The question of why new buildings are all so terrible is in the air. Tyler Cowen wrote a column on why pre-WWII residential neighborhoods seem so much nicer than post-war neighborhoods. Scott Alexander is indulging wild conspiracy theories about an ancient civilization (not really). A different Scott has offered
Is there something intrinsic about 5-over-1 design that makes them dreadful, or is it just that 5-over-1 is a cost-savings style and building that are optimized to reduce cost tend to not spend money on looking good?
Is there something intrinsic about 5-over-1 design that makes them dreadful, or is it just that 5-over-1 is a cost-savings style and building that are optimized to reduce cost tend to not spend money on looking good?