Imagining Better Futures: The Legacy of Utopian Narratives

Dystopian fiction is all the rage these days. But back in the 1800s one of the bestselling books in the United States was a work of utopian fiction, about a guy who falls asleep in 1887 and accidentally time travels to the year 2000. The book, called “Looking Backward” launched political parties, communal living projects, and inspired a generation of architects and city planners.
 

Check out the Bellamy House in Chicopee, the Bradbury Building in Los Angeles, and read Looking Backward for free on Project Gutenberg.