Urbanism and Dictatorship. A European Perspective, the new book of the renowned Bauwelt Fundamente series, is out. The volume has been edited by Max Welch Guerra, Harald Bodenschatz and Piero Sassi, and includes theoretical essays and case studies from Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the former USSR. The material is an excellent opportunity for comparative analysis and the reconceptualization of the sociospatial experience of cities and urbanization under dictatorial regimes.

In the first half of the twentieth century, urban design under the influence of European dictatorships not only served to support the rulers in their own country, but also to gain the recognition of the democratic states. After the National Socialist regime came to power in Germany, urban design increasingly became the trump card in the competition amongst the large dictatorships in Europe – almost as in the time of absolutism. Irrespective of all conflicts and political orientations, there…