• Even Europe has stopped producing those buildings. Each era comes with its own stylistics expressions. Amsterdam’s newer district is full of modern cubical buildings. Even if they look a bit better than the one’s shown in this meme, they belong to the same post modern movement.

    Another thing to consider is that every other extra luxury that is purely a stylistic addition will be an extra expanse on the end buyer

    • Living in an area that is beautiful matters, and our urban landscapes are a big part of that. Trees, decorated facades, town squares, they may add some economic cost, but why is that the only cost that matters? What about the emotional cost of living in an ugly noisy jungle of concrete and glass?

        • That is a false dichotomy. Housing is expensive in Canada due to zoning laws forcing a very inefficient use of land, among other reasons.

          I lived in Europe for decades, so I know for a fact that making our streets pleasant to walk around isn’t some weird utopia, it is the basic reality in many developed countries.