ABSTRACT
Any chronology of modern designed capitals must be somewhat arbitrary, since it is premised on the dates capital cities were founded in accordance with urban design plans. Nonetheless, since the proponents of these master plans do seem to respond to the ideas of their planning predecessors and contemporaries to so great an extent that these designs form a kind of hermetic dialogue, there is good reason for exhibiting them in order of historical appearance. The chapter presents examples of Washington D. C., Canberra, New Delhi, Ankara and Dodoma, together with more-brief mention of several others and raises a broad spectrum of issues about power and identity. Through an examination of the plans of these cities and the forces that helped produce them, it emphasizes the reasons each was founded and analyze the urban and architectural presence of its capitol complex. The chapter also elucidates the larger aims and biases that underlie the momentous partnerships among government leaders, local people, and designers.
