> the US government built... a beige car dependent urban sprawl. So I agree... BUT its survivor bias. A middle class American (say median income), would absolu

> the US government built... a beige car dependent urban sprawl. So I agree... BUT its survivor bias. A middle class American (say median income), would absolutely rather take suburban America in the most soulless subdevelopement over whatever a median income roman would live in. The pretty things in Rome stayed 2000 years because people liked it. Think of everything that didn't make it. They also had hundreds of years more to build them than the US has had. The Empire State Building, much of DC, victorian homes in SF... there's plenty of lasting beauty in America. Many more cities with many more opportunities for lasting beauty. Just look at Boston, its a dynamic city with a mix of old and new... its an example of what the next Rome may look like 2000 years from now.