Auroville is a unique example of futuristic urban planning in human history. Envisioned and guided by the spiritual forces of the great Indian yogi Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, Auroville is a living laboratorywhere experimentations are taking place on every aspect of human life. Auroville aims to bring in harmony in every sphere of urban lifeindustry, culture and environment. The township has a central area called Peace. This area is surrounded by a `galactic design' which has four broad zones residential, industrial, cultural and international. Each area will try to bring in harmony in its own way while being guided by the ultimate goal of human unity. The residential area experiments with eco-friendly building design, pathbreaking architecture and sustainable use of energy. The industrial area aims to utilize local material and human resources (from surrounding villages) to come out with products (food, pharma, energy, garments, stationery) developed in a more sustainable way. The cultural zone tries to blend in different art and cultural forms and promote them as a way of spiritual growth. The international zone will house pavilions from different countries, which will showcase the guiding spirit of each nationality. Started in 1968, Auroville today has 1700 residents from 35 different countries. While the township is growing, questions arise on the design suitability. However, it must be borne in mind, that the entire effort is not to build just another township, but to guide the builders themselves towards spiritual evolution.

Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity

City and civilization are very closely related. `Civilization' comes from the same root as `city'2. While more than 50% of the world's population today lives in cities, surveys reveal most of them want to get away and settle somewhere else! The first cities, more than 5000 years ago, started when people decided to live in groups for greater self-defense. Cities generally offer a stimulating and sophisticated life style. "People come together in cities in order to live," wrote Aristotle. "They remain together in order to live the good life". Most early cities were small. The Greeks built new colonies when a city population crossed 10,000. By the middle ages many cities in Europe and Asia had a population of more than 50,000 and they offered a great quality of life. Many urban historians feel that the quality of life found in, say, medieval Baghdad, would be difficult to replicate today anywhere in the world.

The industrial revolution created new types of citiescramped and congested with a changed ethos. In these new cities profit and mobility became the new mantras. Cultural and social interaction slowly took a back seat. As traffic volume increased, public spaces also vanished. The `organic' medieval architecture gave way to more linear styles. Banks and offices became the centers of attention. Cities were designed to be more effective and convenient. This is broadly the model that exists today.