Majesty Towers rises above the now completed Columbia Centre. The tallest building in the four-tower complex stands at 1,824 feet. Majesty Towers is the most luxurious residential real-estate project yet constructed, with views overlooking central park to the south, direct access to the Columbia business and shopping districts, and on-site travel connections via Airport Link (which is not yet constructed).

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...mbiaCentre.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...biaCentre2.jpg

...Just for fun... :)

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...ect/CCBWsd.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...ot20101001.jpg

Yeah, that Star Destroyer is funny :) does the the shape of Columbia Centre resemble a half cut Swastica ?

I would really like to see some people and vehicles in the shots to really understand the massiveness of the structures. That Capitol Center looks huge!

Yes, it is. Though I did design the three-pointed "swastika" shape with the Nazi style in mind, part of my inspiration for it also came from the "666" symbol seen in the "Omen" thriller movies.

Below is an overview that lets you get a better view. The Columbia Centre dome is almost identical in proportion to the Volkshalle model, while the three secondary domes/towers are intended to mimic the style of the U.S. Capitol Dome.

As soon as possible, I want to get the regional topography, waterways, and interstates mapped into the main model so that it doesn't look like it is sitting in the middle of nothing.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h.../Overview2.jpg

I'll try to get some cars into the next set of detailed renderings. I'm still waiting on the new computer, because... while I may rule the world in Google Sketchup, my truck's radiator, water pump, and heater core aren't going to make it through the winter. :(

Below we have a quick teaser shot showcasing the rough shape of what will be the design for headquarters of the "Greedo Corporation". The building will be one of the major anchors of Wall Avenue, and home of the Corporate Fascist Party Stock Exchange (CFPSE).

Remember the Capitalist Party in the SRE with a HQ in Gult Tower? the CFPSE is sort of like the American equivalent of that; but unlike the Ayn Rand-esque style of philosophical individualist capitalism, CFPSE represents more of a "Gordon Gekko" style of rabidly greedy collectivist capitalism.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...orporation.jpg

Another concept drawing depicts the Reich Federation of Planets, which will eventually be built. My long-term plan is to take the fiction out of the past and into an alternate timeline future which mixes some Star Trek and Star Wars in with the pre-existing medley of United States, Nazi, Communist, and other themes.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...roject/RFP.jpg

I really like it.nice job. Its progressing very well.

I like the overal shape of the Greedo building. Looks very Art Deco ;)

Why you dont just call it "Imperial Federation of Planets". Sounds much better to my ears.

love the name of the company.... greedo, and its a greedy collectivist capitalism company!

Umm, those are essentially swastikas :sly:

Is this meant as a viable proposal if such an organization ever existed, or a fantastical invention meant for a purely imaginary society, an almost sci-fi-like parody of the concept? If it's the latter, it works quite well (can't say the same about the former though). I can tell you put a ton of work into this, so you get kudos at least for that.

You should have read more pages. Its definitly the latter one. Not sure about the parody, but i think the merge of all imperialistic systems that fought each other to extinction could refered to as parody ;)

Incredible Models, Incredible Talent, Incredible Renderings, Incredible Point of Views... All Incredible you reach done!

As all Regimes are the same, so all valid to be unique summarized in that model ...

How is called?: IMPERIUM WORLD, hope then they never go out this planet with this Yacht Force One Star Cruiser, which fits well.

YOU ARE A BRILLIANT POLITICAL ARTIST MIND. I love what you have done, got from the easy sketchup a top point of view from our political society ! Incredible. Your talent must be recognized.

Really Brutal Top. 'In God we Trust = Arbeit macht Frei' ! EXCELLENT, Loved your work here ! You should put something of Stock Exchange together as well ... the Bull & the Bear, automobile industry !

Thanks again for all the responses, and for keeping this thread alive in spite of the slow progress.

