Why must we live in homes and in communities built around a shared grid for our needs? For over a century, creative architects and urbanists have dreamed of self-sufficient living, whether to cut themselves off from society or in preparation for some external threat, be it climate change or nuclear war.

This book tells the story of this strand of design and planning, from its pioneers in the late nineteenth century to those applying similar ideas to tomorrow's technology two hundred years later. Lopez takes in many a utopian visionary in her tour of dreamers of disconnection, from theorists and architects to industrialists and engineers. Technology and design are the centre-pieces for these projects, and their complexity, particularly around sustainable supplies of energy, food and water, so often find solutions in aesthetics. The book demonstrates that whether these dreams were based around single homes or whole cities, there is much to be learnt and marvelled at in the history of self-sufficient design.