It's a two-way process between the person and the city. Since then we've had an explosion in communication technology. We expect information and without it, we feel like we're missing something. Legibility of a place is shaped by what we know about it. For many cities, the most informative places are usually the most highly desirable.
Historical places are rich sources of information.
The economic potential of historical places are being tapped to resuscitate declining cities, particularly former industrial areas because they're a rich source of information and because they're a part of our national cultural experience. While all of this sites aspire to tourism, in many cases tourism is of little direct economic value. What is of economic value is their improved image of the place and its ability to attract investment and jobs. But I would argue that stories help shape urban form. These are new questions to urban designers.