The architectural elements of the "Volksheim" scene you quoted were directly inspired by the famous nuremburg rally photograph, hense the similarity. This project is not a proposal of any kind. It is fiction. Tolbert put it well. :)

It is intended to be a sort of socio-economic/political allegory kind of like Orwell's 1984. My goal here is to create something that inspires contemplation. If every idea was a building, what would a city of ideas look like?

That actually isn't a bad idea at all, especially since the science fiction/space exploration element of the Empire will probably be a cross of Star Wars' Galactic Empire and Star Trek's Federation. The city at large is still far from being mature enough to start thinking about the space age though, so that prototype plan isn't going anywhere yet.

-

Here is the new 780-foot Bell Centre, HQ of Imperial Bell and Texacan Energy:

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...erialBellA.jpg

why the "world capital" has american flags all over it?

Awsome work you've done.

Babylon-Columbia Joint Facility 13, Department of Public Works and Corrections is taking shape in the shadow of the Wall Avenue business district directly east of Columbia Centre. Facility 13 is home to nearly 27,000 civil workers, most of which work in the city providing general public services. The Department of Public Works and Corrections is now operated via contract by the Greedo Corporation.

People who commit civil infractions or petty crimes decrease their nationally monitored Civil Compliance Number, which most registered employers screen in the pre-employment process. As a result, individuals who do not comply with the civil order of society, or who are in any manner disruptive, are prevented from entering the general workforce. The PWC houses such "at risk" individuals in safe, monitored, censored, and socially humiliating confined "facilities" such as F-13, and profits by using them for manual labor purposes.

The Soviet-Reich Empire's Imperial Commerce Corporation (ICC) unveiled the PWC labor plan initially. The motion eventually gained additional support by slight majority in the Columbian Seat, and in late 1910, the Greedo Corporation made a winning bid to construct and oversee the PWC projects. The inner city PWC Facility 13 was unveiled with fanfare in early 1911. Greedo-PWC went public on the CFPSE under the name Greedo Systems (Symbol: GSY) during the same year.

The U.S. Corporate Fascist Party, Right wing of the Columbia Seat, and two of the three Reich Tri-Party Congressional Representatives support the PWC, while the Atlas Foundation (SRE Capitalist Party) remains in strong opposition to PWC operations and alleges that they violate innate human rights. A fringe group known as the Jaliva Council is also lobbying for governmental consolidation and a stronger future focus on civil liberties.

The increasingly ineffectual United Nations and Amnesty International, though given a full honorary status globally, are not permitted to inspect any of the business practices or operations of the ICC, or of any of the subsidiary businesses or commissions of the same.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...aH688/pwc1.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...aH688/pwc2.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...aH688/pwc3.jpg

So, we have the first concentration camp directly in the shadow of Columbia Center. :D

Btw, you know that you double the "empire" in Soviet-Reich Empire?

Reich = Empire ;)

^ You are the second person to point out to me the redundancy of the "SRE". Therefore, the SRE is now simply the S.R., or Soviet Reich... alluding to combined Germanian and Russian thematic elements.

Since they are all squashed together with HQ's in the same city, The United States and Soviet Reich may summarily be referred to henseforth as the U.S.S.R. :cool: ...How's that for parody?

More on PWC Facility System

The PWC system as I present it aims to suggest an ethics question which is somewhat more subtle than being a mere "concentration camp" depiction. The people who work at PWC facilities arrived there by choice, in the strictest sense. Of course, they can't get a job working for respected employers, and without a doubt that is because of the way the system works in this case; but they are not deprived of their health or their lives as a result. To the contrary, these things are insured rather than harmed for enlisted citizens in the PWC Employment System; and via good behavior, accumulated PWC work credits can be used to redeem a citizen's CCN score, ultimately empowering him/her to re-enter the registered corporate workforce with new skills (and lessons in civil obedience).

Economic desparation corners them and forces them to enlist voluntarily in a system which deprives them of their basic economic dignity in order to ensure their simple survival; and yet, none of these workers are there because of race or religion. None of them were dragged away from successful lives or businesses and placed there forcibly; and each of them, if they had made better social or economic choices, could have chosen a different, more successful path.

