Can a City Designed From Scratch Actually Work?

What this episode covers

Daniel asked a sharp question: if humans keep getting better at design, shouldn't a city drawn on a blank page by experts work better than one that just grew? This episode examines the track record of three iconic planned cities — Brasília, Chandigarh, and Canberra — and the unintended consequences of top-down urban planning. We dig into why the superblock model failed, what Jane Jacobs got right about "organized complexity," and whether the engineering mindset itself is the problem. With dozens of new planned cities under construction today — NEOM, Nusantara, California Forever — the question isn't academic anymore.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of My Weird Prompts?

This episode is 28 minutes long.

When was this My Weird Prompts episode published?

This episode was published on June 29, 2026.

What is this episode about?

Daniel asked a sharp question: if humans keep getting better at design, shouldn't a city drawn on a blank page by experts work better than one that just grew? This episode examines the track record of three iconic planned cities — Brasília,...

Can I download this My Weird Prompts episode?

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