Ekistics as a Place Theory

Abstract

Constantinos A. Doxiadis’s entopia is a multidisciplinary design and planning system against the dystopian conditions of the mid-twentieth century. Embodying the criticism of the period’s architectural and urban trends, C. A. Doxiadis coined entopia as a practicable concept between “unattainable” utopia and “existing” dystopia in 1966 as a complementary term for ekistics’ principles to provide healthy living conditions for the oncoming world city, ecumenopolis. This paper examines Entopia’s historical and spatial context by investigating the uniqueness of the concept among the place theories of the same era, aiming to re-open a discussion of ekistics. Entopia suggests a dynapolis (dynamic city) model and integrates a grid plan for accessibility and adequate mobility. The idea originates from the need for a human-oriented approach for future settlements of developing countries, new towns to be built, and existing settlements to be transformed in the direction of emerging needs. In this context, the paper first focuses on the grid plan and linear city model as antecedents of entopia’s dynamic city model. Secondly, modernist utopias are examined to compare entopia and other …topia projections. Thirdly, the place theories of the 1960s are criticized as the contemporary debates of entopia.