08/28/2026
So much of what makes a person appreciate their community is beauty.
We place a considerable amount of value on aesthetics. Humans have a greater sense of attachment to places that are pretty. We seek out charming environments and will pay more to visit them or live in them.
Yet most communities don't have a single organization advocating for good aesthetics. Not one person whose job it is to ask whether what gets built is actually worth caring about.
Which is why most towns never see anything attractive built.
Years ago I was involved with my local preservation organization. It was time to replace the old wooden sign in front of the organization's prized property. We ended up in a heated argument about whether to replace it with a plastic sign. Equal proponents on each side. It left me astonished. I had assumed that preservation minded people were also concerned with quality design.
Preservation matters. It is fundamental to the revitalization of any community. But we cannot overlook how much it matters that the built environment, whether ancient or brand new, is lovable and charming. People derive a sense of attachment from things they find attractive. And a building has a much better chance of growing old if it's pretty.
Whether new or old, beauty is timeless.
