Planning the City of Socialist Man

City planning in Eastern Europe is based on the philosophical tenets of Marxism-Leninism. It is hypothesized by Communist planners that socialism creates a unique urban pattern, one that is alien to capitalism. Structural uniformity, standardization, establishment of definitive limits to urban growth are postulated as falling within the operational scope of socialist planners. It is apparent that the contemporary East European city does not reflect socialist planning goals. The author describes socialist planning objectives, examines them in the light of existing urban reality, and postulates three categories of contemporary East European urban-types.