The rise of planned capital cities
Most cities grow gradually, shaped by geography, trade and countless individual decisions. A few, however, are designed from the beginning. In the twentieth century, several countries built entirely new capital cities, often in previously undeveloped areas.
Governments had various reasons for such projects. A new capital could encourage development in a neglected region, move government away from an overcrowded commercial centre, or symbolise a fresh start after independence. Choosing a site between rival regions could also avoid favouring one over another.
Planners typically separated the city into zones for government, housing and commerce, connected by wide avenues designed for cars. Critics argue that this approach produced cities that looked impressive from the air but were uncomfortable at street level: distances were long, public spaces were exposed to the sun, and informal settlements grew on the edges to house the workers who built the city but could not afford to live in it.
More recent assessments are more balanced. Several planned capitals have become lively metropolitan areas as residents adapted them, adding markets, local businesses and public transport that the original plans had not included.