New town Facts for Kids

Brasília, the capital city of Brazil, is a planned city.

A planned city (also called a new town or planned community) is a city that is carefully designed before anyone starts building it. Think of it like drawing a detailed map or blueprint for a whole city! Most cities just grow over many years without a main plan. But planned cities are different.

In a planned city, experts like architects and engineers decide where everything will go. They choose special areas (or districts) for things like:

Parks for playing and relaxing.
Shops and stores for buying things.
Houses and homes where people live.
Offices where people work.

Planned cities also have a special system for transportation. This helps people get around easily, whether they are walking, biking, or using public transport.

Why Build a Planned City?
- Goals of Planned Cities
History of Planned Cities
- Ancient Planned Cities
- Modern Planned Cities
Examples of Planned Cities Around the World
Images for kids
See also

Why Build a Planned City?

People build planned cities for many reasons. Sometimes, an old city might be too crowded or damaged. Other times, a country might need a new capital city. Planned cities can also help spread out populations. They can also create new places for industries or businesses.

Goals of Planned Cities

The main goals when planning a city are usually to make it:

Organized: Everything has its place, making the city easy to navigate.
Efficient: Good transportation and services help people save time.
Healthy: Green spaces and good air quality are often included.
Safe: Roads and neighborhoods are designed with safety in mind.
Beautiful: Architects try to make the city look good.

History of Planned Cities

Planned cities are not a new idea! People have been designing cities for thousands of years.

Ancient Planned Cities

Some of the earliest planned cities were built in ancient times. For example, cities in the Indus Valley Civilization (like Mohenjo-Daro) had very organized street layouts.
The Romans also built many planned cities across their empire. These often had a grid pattern, like a checkerboard.

Modern Planned Cities

In more recent times, especially after the Industrial Revolution, many new towns were built. These often focused on housing workers near factories.
After World War II, many countries built new towns to help house people and rebuild their economies.

Examples of Planned Cities Around the World

Many famous cities today were once planned cities.

Brasília, Brazil

Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. It was built very quickly in the 1950s and 1960s. Its design looks like an airplane from above! It was planned to move Brazil's capital away from the coast.

Canberra, Australia

Canberra is the capital of Australia. It was designed in the early 1900s by American architects. It has a unique layout with many circular streets and green areas.

Islamabad, Pakistan

Islamabad became the capital of Pakistan in the 1960s. It was designed to be a modern, green city. It has a very organized grid system.

Other Examples

Abuja in Nigeria is another capital city built mainly in the 1980s.
Songdo in South Korea is a very modern "smart city" built on reclaimed land.
Milton Keynes in England was started in the 1960s to help with housing shortages.
Palmanova in Italy is a star-shaped fortress town from the 16th century.

Images for kids

Partizánske in Slovakia – an example of a typical planned industrial city founded in 1938.
Abuja, in Nigeria, was one of the fastest growing cities in the world.
Brasília, the capital of Brazil, was built in less than one thousand days in the 1960s.
Plan of Fredericia (Denmark) in 1900 – the city was founded in 1650.
Batavia, circa 1780.
Bandung was planned as a new capital for the Dutch East Indies in the 1920s.
Sadra a planned city near Shiraz.
A planned community in the Negev desert.
Abu Dhabi.
Kyoto was built on a grid system, starting in 794.
Southern Castle Peak, Part of Tuen Mun New Town, developed from the 1970s onward.
Songdo in South Korea.
New Town, Kolkata.
Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Islamabad, Pakistan.
Palmanova, Italy, founded in the 16th century.
A plan for a settlement within the Municipality of Aerodrom in Skopje, North Macedonia.
Zamość.
Saint Petersburg in 1807.
Panorama of Onești, 1965. Many new towns like this were built near old villages in Romania.
The village of Milton Keynes, England gave its name to the new city that incorporates it, which grew rapidly from 1967 onwards.
The original plan for Memphis, Tennessee, as surveyed in 1819.
Reston, Virginia.
La Plata from the air.
Adelaide's planned town grids were surrounded by parkland.
A reconstruction of Robert Hoddle's original plans for Melbourne's central grid.
Inner Canberra shows parts of the Griffin plan, especially the Parliamentary Triangle.