There is an old saying, often attributed to philosopher Elbert Hubbard, that "Life is just one damn thing after another."
As an urbanist, I’d like to offer a slight, but profound, adjustment: Cities are just one damn thing next to another.
This is not a cynical statement; it is a declaration of purpose. A city's utility, its magic, and its overwhelming economic and social power stem from this single, simple concept: an assemblage of useful places designed to increase the ease of use through sheer, glorious proximity.
The great heresy of 20th-century planning was its rejection of this principle.
