Two Charters of Athens and Two Visions of Utopia: Functional and Connected

This paper aims to provide a comparative analysis of the two Charters of Athens, one produced in 1933 and the other in 2003. In particular, it focuses on a critical examination of their approach to five interrelated issues: concept of the city; diagnosis of the urban problems; prescription for urban solution; vision of the future city; and treatment of the environment. The comparison shows how the two Charters are responses to the particular circumstances of their times and reflect different roles and attitudes of the experts and as such show very different approaches to the city, its problems and possible solutions. However, despite their differences the two Charters share a number of underlying perspectives, notably a utopian view of the future, a desire for order in cities through making connections, and to a lesser extent a technological mindset for solving urban problems and a utilitarian view of the environment.