It's blatant how some countries are looking at no expenses to have the flashiest, tallest and most visually striking tech and architecture one can think of. The stimulation can sometimes reach seizure-inducing levels. The problem is: it works.

How many times don't we see people awe before those light shows, those make-believe cities, creating the illusion of development, futurism, detachment from the past, a rupture from the rest of the world - a blindfold to the harsh realities of their societies. Exactly what it's meant for unfortunately. Corporate dystopia, governmental surveillance, the same old.

But in all of that, one major factor I notice, if it were to be done in good faith, is the lack of elegance. Is there more evolution than having a technology capable of blending in with our daily lives? Being so subtle, so delicate and so ingrained in every detail that much on the contrary, it wouldn't be noticeable? It wouldn't affect peoples' serenity nor their connection with nature. It would be used as a tool, working as an extension of our needs. Not to be mistaken as seamless surveilance (that already happens...)!

That's where true ingenuity lies. In clever minimalism, focusing on what is convenient while also preserving our human warmth, simplicity and spirituality, let alone the environment. Technology is nothing less than magical if done right, these cyberpunk cities, so nihilistic and hedonistic in essence, could still be just fiction. A messed up one.

Wishful thinking maybe, but it doesn't hurt to hope. There aren't many cities in the world like this, not everyone has to follow these examples.