Eleventh International Conference on The Constructed Environment

Abstract

This paper is informed by the relationships between postcolonialism, multiculturalism, and Modernism. Three case studies are discussed through the lenses of postcolonialism, multiculturalism, and Modernism, and each is a capital city within a former colonized country that was built following independence from imperial rule. The first example is the city of Chandigarh in India, the second example is the city of Brasilia in Brazil, and the final example is the city of Abuja in Nigeria. The circumstances surrounding the building of these cities is explored, as well as their design, and their associated architects. They are then compared and contrasted to highlight their successes and failures as Modern, postcolonial, multicultural cities in a globalized world.