The town should have a variety of residential types, including apartments, attached condos, villa houses and freestanding houses. Market research should determine what kinds of residences are built so each individual and family can find the type of housing they prefer. Office buildings should not have their architecture restricted except that construction of very tall buildings, say, over 10 stories, would be restricted to the town's center. On the edge of the town, buildings should be restricted to three stories so people can actually see the rustic, unspoiled perimeter around the town. Small shopping areas should be scattered throughout the town as that will support the ecology by not requiring extensive driving to acquire life's needs. There could also be one large shopping center. They do fulfill a need or there would not be so many of them.

A picture a large town in a suburban area with nearby rural areas, not too far from a metropolitan area. I envision a rural perimeter around the town, owned by the town and restricted from all building except minor buildings that might be needed to maintain the area. In addition, 5% of the land within the town should be reserved for park areas.

The geographic area doesn't much matter, but they should have a good supply of natural water so this community is not a drain on the wider area's resources. Ideally the town would be built in a hilly area so the topography could be capitalized on for design and architectural purposes. Climate should not be too extreme, but most areas of the United States have pros and cons to their climates.

It is crucial that this town be ecologically neutral or positive. A Utopian town should not look well planned on the surface but be a drain on the ecology. Beyond the unspoiled areas surrounding the town, perhaps this town could use windmills to...

By limiting the height of buildings, it makes the use of solar energy for homes more feasible. The town should seek information on government grants and other ways to reduce the cost for those who use solar power for part or all of their energies. They might also consider tax benefits for those who use fuel-efficient cars (rather than a punishing tax for vehicles that use more gas, such as SUV's).
The town can encourage using local food sources such as food produced by area farmers by encouraging fresh air markets. Such markets could also be used to promote local artisans and a flea market. It should be easy for the residents to participate either in the artisan area or the flea market. In particular, encouraging the use of a flea market will reduce the amount of large items sent to land fills when no longer needed. The city might consider providing inexpensive transport to get items to and from the market. Since the town would encourage the use of small, gas-efficient cars, people who might otherwise make use of the flea market might have to pass it up if they have no way to get their things to or from there.

It should be part of this town's charters to always look for alternatives to consuming energy resources such as oil and gas. One example might be for large public buildings. The strategic use of skylights might allow building to gather the sun's energy passively. If these building also had vents that could be opened, rising hot air could be allowed to escape in the summer time.

Bibliography

McGuire, John M. 1995. "Farewell to Utopia: LaClede Town was a 60's Vision or an Urban Paradise." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 12.

Porter, Roy. 2003. "Cities and Utopia." The Hutchinson Encyclopedia.

Shostak, Arthur B. 2000. "Teaching Utopia." The Futurist, September 12.