Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, is probably the most isolated city in the world, both physically and culturally. Since there are few ways to learn about the city, a veil of isolation stimulates curiosity. Few publications have addressed the city's built environment; most focus instead on economic, political, and social issues. Architectural Guide: Pyongyang feeds this curiosity to some extent, providing unique information about Pyongyang, including both its architecture and its urban planning history.
In an odd way, Pyongyang is Modernism’s dream: an ideal socialist city. When you visit it, what you see first is a modern capital built of concrete and laid out on a rationalized urban plan—not a city of dictatorship or poverty. But most buildings are outdated and little new construction has happened since 2000. The city has developed a wide range of modern architectural languages—from rationalism to nationalism—using symbolism in many major buildings. Sometimes, even generic residential buildings look interesting simply because they are in the most elusive city. Besides from news about country's famine, we barely how people live in Pyongyang and what their actual living environments are like.
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