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Leon Krier hardly needs to be introduced to anyone who has a professional or academic interest in the discussions of architecture and urbanism of recent decades. An internationally established architect, architectural theorist and urban planner, he is well-known not only as the author of numerous architectural and urban design projects and master-plans, but also for his defense of what is sometimes called „neo-traditional” architecture and the values that were and continue to be associated with the role and aesthetics of the architecture of past centuries. Although he has been attacked for his non-conformist views and critical attitude towards radical modernism, Leon Krier remains an important figure in discussions of architecture and urbanism, and his interests overlap with present concerns for environment and sustainable future. The talk by the editor of the journal with Leon Krier is an attempt to discuss the flaws of contemporary architectural and urban practice as well as to indicate its roots and draft some prospects for the future.

Urban development and rhetoric of rationality: The fate of c. A. Doxiadis’ concepts The prospects of a new century urge us to reconsider the mental legacy of the past century: theories and practices of urban planning that came into existence in a certain intellectual climate and circumstances. The paper is an attempt to reconsider the rhetoric of rationality that manifested in urban design in the second half of the 20th century. Focusing on the legacy of the Greek architect, theorist and urban planner Constantinos A. Doxiadis as well as his relationship with the dominating ideas of his time, the author examines what were the sources of his concepts of entopia and ecumenopolis and in what aspects they are different from cyclical theory of city’s growth, articulated by Lewis Mumford. The contexts in which ideology of progress gained strength resulted in the rise of belief of rational and globalising urban planning, introduced by Doxiadis’ ekistics. It is shown that despite highly rational rhetoric and the use of scientific data, methods and procedures of research in planning the future global city, the final results were rather modest and limited, despite of the fact that the Greek urban planner succeeded in carrying a vast number of projects in several continents: the belief in the concept of progress faded away and attempts to “export” values of Western liberal democracy with the help of urban planning proved to be far less succesful than was initially intended. Article in Lithuanian. Santrauka.Naujo amžiaus urbanistinės raidos perspektyvos akina įvertinti praėjusiame šimtmetyje klestėjusias urbanistines koncepcijas ir jų įtaką miesto raidai. Graikų architektas, urbanistikos teoretikas ir miestų planuotojas Constantinos A. Doxiadis paliko ryškų pėdsaką urbanistinės minties ir miestų planavimo istorijoje, kuris iki šiol nėra adekvačiai aptartas ir įvertintas. Sukūręs originalų, daugiadiciplinį ekistikos mokslą, jis sukūrė ateities miesto – ekumenopolio projektavimo sistemą, o kartu atliko urbanistinius tyrimus ir rengė projektus daugelyje pasaulio šalių. Analizuojama, kokią įtaką graikų urbanisto idėjų recepcijai padarė jo paties scientistinės ir racionalistinės premisos bei kompleksinių tyrimų metodologija ir kokios buvo jo koncepcijų sąsajos su bendra laikotarpio atmosfera, kurioje stiprėjo pažangos ideologija, racionalizmas, persmelkęs ne tik ekonomiką, bet ir kitas Vakarų visuomenės sferas. Taip pat aiškinamasi, kodėl bandymai globalią urbanistinę plėtrą derinti su Vakarų liberaliosios demokratijos vertybių ekspansija nebuvo itin sėkmingi. Urbanisto projektų likimas Azijos šalyse pademonstravo, kad racionalizmo doktrinomis pagrįstas planavimas nėra pajėgus pakeisti vietos bendruomenių gyvensenos ir mentaliteto. Parodoma, kad kartu su nesėkmėmis „eksportuojant“ vakarietiškas urbanistines schemas pasikeitė požiūris į realias architektūros bei planavimo galias, su kuriomis XX amžiaus modernistai siejo ypatingas viltis. Reikšminiai žodžiai: urbanistinė plėtra, utopija, entopija, ekumenopolis, Doxiadis, racionalizmas, pažangos ideologija. First Published Online: 22 May 2013