Few topics generate as much heated and (0) CONTROVERSIAL (CONTROVERSY) debate among urban residents as the architecture of their own city. Ambitious mayors frequently commission bold, 1IMAGINE projects by celebrated designers, confident that 2AESTHETIC striking landmarks will place their city on the global map. Yet in an increasingly 3GLOBE design culture, many critics complain that new skyscrapers look disconcertingly similar from Shanghai to São Paulo. A more 4SENSE approach to context, they argue, would take far greater account of local history and climate. Campaigners dedicated to architectural 5CONSERVE frequently clash with developers over the 6PRESERVE of older buildings, insisting that bulldozing a neighbourhood's fabric risks leaving the city soulless and 7CHARACTER. As taller and more reflective towers proliferate, questions of sightlines and 8VISIBLE from the street have also become increasingly political, turning what were once purely technical matters into lively public disputes.