One might say that the social history of cities is a continuous search for the best form of urban space and the urban community. This process was and is proceeding in the sphere of ideology, which brings further visions of ideal (supreme) cities, as well as in the sphere of practice, often by trial-and-error. A question about the good city is important particularly today, when more than 50% of the world population lives in the cities, and in Europe this percentage reaches 75%. Looking for the proper (adequate) social and spatial forms for the city we formulate two types of expectations: one in relation to population characteristics and the way of arranging social life, the second in relation to organizing and equipping urban space. Therefore, well-functioning city, as the human environment should realize at least the basic functions: to meet needs and create community. The implementation of these expectations depends on many factors, both endogenous and exogenous nature, crucial are still answers for the questions what exactly makes a city good place to live and how to achieve this state. This is a problem of evaluation criteria, the problem of defining the risks, and finally a matter of finding the right tools and means for shaping both, the spatial and social forms of the city. Article considers these issues by referring to the old concepts of ideal cities, as well as to contemporary research present in documents such as the New Athens Charter from 2003, the World Charter on the Rights to the City or The Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities from 2007.
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