The Tray Mentality

I took this picture because the glasses and cups on the tray reminded me of a modern city. Then it occurred to me that the similarity was more than casual. For better or for worse, placing things on a tray is pretty much how a modern city is conceived.

The ancient cities on the other hand sort of 'grew' out of the ground on which the first stones were laid. The city developed as the society developed - gradually. The trouble these days isn't so much the lack of talent to design things well. We simply assume that we can create societies just by making the buildings.