Stereotypical brutalism and stereotypical suburbia have one thing in common: they both look "dead" to us because they separate housing from commerce. That idea

Stereotypical brutalism and stereotypical suburbia have one thing in common: they both look "dead" to us because they separate housing from commerce. That idea has been tried in many forms throughout the 20th century, and it seems like it just doesn't work. Even in cyberpunk dystopias with all these horrible skyscrapers, the artist will always depict residential areas with tons of businesses and blinking storefronts to look more "vibrant". I spent my childhood in the "sleeping districts" of Moscow, which are as brutalist as it gets. Not a store in sight, just high-rise apartment blocks, huge spaces between them, and howling wind. Never met a person who could honestly claim to love it. Now I live in a European city where housing and commerce are thoroughly mixed, and it's wonderful.