Abstract:Industrial Revolution first took place in Great Britain, where utopian ideal cities sprang up in large numbers since the end of the eighteenth century, stimulating theoretical discourse and social engagement. A new tradition started as non-conformist entrepreneurs set up their new factories outside crowded cities along with adjacent industrial villages for the working class. The industrial villages in the fifirst half of the nineteenth century did not deviate from the terrace housing form usually found in big cities, while the planning and construction of Port Sunlight (built by William Lever in the 1880s) marked the departure towards modern city planning, taking a holistic approach to arranging related issues such as amenities, road network, street views, or house combination. Contemporary model cities like Bournville (built by George Cadbury) and New Earswick (built by Joseph Rowntree) followed the same scheme that finally resulted in the emergence of modern city planning as a new discipline. This paper explores the intellectual genesis of the three industrial model villages, examines their historical background and the social reform ambitions of their three non-conformist entrepreneurs, and concludes with their impact on the formation and development of modern city planning.