I can't say I like many of the articles that
Nicolai Ouroussoff writes for the
New York Times, however his most recent
article about development around Mecca is worth reading. Preservation regulations are, perhaps, the most openly disliked of all rules. But look at what happens when those preservation standards are not enforced.
Mecca is the most holy location in the Muslim religion and yet the government has allowed enormous towers to be built overlooking the
Sacred Mosque. This is an extreme example of what people will do when preservation guidelines are not in place. And while a few people will profit from the towers, an entire community loses. The biggest loss is the pristine views of the hills from the Mosque as Muhammad would have seen them; a direct connection to the spiritual. Ouroussoff, of course, never mentions the benefits of preservation in his article which is where some of the problem lies. It would be nice to assume that architects will always "do the right thing", but that is obviously unrealistic.