By ensuring that the lower common social denominators are compelled to submit to manual labor and perform tasks which more intellectually useful citizens shirk from, the middle class grows. The pathways to success are easier to follow. Social order is rewarded with the promise of economic advancement in exchange for simple good behavior.

Why is Facility 13 right next to Wall Avenue's prestegious business towers and in the shadow of Columbia Centre? It is there for the same reason that real life people sleep under pieces of cardboard in the alleys behind New York's tallest buildings. Fascism, Communism, and Capitalism are all presented as being very different in popular theory; but I think that if there is any allegorical message that I am trying to communicate with this project, it is that all three paths often lead to surprisingly similar ends.

This project is an allegorical depiction of the world as I see it, checkered with great glory and great darkness (regardless of what side/system any one of us individually happens to be rooting for)... and yes, I have a whole heck of a lot of fun playing with it. ;)

IAA - New Project Description

Headquarters of the Imperial Architectural Administration (IAA) is 720 feet tall, and hosts the world's most renowned architects and structural engineers.

Joint Columbia-Babylon commissioned the IAA after concluding that the sheer scale of ongoing urban design initiatives could not be fully realized without broader State controls and oversight in the field of architectural sciences.

The Atlas Foundation stated a formal objection to the initial motion to create the IAA, stating that "The Nationalizion of private sector architectural firms would create a federal monopoly on an important part of the private sector, potentially undermining intellectual property and placing the broader economy at risk."

The motion passed 4-2 in the Tri-Party Congress. It was defeated 2-1 in the Columbian Seat. The Independent Corporate Fascist Party endorsed the ruling, bringing total representative votes to 6 Yeas and 4 Nays. The ruling passed, and the IAA was created.

An elevated rail line also makes its debut here. Tentative location for this new complex is on the south side of the city.:

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...ivaComplex.jpg

Yeah, thats a great idea :haha: I love it :tup:

IAA and Civil Engineering Administrative Sector is marked orange. Mixed low-density Residential/Commericial is marked teal. Low-density residential (suburban-style neighborhood) is marked light green. This development is positioned on the north side of Wall Avenue and will likely expand eventually beyond the footprint below.

I have code-named the project "Los Diablos", which may or may not stick as the official name for the finished region. The name is a slightly dark jab inspired by Los Angeles' famous suburban sprawl. ;)

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...LosDiablos.jpg

I think that as the legislative structure of this project has grown, it might have gotten a bit confusing for viewers, so I made a excel chart showing the general structure of the new unified legislature. The U.S. has four representative votes, and the S.R. has six. The ICC is a neutral voting member, possessing one vote. A legislative action requires a minimum of six (of the 11) votes to pass.

A legislative action which is passed successfully by the USSR Joint Legislative Seat (as described above) must also gain the support of at least 6 of 11 of the votes which are controled by the Corporate Council of Industrialists. The CCI is appointed by a collage of all major corporate entities. This system ensures that no measure is passed without the unified majority (55%) support of both the public and private sectors.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...egislature.jpg

I'm seeing more and more inspiration from something.

Anyways, good work.

hmmmm.. I'm guessing the government is corrupt and that what ever the corporate council of industrialists votes for almost always wins?

ominous parallels

It's a challenge designing bits and pieces for future integration to the main model without sufficient computer power, and that new computer purchase that I keep holding my breath for just keeps on getting pushed out. :hell:

In any case, I'm mainly just stepping in here to promise once again that WCP is still very much alive. I've also made a fun little new map showing the position of the Public Works and Corrections complex, as well as the Los Diablos development (Project 1 and 2) as they will appear eventually in the main model. The map below also shows coastline which, though details thereof remain classified, is relevant to Project 3.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...t/Project3.jpg

Project 3 is the last of the super-projects planned for State Street, which is designed to be the flagship avenue of the city, connecting Columbia Centre, the Reich Government District, and aforementioned Project 3.

