what's with the utopic communities?: Bicycle City

landscape models for bicycle city (howardmodels.com)

An ad in my gmail popped up the other day for Bicycle City, USA. What?

"City Highlights include a strong community; active and healthy lifestyle; vibrant economy with good jobs; top education and health centers; diversity of people and ideas; social justice; clean technologies; eco-friendly, sustainable development; eclectic urban designs and architecture; organic agriculture; alternative energies; and a celebration of the arts." (BicycleCity.com)

How can you include "social justice" in your city highlights? I know that 'New Town' is actually legitimate because it's a capitalistic enterprise and someone (Whittaker, namely) is benefiting. But, the Bicycle City website says that it has raised funds and is looking for the perfect place in America to create its utopia.

Didn't this type of thing happen a lot around the turn of the century? A huge trend of utopic community upstarts? Bits and pieces of my history classes are running through my head. The Oneida community in upstate New York?

(Side note: here's a really funny wikipedia sentence, "The branches were closed in 1854, except for the Wallingford branch, which operated until devastated by a tornado in 1878. The Oneida Community dissolved in 1881, and eventually became the giant silverware company Oneida Limited." - what? our utopic commune failed? well, let's just make silverware)

Bicycle City says they gain a lot of their inspiration from the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright and John Naisbitt (look up that guy - interesting)

"John Naisbitt in 'Megatrends' wrote about a 'high tech / high touch' future in that as we are inundated with more and more technology we will embrace the 'high touch' aspects of life to create a balance. For Bicycle City this means embracing the AND - the best, clean, safe and sustainable technologies AND the softer side of life: organic farming, sense of community, holistic, family, beauty, music, art, etc."

"There is a niche of people in the world who want to live somewhere better. Somewhere that isn't an asphalt jungle. Somewhere their kids are safe and won't get hit by a car. Somewhere with clean air, beauty and a good job. They want less stress. They want a new design for a city - a place that is designed and built now for this century not endless patchwork on top of designs from 100-200 years ago."

It just sounds like the rich people fleeing the city. More on that later with stuff about St. Louis' history. Thoughts?