City Metaphors

Few planners today would consider that the perfect city should be cube-shaped as the heavenly city is revealed in the Revelation of John. Such a shape can only be perfect when there is no longer need for sun or moon or fresh air. John’s record of its population was 144000. Today this would be classified as a Small Town. But each metaphor of a city whether as machine or market organism or organization place of power or learning or utopia can stimulate us to explore a new understanding of cities and another lateral thought on how we might better management them.