The model for Project 3 is coming along quite well, and I am really excited about it. After designing lots of "generic" buildings, we're moving back toward something epic and unique. I plan to unveil it dramatically on (or maybe before) January 13. Until then, I'll let you guys guess what is going on. Anyway, do stay tuned for Project 3! With the PWC now actively recruiting workers who might otherwise be found littering in the streets or urinating in the alleys, there's never any shortage of labor in the USSR! :banana:

-

January 13, 2011 will mark 3 years since I first got the idea of what ultimately spawned this project. At the end of January, the World Capitol Project sketchup model itself will be a year old. At present, the folders containing my micronation-related projects and World Capitol Project consume over 3 GB of space.

Cool! I can't wait until you start this up again.

I really like that giant Brezel in front of Columbia Centre ;)

don't you mean pretzel???

not from a german piont of view ;)

New State Street addition leads up to the site of Project 3:

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...hwertstein.jpg

looks like you're building your version of the babel tower ?

You'll see. :-) In the meanwhile, you get another teaser. :rolleyes: Stock cars and a person inserted to provide a sense of scale.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...t/Stadium3.jpg

Very detailed project.

I think it will be difficult to ascent that upward causeway in the wintertime. A lot of cars will be stuck in slippery conditions...

An Aircraft Carrier passes by Victory Stadium. The new Stadium, still under construction, will provide open air seating for over 400,000 spectators. Agricultural towers rise above it to the east.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h.../StadiumII.jpg

The Swastika, Sigma, and Pentacle within an All-Encompassing Triangle decorates the forward facade of the Stadium, making its first appearance as such as an emblem of the State.

The four arms of the Swastika are intended to symbolize the powers of mind, body, spirit, and craft coming together to form the essence of centralized strength.

The Sigma and letter X preceding the five-pointed star are intended to symbolize the summation of action pertaining to five points of government: Mind, Nation, Economy, Fraternity, and Society.

All three primary symbols appear within the geometric shape of a triangle, which is intended to imply that they together form the power structure from which all design is formed.

The symbol makes its appearance here as an icon of government and reason subject to superior power; and in the structural sense, Victory Stadium is intended to be a supreme architectural icon of superior power within this fictional state.

It's January 13, 2011. That marks 3 years since I started my Micronation, and almost one full year since I started World Capitol Project. I am marking that event with the unveiling of Republic Square. Republic Square is actually a tribute not just to the fictional universe which I have created as context for the sketchup city, but more specifically to Jaliva as a Micronation.

Jaliva is an acronym for six classical deities/elements, and represents respective superior ideals which it is expected should be the primary pillars of civilization; (Justitia/Justice, Athena/Wisdom, Libertus/Liberty, Isis/Mercy, Valkyrie/Heroism, and Atlas/Strength). The buildings which you see featured here house the Jaliva Superior Court, which constitutes the highest law creation agency in the United States and Soviet Reich political framework. The Jaliva Court actually superceeds the USSR as an institution which serves to moderate political rivalries with a republican form of world government.

Alexandria Tower (Left) Lighthouse Spire (Center) and Pinnicle Tower (Left) are the three tallest buildings in the Republic Square complex. Lighthouse Spire is the second tallest building in the city, at 2025 feet.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...eOverview2.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...eOverview3.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...eOverview4.jpg

A new Youtube video showcases the project (but I can't get youtube videos to imbed for some reason):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h32sRSMELF0

The Victory Stadium project is archived and waiting for more computer power so that I can properly finish it and its surrounding area; but here is a current shot of the inside of it:

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...ctoryArena.jpg

On the funding front, I've got to make it through tax season, get a new vehicle (again) and hopefully pay down or get rid of credit card balances before I'll really feel justified in paying the cash necessary to get the proper system I need for this project. There is a chance that I will break down one day and just go out and get a new computer; but excluding an unexpected spending spree, it is also possible that my grand vision will continue to languish throughout this coming year.

Onward to Victory! :)

Since nearly six months have passed since my last update, and whereas it has been nearly a year since my last major addition, I want to bump my thread back to the top, share a couple of teaser shots, and reitterate that World Capitol Project is indeed still entirely alive (and will be for years to come), though it is still on hiatus awaiting money for a new computer system.

