In the Manuscript B, there are hundreds of drawings and
notes about the architectural elements of an
entire city, everything from a hoe to hydraulic systems. We
can identify the parts of a kind of
“builders’ manual” among the pages, with indications of
materials and methodologies. Leonardo did not invent
all of this on his own; but he did observe it. Moving
around a busy city like Renaissance Milan, he took
notes and made drawings of everything he found
interesting or useful for becoming an architect. Not only
did he make centralized plans of existing churches
and buildings, but he also added his own thoughts and
innovations to the efficiency and aesthetics of
the buildings. The adjective
“ideal” must not be interpreted as referring to the beauty of its
buildings, but rather to the perfection of the city’s
“machinery”. Everything had to work perfectly,
especially the circulation of things and people, as well as
cleanliness and hygiene, which have always been
primary concerns in the design of a city. Water is the energy that allows the
Ideal City to function. The city’s design starts
with the choice of a suitable site with a river running
through it. The river becomes divided and diverted
into canals laid out according to a regular geometric
structure. All the buildings and structures are to be
built alongside these canals. They enable boats to
navigate throughout the entire city and their waters make
the sewers work.
Machines
Ideal City
Manuscript B folios 16r, 33r, 37r, 37v, 38r