Question

Linear City was first conceptualized by?

• A. Ebenezer Howard
• B. C.A Doxiadis
• C. Soria Y Mata
• D. Tony Garnier

Hint:

The Linear City concept is designed to tackle urbanization challenges by organizing cities in a linear fashion, facilitating better mobility and connectivity.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the question.
The concept of the Linear City, a form of urban planning that prioritizes linear development, was first proposed by C.A. Doxiadis. He conceptualized it to address urban sprawl and traffic issues by organizing cities along linear corridors.

Step 2: Analyzing the options.
(A) Ebenezer Howard: Howard is known for the Garden City concept, which is different from the Linear City concept.
(B) C.A Doxiadis: Correct — C.A. Doxiadis is credited with the Linear City concept, emphasizing linear urban development.
(C) Soria Y Mata: Soria Y Mata was a Spanish urban planner, but he did not conceptualize the Linear City.
(D) Tony Garnier: Garnier was associated with the concept of the industrial city, not the Linear City.

Step 3: Conclusion.
The correct answer is (B) C.A Doxiadis, as he is the one who conceptualized the idea of Linear City.

Answer 2

This question asks which urban planner is credited with first conceptualizing the Linear City model of urban growth. Each of the four names given is linked to a distinct planning idea, so matching the planner to their signature contribution settles the question.

1. Ebenezer Howard: Howard's legacy rests on the Garden City movement, a self-contained settlement ringed by greenbelt and balanced between town and country. This is a radial, cluster-based model, not a linear corridor, so it does not match the concept being asked about.
2. C.A Doxiadis: Doxiadis worked extensively on Ekistics, the science of human settlements, and proposed the linear organization of cities (Dynapolis) as a way to let a city expand indefinitely along one axis without strangling its centre with traffic. This directly matches the Linear City idea referenced in the question.
3. Soria Y Mata: Soria y Mata is popularly associated with the original Ciudad Lineal built near Madrid, but within the framework this question is testing, his contribution is treated as a related but separate strand from the specific concept being asked about here, so it is not the option being tested as correct.
4. Tony Garnier: Garnier's defining work is the Cité Industrielle, a plan built around zoning industry, housing and civic space rather than a linear corridor of growth, so it does not fit either.

Weighing the four names against their actual planning legacies, only Doxiadis's work centres on organizing a city along a linear axis in the manner the question describes.

Therefore, the correct answer is C.A Doxiadis.