Utopia/Dystopia & A Future Part 1 Dissertation 2011 Josh Roberts University of Technology Sydney | Australia Composed of the narrative A Future and the manifesto Utopia/Dystopia, this dissertation uncovers and re-frames utopian ideals in relation to architecture and the city, to suggest a possible direction for future planned urban environments. The fiction of a speculative near future scenario offers a provocative introduction to a review of the history of utopian theories, proposed here to offer insights into the nature of man. This is followed by an analysis of recent architectural and urban utopias that aims to suggest a return of the primary focus in these cities from environmental concerns to the consideration of human needs and desires. Re-framing utopian ideals for future cities, this work calls for a renewed emphasis on man’s needs and on the habitability of the city, while the implementation of technological developments and environmental considerations should by now be, it argues, ‘standard practice’.Narrative is proposed here as a critical and testing tool for urban planning and discourse. The manifesto Utopia/Dystopia aims to reinvigorate the optimism of utopian ideals within today's architecture and planning, whilst A Future offers an example of narrative method capable of testing and applying these ideals. Reread in the light of the manifesto the narrative of A Future takes on a full new meaning as a critical design and planning tool. Tutor(s) Teresa Stoppani