Utopian?

The course will examine the planning agendas of \’avant garde\’ Soviet architects from the 1970s. Can their \’project\’ be categorized as utopian? What were the ingredients of Soviet urbanism at the time? This pivotal period, situated on the cusp between an ideologically rich past and a politically tumultuous future, will be explored for the social, political and aesthetic ambitions of its urban thinkers. Working with the Architecture Museum in Moscow, students will research the era\’s urban proposals, buildings, publications and exhibitions. Based upon these findings, the group will develop the arguments and prepare the content for an exhibition in the same museum scheduled for Jan 2005.