The Fictional Representation of Modern Urban Concentration in the Work of J.G. Ballard

The main aim of the study is to describe new approaches to the understanding of the consequences of modernism, which will be constructed through a unique reading of fictional media with regard to architectural discourse. In this respect, the work of J.G. Ballard, a British New Wave writer, has been selected as a fruitful dystopian source. The urban concentration, a distinguishing principle of modern architecture, is one of the prevailing themes in the construction of Ballard’s New Wave novel. The scope of this study is to analyze three science fiction stories by J.G.Ballard in order to convey this modernist urban principle. The Concentration City (1957) displays the dystopia of an over-populated city in which there is an absence of open space. Chronopolis (1962) displays the dystopia, in which city dwellers’ use of the city is restricted through legal procedure. Billenium (1961) is another Ballardian story which conveys the restriction on living space to cells of 3 m2, imposed by the ‘Residential Committee’ when the population exceeds 20 million. In conclusion, the study has the potential to contribute to the discussion on the theme of modern urban concentration within a modernist critique. Thus, reading Ballard’s work helps to develop an original perspective revealing his over-exaggerated view of urban concentration.