Have we lost the knack of creating attractive cities? The pursuit of beauty has become slightly taboo “The purpose of evolution,” wrote Joseph Brodsky, “is beauty.” And, if the zenith of civilisation is the city, then surely it follows that beauty is also the ideal of urbanity. In the imagination, or the memory, it often is. Think of the approach to Istanbul, Venice or New York from the water, each shimmering above its own reflection. Or, perhaps, of the mountains rearing up behind Rio or the cherry blossoms in Kyoto. Rossio, Lisboa, Portugal Some cities have had beauty imposed on them. Paris was planned as the City of Light, a place of tree-lined avenues and urbane squares in which height, mass and ornament were meticulously controlled to create harmony. Other cities achieve beauty through their setting, San Francisco or Sydney with their bays and sweeping views. Others still become beautiful through the skill of their architects: Siena, Vienna, St Petersburg or Barcelon...