Strange Maps and the perfect, canal-partitioned city

I'm quite captivated by Strange Maps, a blog that does what it says.

One of the most interesting posts is Slumless, smokeless cities, an idealised design for a perfect city, designed by Sir Ebenezer Howard, ('the father of the garden city movement'.) 

I was interested to see how Sir Eb partitioned off his circular city's precincts with canals.

'Canals stretch green fingers into towns', didn't Aickman write that?

Still, it's a dull city that's laid out with any trace of symmetry, I think.   City maps should look like they evolved without sense, as if the street plans been forged from a thousand years of settlement, industry, arguments, bickering and lawsuits.  Getting lost in a city and discovering the forgotten aspects is half the charm.

Comments

[Paul Savage (NB Adreva]

Addition. Just zoomed in on map, had to laugh at the section titles home for the inebriates at about 8 o'clock. Hmm what sort of utopia was he thinking?

[Paul Savage(NB Adreva)]

The last sentence actually describes accuratly one of the most amazing cities in the world - Venice, hey canal based as well. This city is extremly organic in it's layout and one of the main ways to explore is to get lost!! Even the house numbers don't follow a logical order. I would recommend anyone to go there at least once in their lives. We went in late January, the weather was cold (freezing) but there weren't too many tourists, and you can wrap up warmly. Added bonus was no floods and no smell. The water was chrystal clear.

[Dan]

Your last sentance is right on the money!