Paper short abstract:

This paper deals with the "city phenamenon" through a critical vision (look) to "civilisation" in general, whereby city is considered, hence an utopia will be tried that can/may reverse such a situation; and that utopia will be called "pedagogical city".

Paper long abstract:

The objective of this paper is to emphasize the role of city as a space that teaches its inhabitants their humane qualities. The concept of "utopia" is considered as a guide leading to an objective. The structure of utopia will be realised with an auto-critical framework of human civilisation/ourselves.

Civilisation as a term originates from the concept of civitas which refers to urban/citizen. Ironically, although military as a concept is generally considered as the opposite of civil, the concept of war as we understand today does not exist in primitive societies. This seeming contradiction has been emphasized by intellectuals many times in the past, even to the point of praising primitivism against civilisation. Indeed, some of them chose to leave cities.

The escape from civilisation occurs especially when individuals are squeezed between their humane understanding and confronting inhuman happenings. To-day unsustainable city lives are forcing us to search for utopias. As we dig out the concept of inhumanity, we observe distortions within "human to human" and "human to nature" relations.

Admittedly, inhuman behaviour emerges when we consider ourselves superior to our human fellows, as well as other beings in the nature. In history this pathological attitude is observed almost in entire world. (As an ancient archetype, Göbeklitepe will be presented.) The principles of pedagogical cities will be opened to debate by using the following examples;

•"Christiania" from Denmark,

•"Khuda Ki Basti" from Pakistan,

•"Village Institutes", "May 1 District" and "Taksim Gezi Park" from Turkey.