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By living in the past I mean they cease to be ambitious, or entrepreneurial, or open or seeking change and progress but instead are immersed in the past, traditions and old culture. For example, London is living in the present and the future. It keeps bringing in new people, not fear of changing its skylines, and keep being competitive on the world stage.
One example I can think of is Austria. Vienna probably looks exactly the same as it did 30 years ago.
By living in the past I mean they cease to be ambitious, or entrepreneurial, or open or seeking change and progress but instead are immersed in the past, traditions and old culture. For example, London is living in the present and the future. It keeps bringing in new people, not fear of changing its skylines, and keep being competitive on the world stage.
One example I can think of is Austria. Vienna probably looks exactly the same as it did 30 years ago.
You mean they refuse to accept becoming part of the money-making machine completely, refuse to become screws in the production line built by American/Trans-national corporations?
How unambitious of them to hang on to their intrinsic values such as classical music and remembering their cultural roots, how unentrepreneurial of them to hang on to their distinct architecture, instead of replacing it with bunch of faceless, standard boxes, i.e. "sky-scrapers")))))
Yeah, Vienna is one of those *prime losers,* but thanks lord it's still there, looking exactly as it did 30 years ago, because it's nice to know that there are still places in the old world where the eye can have a rest from those tall gray boxes blocking the sun, that you can still see the samples of great European craftsmanship. It's great that you still can see superior architecture, that the spirit of old historic places is still alive, not being completely smashed by "efficiency" of money-making machine, and it's great that those places are still not completely buried under tonnes of shiny "made in China" kind of goods made by cookie cutter.
Vienna is a beautiful city and the Viennese are justifiably proud of the historic context of their city. But I can't agree if that's akin to living in the past. Do you suggest that blocks of historic Vienna be bulldozed for modern skyscrapers? By the way, Vienna has a strong contemporary design tradition that includes creative adaptive reuse of older buildings. Many of the historic buildings have quite modern interiors and Austrians have one of the highest standards of living in the world.
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Originally Posted by botticelli
By living in the past I mean they cease to be ambitious, or entrepreneurial, or open or seeking change and progress but instead are immersed in the past, traditions and old culture. For example, London is living in the present and the future. It keeps bringing in new people, not fear of changing its skylines, and keep being competitive on the world stage.
One example I can think of is Austria. Vienna probably looks exactly the same as it did 30 years ago.
You mean they refuse to accept becoming part of the money-making machine completely, refuse to become screws in the production line built by American/Trans-national corporations?
How unambitious of them to hang on to their intrinsic values such as classical music and remembering their cultural roots, how unentrepreneurial of them to hang on to their distinct architecture, instead of replacing it with bunch of faceless, standard boxes, i.e. "sky-scrapers")))))
Yeah, Vienna is one of those *prime losers,* but thanks lord it's still there, looking exactly as it did 30 years ago, because it's nice to know that there are still places in the old world where the eye can have a rest from those tall gray boxes blocking the sun, that you can still see the samples of great European craftsmanship. It's great that you still can see superior architecture, that the spirit of old historic places is still alive, not being completely smashed by "efficiency" of money-making machine, and it's great that those places are still not completely buried under tonnes of shiny "made in China" kind of goods made by cookie cutter.
One example I can think of is Austria. Vienna probably looks exactly the same as it did 30 years ago.
The 1st district of Vienna, which I notice most tourists don't really leave during their stay here, does look like 160 years ago... Laws prohibit to build new buildings, when there is the chance to rescue an old one.
When they are building new ones, they are not allowed to look too flashy. Example:
Meh, Vienna has skyscrapers, like pretty much every city of its size. A 750 footer is just being completed. They just had the decency not to build them within the Ring.
You mean they refuse to accept becoming part of the money-making machine completely, refuse to become screws in the production line built by American/Trans-national corporations?
How unambitious of them to hang on to their intrinsic values such as classical music and remembering their cultural roots, how unentrepreneurial of them to hang on to their distinct architecture, instead of replacing it with bunch of faceless, standard boxes, i.e. "sky-scrapers")))))
Yeah, Vienna is one of those *prime losers,* but thanks lord it's still there, looking exactly as it did 30 years ago, because it's nice to know that there are still places in the old world where the eye can have a rest from those tall gray boxes blocking the sun, that you can still see the samples of great European craftsmanship. It's great that you still can see superior architecture, that the spirit of old historic places is still alive, not being completely smashed by "efficiency" of money-making machine, and it's great that those places are still not completely buried under tonnes of shiny "made in China" kind of goods made by cookie cutter.
To be fair erasure, some of us don't want to live in a museum that remains the same throughout the centuries - some of us appreciate change. I love London for many reasons, but one reason is it is constantly changing, it has a mishmash of new and old, often inappropriately and without consideration, but hey, that's London - unapologetic, often chaotic, daring, innovative, willing to try new things that might make people recoil in horror. London is the very definition of ambitious, and I love it. London is a proper city, and not a living museum for tourists.
I have been 6 times in Vienna and always enjoyed it.
It has no fewer modern buildings, including highrises, than most other European capitals, be it Rome, Prague, Stockholm, Copenhagen or Budapest. At least that was my impression. That's what most European big cities look like. They are not like America or Asia which go on with their "skyscraper race".
In that respect, London really stands out in Europe, I guess (though I personally have never been there).
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