American cities are simply more beautiful than the smear of sprawl that surrounds them, and shouldn t mimic it, as has too often been the case over the last few decades. Cities that support and emphasize their attractive urban form appeal more and more to people making choices about where to work and live, especially when other problems like crime, education, and taxes have improved. A key to grasping this decisive advantage cities have over suburbs is what I call the post-card test. The Statue of Liberty instantly identifies New York City, just as the Eiffel Tower identifies Paris. Postcards will capture many such beautiful images of a city.
People invariably prefer the traditional design to the suburban sprawl.
It s important to stress that traditional need not mean old-fashioned. Many modern-style buildings can effectively blend in to their surrounding environment in ways that please the eye, as with Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, Florida. What is intolerable are the unending parking lots that create voids in front of buildings, the ugly pylon signs, the absence of sidewalks, and other eyesores that make up much of the postwar suburban style. Doubtless, cities can learn from the suburbs, and try to absorb some of what the suburb offers high quality homes, jogging paths, and other lifestyle amenities. We ve never really been a country that understood and appreciated the wealth of cities.