Brisbane Is One Of The Ugliest Cities In The World According To Alain de Botton’s Stupid Bald Head


There are two schools of thought when it comes to the opinions of Swiss-British philosopher Alain de Botton. He’s either the second coming of Plato with a direct line to the nature of existence or a pompous dithering asshole who should spend less time asking if you even life, bro? and more time shopping at the wig store. 

You’ve probably joined the latter group if you’re from Brisbane following the publication of a meandering architectural takedown in which the best-selling author of The Art of Travel and The Consolations of Philosophy called the Queensland capital one of the ugliest cities in the world. 
Writing on The Philosopher’s Mail de Botton took a colossal thought dump on a city whose urban planning practices he calls “chaotic ugliness”, in spite of its recent designation as the coolest city in Australia. But not too cool to look at, according to de Botton. 
“People who have no interest whatsoever in making any city even remotely beautiful or dignified can get away with some truly terrible construction projects free of any fear of being criticised,” he writes. “And that’s how modern Brisbane comes to look the way it does.”
“There are many planning restrictions in Brisbane – but they concern health and safety issues: the distance between street lamps, where electrical cables must be located or how tall a building can be,” he continues. “No one worries that that is slightly dictatorial. But the regulations say absolutely nothing about the most important thing: whether a building has to be beautiful or noble or grand or elegant. That is regarded as entirely beyond the range of governmental duty.” 
Hear that you gross mess? Be more like Paris already. Fuck. 

Photo by Leon Neal for Getty Images
  

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