For centuries, architects have been pushing the idea that our problems can be solved with different buildings. They design utopian cities and housing projects, claiming that all we need is nice landscaping, windows, and everything within a fifteen-minute walk, and society's ills will disappear. Unfortunately, when these projects are actually built in the real world, they invariably fail to bring about the dream. You can't fix people with architecture.
shareIt worked pretty well in Versailles. And in the second half of the 19th century they redesigned cities in Europe - Paris and London for example - to prevent upcoming riots.
shareThere's a lot of truth to that. Many of the late 20th century mass housing designs - created with the best of intentions - ended up becoming crowded, crime-ridden, ugly ghettos that no one wants to live in. People want space and privacy, and the opportunity to put their own stamp on the place they call home. Speaking for myself, the most desirable place to live (somewhere in the remote countryside with lots of land) wouldn't be part of a larger design at all.
Urban planning is a necessity though, and has some limited benefits. I'm sure we've all seen the difference between good and bad planning. Much of the industry is simply a cash-grab though, from that ridiculous wall thing in Saudi Arabia downwards.