The jury is out on whether cities’ appearance or convenience should come first in urban planning. Although beauty is of value since it attracts tourists, I support those who think that convenience for residents, who a city cannot even exist without, is of a higher priority.
According to some it is financially advantageous when cities look appealing to tourists. They believe that the more a city is, the more people are willing to visit it. Therefore, they spend money while sightseeing, having meals in restaurants and staying in hotels. In this case, the country’s economy will increase, and tourism will be well developed, which will attract more tourists. For example, the UAE was not a significant country until the city of Dubai began to develop. In Dubai there are a lot of beautiful and unusual buildings, which seems interesting for people to visit. Another and the most popular object in Dubai is Burj Khalifa, which millions of tourists visit every year to see the world’s highest tower. Thus, Dubai has become one of the most popular cities and a major source of income for the country’s economy.
However, I support those who believe that functionality is the basic aspect of urban life, without which people are unlikely to stay in a city long-term, thus leading it to being abandoned. For a city to exist and develop, it definitely needs to be convenient for dwellers to perform their everyday duties. If too much space is occupied by beautiful but not functional objects, locals will have to commute to work longer and waste time to pick up children from school and kindergartens. No matter how beautiful the city is, people will complain about the inconvenience. If governments don’t solve this problem, residents will leave the city and move to another suitable city. Therefore, the convenience of the city for citizens is the most important aspect in their living conditions.
To summarize, even though some think that the attractiveness of a city, which helps develop the tourist industry, is significant, I support those who place more importance on functionality as a fundamental aspect of a city to exist.