Ladustad

Ladustad is a fictional settlement that appears in the novel "The Dispossessed" by Ursula K. Le Guin. It is situated on the planet Urras, one of two worlds in the Gethenian system. Urras is characterized by its Earth-like environments and a complex social and political landscape, contrasting with the moon Anarres, which is an anarchist society. Ladustad is a city on Urras, described as a place of significant cultural and economic importance within the nation of Urras it belongs to. Unlike the egalitarian principles of Anarres, Urras, and by extension Ladustad, operates under a more hierarchical and capitalist system, with distinct social classes and a focus on material wealth and achievement. The city serves as a backdrop for much of the novel's exploration of contrasting societal structures and the complexities of human civilization. It represents a familiar, Earth-like civilization that the protagonist, Shevek, encounters when he travels from Anarres to Urras. The novel uses Ladustad and its inhabitants to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of both systems, prompting reflection on different ways of organizing society.