Watch this video about a new city in Guatemala called Cayalá, designed from scratch by two graduates of Notre Dame’s architecture school, according to a plan of the Luxembourgeois architect Léon Krier, who is very well known in the field.
It explains the concepts behind its creation; how its beauty benefits rich and poor alike, and how it all the non-material benefits its describes contribute to financial rewards for the investors, creating an incentive, one hopes, for the building of more such places.
The arguments made on the harmonising principles are largely aimed at a secular market, it seems to me, but they do openly describe this as a Christian concept at one point. The key aspect that is not dwelt upon, but is apparent to me as I watch it, is that the values it promotes are in accord with the Christian belief in man as a person who has both spiritual and material needs.
There is reference to churches and civic buildings within the layout, but it was not clear to me if it conformed to the key element of design for a Christian city that would bring all the benefits described. That principle is that the heart of the city is the place of worship. There is a hierarchy of human activity, and the focal point must be the place of the worship of God. When all other things are ordered to this, visually as well as functionally, then all other benefits ensue in even greater abundance. This promotional photo of the city does seem to suggest that this idea has been incorporated.
The superabundance of beauty is described in an earlier article I wrote, here: Beauty Gives Rise to Superabundance. A Beautiful Culture Helps the Poor and Generates Wealth for All
