Metropolis
In Defense of Vanity Projects
Why cities benefit from ornamental design
All bad cities are alike; each great city is great in its own way. Or something like that. All else equal, the more good things a city has, whether they be buildings, institutions, universities, restaurants, parks, bars, novel attractions or any of a thousand other categories, the better that place is. This much is intuitive, as places are the sum of their parts. But what importance do great places hold beyond surface level? One could argue that primarily, they increase the quality of life for their residents, and provide a nice place for tourists to visit. These are good ends in and of themselves, surely. But of secondary, and perhaps ultimately equal importance, they serve as beacons.
Cities with more great parts attract more people — both physically and aspirationally. On the ground level, some of those who are attracted to a city may become inspired to add their own unique building blocks to the fabric of that place. The Chrysler Building would never have been built without the backdrop of New York serving as inspiration to reach higher. These building blocks may be ephemeral and last for a day, a month or a year, or they may have longevity and last for a decade, a century, or more. In this cycle, future generations may become inspired by these new…
