For centuries, utopian movements have tried to build a just society. David Harvey looks to his story to wonder why they failed and what ideas they have yet to offer. His devastating description of the existing urban environment fuels his argument that we can and must use the force of the utopian imagination against all those who say that "there is no alternative." He outlines a new type of utopian thought that he calls "dialectical utopianism," and refocuses our attention on possible designs for a more equitable world of work and life with nature. For any political plan or ideology to work, he says, we must take into account our human qualities, the capacities and powers inherent in nature, and the dynamics of change.
