passageway to the outside world and to the royal palace. From the outset, they had built this palace in the place inhabited by the god and their ancestors. Each king, on receiving it from his predecessor, added to its embellishments and put all his care into surpassing it, so that they made their dwelling an object of admiration by the grandeur and beauty of their work.&#8221;<\/em> <em>(Critias<\/em>, 115b, c and d)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1023\" height=\"685\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/atlantide2354635537_93ea870c50_b-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26780\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/atlantide2354635537_93ea870c50_b-1.jpg 1023w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/atlantide2354635537_93ea870c50_b-1-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/atlantide2354635537_93ea870c50_b-1-768x514.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/atlantide2354635537_93ea870c50_b-1-600x402.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1023px) 100vw, 1023px\" \/><figcaption>Scale di Atlantide. Eugenio Azzola Photomerger <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p>To continue this exploration, our <a href=\"https:\/\/renouvaud1.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/discovery\/collectionDiscovery?vid=41BCULAUSA_LIB:VU2&amp;collectionId=81440183240002852\">Renouvaud<\/a> selection includes books on ancient cities, urban planning and contemporary thinking.<\/p>\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\"><\/pre>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\">Evelyne Barman Crotti<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What&#8217;s the ideal city? Philosophers, historians, urban planners, archaeologists and other specialists will attempt to answer this question at a forthcoming symposium, La Ville id\u00e9ale, Entre utopie et r\u00e9alit\u00e9, at the University of Lausanne. What did the ideal city look like in ancient times? A short journey from utopia to reality. For Plato,Atlantis undoubtedly represented [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":26986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1279,1343],"coauthors":[646],"class_list":["post-40297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-selections-en","category-our-collections"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The ideal city. Between utopia and reality - BCUL<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcu-lausanne.ch\/en\/selections-en\/the-ideal-city-between-utopia-and-reality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The ideal city. Between utopia and reality - BCUL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What&#8217;s the ideal city? Philosophers, historians, urban planners, archaeologists and other specialists will attempt to answer this question at a forthcoming symposium, La Ville id\u00e9ale, Entre utopie et r\u00e9alit\u00e9, at the University of Lausanne. What did the ideal city look like in ancient times? A short journey from utopia to reality. 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