New town planning since World War II has produced a living laboratory, testing objectives, concepts, and techniques. A study of this experience, which includes proposals for third generation designs, can be extremely revealing, especially on a cross cultural basis. Although many descriptive articles have been published about individual new towns, or in the case of Britain about national new town development programs, comparative international studies of design approaches are conspicuously lacking. Among significant comparative variables are the planning—design process, social objectives, physical form model, and adaptive ability. Using these variables, some new communities in Holland, Scandinavia, and Britain are compared; important new directions are pointed out; and proposals are made for a future development approach based on evolutionary planning.