We wouldn't want to do that. That might reduce the "character" of the neighborhood. No, it's far better to have homeless camps all over the place with poop lining the streets and people paying 80% of their paycheck for rent/housing than take a chance on reducing "character".

If America even had any "character". I'm sorry for being frank but most of the US, in particular outside of big cities but also often in big cities, looks like crap and depression. Neighbourhoods look better in Argentina, Italy and Greece, countries currently in the middle of their own Great Depression. Rows of boring malls and identical houses, no people walking around, parking lots. Everything is built in the cheapest way it could possibly be built, and out of a single template repeated across the country, and yet somehow costs a fortune. Including most of Silicon Valley. You have to go to Connecticut or some other super wealthy place with a bit of history to have some enjoyable neighbourhoods.

Also, the reason why for example Spain is so exciting visually is precisely because it mixed styles and influences over time. It's completely natural. Have you seen the Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba? It's mind blowing, so cool.

There's only one thing that people really want to preserve, and that is the current price of their homes. US government is complicit in running this ridiculous policy of forever home price appreciation, be it via Fannie Mae or the FED or mortgage incentives or zoning restrictions.

I know exactly what your talking about. the suberbs stretch for miles and miles with no downtowns, cafes, parks or libraries anywhere in sight. everywhere you look, its the same old 1 story L-Shaped house that spreads over the entire lot, with 2 or even 3 garages. On most houses almost a third of the living space is dedicated to garaging. Outside the house is nothing but concrete. The roofs have no slopes, no towers, no alcoves. the windows have no shutters, no flowers. People don't care for their lawns.

If I could upvote you a thousand times I would.

Americans, well lets say those in the Bay Area, should be absolutely ashamed at the state of the place. There are poor regions in other countries that have life, verve, some sense of activity that "cities" all in the BA desperately need. Americans should hang their heads in shame at how uncultured and depressing the copy-paste strip malls, parking lots, shitty roads and shitty colonial Spanish architecture that screams "drought and death" just pales in comparison to Europe or Asia.

I hate living here so much.

Ugh yes, I recently moved back to one of the few places in the country that actually has history and it is SO NICE compared to the time I spent in LA and Seattle. There’s variety!

NOLA?

Yep. I feel so damn spoilt that I grew up here now that I'm back after years of frozen, car-centric Seattle.

The first time I went to France, I became really overwhelmed by seeing how beautiful every building was. Like, wow, coming from the US I never really stopped to think that there were times and places where people actually cared about making the things around them look nice.