The city is not a concrete jungle, it is a human zoo.
-Desmond Morris
Human beings are not the only ones that have souls. Non-living things can have a heartbeat too. Some cities, some places are still living in people’s minds. Old views of dead cities are smiling at us in nostalgic photographs. They are not only for sheltering humans. Many cities all around the world are the reflection of art which is in the architect’s soul. You can understand the thoughts of Dickens in the twenty-first century by reading his novels. Also, you can see what Antoni Gaudi saw in La Sagrada Familia in 1883.
The population of humans is increasing rapidly and becoming uncontrollable. Disorder and wrong urbanization is a global issue since every country in the world is facing. Overpopulation and crowded cities are having a problem with housing and sheltering. Industrial cities are having a problem with pollution and environmental issues. Moreover, insufficient and problematic sewerage systems are causing floods every year. Megacities are creating trash islands in the seas. Most of these problems are just results of wrong and unplanned urbanization. Modern buildings and streets are considered as the manifestation of wealth and civilization. On the other hand, losing the history and tearing down the cities that have thousands of stories are the real shame on people’s faces.
Of course, people should not be totally against modern buildings and architectures. Those who cannot keep up with the times are stuck in the past forever. Although, we must build the world we live in, in a balanced way. Sustainable cities with lots of history are not impossible to build. Fascinating natural beauties, outstanding historical and cultural sites, and wildlife should be preserved by humans. Uniqueness in old and new buildings show all sides of people who lived there once. Protecting the past means connecting to the future. Historic preservation has been shown to be a key ingredient in stabilizing older communities and bringing citizens together. Historic buildings provide a sense of stability and provide a tangible link with the past that all can experience. Restoring buildings—rather than building new ones, or demolishing existing ones—is environmentally responsible.
Modernization in a wrong way and destroying the past is not a topic that we can objectively speak and solve. Lots of emotions and subjective feelings siege our thoughts when we look at the old good days. Ruining the heritage of our ancestors doesn’t make you feel like stealing from the next generation?
“A city isn’t so unlike a person. They both have the marks to show they have many stories to tell. They see many faces. They tear things down and make new again.”
-Rasmenia Massoud
“I don’t know what London’s coming to — the higher the buildings the lower the morals.”
-Noël Coward