历史上有许多“模范”城市，有想象的，也有现实的;从文艺复兴时期的理想城市乌尔比诺、皮恩扎和费拉拉，到现代主义乌托邦，如巴西利亚或昌迪加尔。然而，朝鲜的平壤可以说是****的。这座城市在朝鲜战争(1950-53)后完全重建，规划和全面实施的目的是建立一个单一的意识形态愿景——整个国家的指南。因此，平壤的城市肌理展现出一种非凡的建筑凝聚力和叙事，在这本书中都被巧妙地捕捉到了。

Many ‘model’ cities, both imagined and physical, have existed throughout history; from the ideal cities of the Renaissance, Urbino, Pienza and Ferrara, to modernist utopias, such as Brasília or Chandigarh. North Korea’s Pyongyang, however, is arguably unique. Entirely rebuilt following the Korean War (1950–53), the city was planned and fully implemented to model a single ideological vision – a guide for an entire state. As a result, the urban fabric of Pyongyang displays an extraordinary architectural cohesion and narrative, artfully captured in the pages of this book.