Feral City: A Dystopia

Arts, literature and philosophy mirror the spirit of their times and so too utopian works embody the fears, experiences, aspirations and desires of the people whom imagine them. With reference to literary examples, this paper begins with a description of the themes defining the utopian/ dystopian tradition. It then considers Dr Richard Norton’s 2003 concept of an urban - military condition, which he terms the “Feral City”, in relation to this tradition. It elaborates on the three conditions – economy, security and services – which contribute to societal collapse once a city has become “feral”. These conditions are explained with reference to the social, geographic and political features that define today’s cities.