10 Best Well-Planned Cities in the World

A city is a permanent and generally significant settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city differs from a town in common English language definitions, many cities have a specific administrative, legal, or historical status based on local legislation. Cities rely on urban planning to run well, increase population, and attract enterprises. The way an urban environment is planned has an impact on every key element. This includes key infrastructure, transportation, and city area design and density. Cities that are well-developed make a substantial contribution to the economic health and productivity of society. Poor urban planning, on the other hand, can have the opposite, negative consequence of persistently high traffic, inadequate infrastructure, and a lack of housing options. These areas are also subject to natural hazards including fires, flooding, and climate change.

Water, sewer, power, and safety are basic municipal amenities that are essential to maintain life and keep people safe (fire and police)

Transportation networks connect people to other essentials such as jobs, medical services (hospitals, clinics, and physicians), food (commercial areas), and education (universities and schools).

All cities require a foundation for economic growth and sustainability, which can be built on any combination of the following: industry (factories and high-tech firms), agriculture, entertainment, and tourism, depending on geography.

Also to better understand cities should be planned by the growing human population. Please read Urban Sprawl and Architecture

Mentioned below are the Top 10 best-planned cities around the globe:

1. Singapore - The Garden City in the Heart of Asia 

Singapore has progressed from being a mere transit to being a world-class city. Those who have visited the city in the last several decades will rave about its superb zonal arrangement. The majority of municipal institutions are located on the north side of the Singapore River, whereas the main commercial areas are on the south bank. Aside from that, the city features a grid-like design that makes transportation between the CBD and occupant zones simple.

2. Shanghai - The Blueprint to Accommodating Population  

The first draft of the Shanghai Master Plan was introduced in the year 1953. The original city foundation was kept, and a new layout was devised to reposition housing, factories, trains, transit, and warehouses. The new plan, based on a fair structure, intended to reduce population density while providing acceptable and comprehensive living circumstances for city people. In addition, the Master Plan was used to attractively organize squares, key roadways, riverbanks, and gardens. In light of the city's peculiarities, artistic forms of classical and contemporary architecture would be merged and employed in the construction of dwellings and public buildings. 

3. Chandigarh - The Green Grid Layout  

After India attained independence, Chandigarh was developed as the country's first planned township. Le Corbusier, a renowned architect, designed the city, which turned out to be one of the world's most exquisitely planned towns. He built the city using a grid-iron layout to ensure that it could accommodate all of the needs of modern living. In the Chandigarh city design, there are pedestrian pathways, vegetation, and spaces for all kinds of recreational and commercial activity.

Its foundation stone was placed in 1952, amid the Shivalik foothills. The initial plan was created by Albert Mayer and Matthew Novicki, and it was later updated by Le Corbusier. As we can see now, he transformed the curving design into a conventional grid-and-iron layout. In addition to other economic considerations, his motivation for doing so was to enable the rapid circulation of automobiles.

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4. Paris - The Romantic Spot in the European Geographies 

Paris may serve as an example for city planners in terms of design and Haussmann should be given the credit for the city's reconstruction. He played a crucial role in the evolution of the city into a lovely one. He built a sizable sewage network, wide boulevards, and a gas lighting system for the walkways. Additionally, he established symmetrical roads and a standard façade code for civic structures.

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5. Seoul - The High-Tech Asian City 

Nobody has been particularly astonished by South Korea's climb to prominence as one of the world's most planned cities. Beautifully ornamented with outstanding architecture, South Korea's governmental and cultural center is gorgeous. And thanks to the 2030 Seoul Plan, the city's scenery will only improve. Seoul implemented a Greenbelt strategy influenced by London due to its rapid population expansion (the fastest in the world from 1950 to 1975). These greenbelts are Zones of Restricted Development (RDZ). They are quite wide, averaging approximately 10 kilometers in width, and begin roughly 15 kilometers from Seoul's Central Business District. As can be observed, there are undoubtedly lessons to be learned from Seoul, its fast urbanization, and how to deal with it.

6. Copenhagen - The Five-Finger Motif 

Denmark's capital, Copenhagen, embraces the five-finger motif. And anyone who has flown to Copenhagen can attest to the great city planning there. The metropolitan area is situated along regional corridors with strong transit lines, guided by regional planning organizations. The metropolitan regions jut out from the center core like fingers. There is a lot of flora in the gaps between urban streets.

Nearly 40% of residents ride bicycles every day, and this figure is predicted to climb. Furthermore, it is a walkable city with pedestrian-accessible shopping sections. In many ways, Copenhagen differs from other cities in that it prioritizes the creation of green spaces, particularly playgrounds for children and gathering places. According to the city's most recent laws, the maximum distance between green areas and dwellings should be 300 meters, allowing for little pockets of greenery everywhere. The city's future growth plans are now in the works. With its genuineness and uncomplicated charm flowing from every corner, Copenhagen rightfully earns its position among the world's finest cities.

7. Washington - L'Enfant Plan

Washington, D.C., one of the world's most exquisitely planned cities, was created by architect and city planner Pierre Charles L'Enfant, who was hired by President Washington. He accomplished the assignment admirably, maintaining huge green open areas between the apartment units.

8. Brasilia - Empty Plateau to the Ideal Notion of the City 

Costa was the city's master planner, while Oscar Niemeyer was the Chief Architect for all of the main buildings. The separation of the administrative civitas and the urbs was the plan's most important and distinguishing characteristic. It was a tremendously successful venture since it ensured the rapid completion of the main municipal structures, giving the world a taste of the metropolis to come. This division in the urban fabric also made it easier to identify the various structures and zones. The whole city has been divided into zones, with each function of a 'functional city' allotted its own space. Brasilia's central position is an extra benefit and another justification for selecting the place as the Capital of Brazil.

9. Zurich - The European Tourist City 

Zurich is a prominent tourist destination in Switzerland that attracts visitors all year. This tiny Swiss treasure is filled with tourist attractions, amusements, pleasure, and adventure for people of all ages. In a word, this little city contains everything needed for an all-encompassing holiday, thus the name Zurich - The Little Big City.

Zurich is a cosmopolitan and tolerant city that is globally networked and has excellent connections. It is also referred to as an internationally important innovative and dynamic knowledge and economic center with solid finances. No doubt, it is an attractive city in which to live with a stable population that is equal to the number of available jobs. Zurich is a city with the highest quality of living, owing to its location, culture, infrastructure, and environmental conditions.

10. Amsterdam - The Modern Cycle City 

The iconic canals of Amsterdam aren't merely there to attract tourists; they're the product of careful design. When the city was overwhelmed with immigrants in the 1600s, a network of concentric, semi-circular canals was built to serve as defense, water management, and transportation tools. Unfortunately, the original canal drawings have been destroyed, but historians assume that their initial aim was utilitarian rather than aesthetic. The canals were constructed between 1613 and 1656 and are still in use today, though portions of them have been filled up. The city grew again in the nineteenth century as part of an effort to provide more houses and enhance public health. The layout of Amsterdam favors people, bikes (and boats), and discourages automobiles in the city center, asking it a more sustainable city. Bicycle culture abounds, and the streets are littered with bike racks, trails, and garages.

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Even though the cities mentioned above are considered to be one of the best planned across the globe but every other person may have a different opinion on the list. The felicitation of basic amenities in the modern age is just basics for any city, the other factors creating a sense of extra impact are liveliness, convenience, livability, belongingness, etc. This may differ from person to person but a general census among the masses can surely give better clarity for the way forward. Studying these very same well-planned cities and the factors driving them must be your go-to curriculum as an architect, keep exploring them more on Planndesign.

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