As those who followed this thread in the past understood, the backstory surrounding this city is based upon an alternative history in which the United States, USSR, and Third Reich became allies and WWII never happened.

This city - the Capitol city of the World - is located somewhere in southern England. The World Government consists of the Soviet Reich, which controls half of the world and is governed by a Fascist Party, Capitalist Party, and Communist Party, which each control various subordinate administrations and possess voting power in the Soviet Reich Tri-Party Congress. The United States has expanded, possessing 100 States, retaining a Republican system of government. The United States possesses its own Congress.

In addition, the United States Congress and Tri-Party Congress are both represented by the Jaliva Supreme Court, which is the highest ruling body in the world. The Jaliva Supreme Court (Senate) is respectively governed by the Lucis Council, an entirely new part of the project which has not previously been aluded to.

The United States, Communism, Capitalism, and Nazism are all major influences of both the architecture and storyline of this project. The Lucis Council and Senate of Jaliva, being my newest inventions, personify (an equivalent to) what is popularly regarded in real life as the "Illuminati".

At the earliest, I may bring this project back out of hiatus in December of this year. At the latest, it will be after tax season, May/June 2012.

The Airship Terminal (Part of the Airport Project, Code Named Prometheus):
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...indenburg4.jpg

Building One, World Headquarters, Lucis Council:
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...uminaTower.jpg

Logo of Axis Global, Primary Transportation Corporation of the Soviet Reich:
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...xisGlobal2.jpg

Logo of Columbia Pacific, Primary Transportation Corporation of the United States:
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...acificLogo.jpg

More will come.

If I don't post again before then, Happy Independence Day to all of the U.S. posters here.

Good to know you're in this for the long term, even if we have to wait till 2012. I love the totally unique historical context you have created around this project and the architecture is also pretty unique. Look forward to seeing more as and when you get your new PC.

this is the modern World class city Germany

This is some sinister stuff, man. There's a documentary on Netflix right now called The Architecture of Doom that talks about the origins of the Nazi aesthetic, and how it's basically the aesthetic of violence and sadism embodied. If I were to design something Germanic, I'd go for more of a Norse woodland look rather than German Imperial.

Seen by drivers exiting the city, the mural below appears on the United Reich building, through which the north base of Kriegundfrieden Bridge passes:

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...thycountry.jpg

The Jaliva Supreme Court complex is connected by the Kriegundfrieden ("War and Peace") Bridge to the United Reich complex and the rest of the model (not shown here):

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...edenBridge.jpg

The bridge is over three miles long.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...denBridge2.jpg

The United Reich complex is home to the Lucis Council towers, World Space Agency, and World Health & Education Centre.

Some new key points of backrgound pertaining to the alternate historical timeline which this model city is based upon:

- The original TEMPLE OF KING SOLOMON was not destroyed.
- JULIUS CAESAR was not assassinated.
- THE CHRISTIAN ERA began 100 years early.
- The ancient dominions of EGYPT and the ROMAN EMPIRE early forged an unbreakable alliance which stood unchallenged.
- The CAPITOL of the ROMAN EMPIRE was moved to the territory of BRITANNIA in The Year 100.
- THE BRITANNIC LEAGUE forged an alliance with the UNITED STATES in 1676.
- THE UNITED NATIONS was founded in the year 1814.
- U.S. CIVIL WAR never occurred.
- NAZI GERMANY, the USSR, and the UNITED STATES forged an alliance in 1839, creating the Tri-Party Congress. Construction of the World Capitol Project began.
- The Hindenburg Disaster never occurred. The Titanic Never Sank. In 1858, NASA was founded.
- The World Trade Center was built in England instead of the United States. 9/11 Terrorist Attacks never occurred.
- In 1963, the first manned interstellar spacecraft was launched.
- In 2051, Earth’s first large scale expeditionary spacecraft was launched. (Think U.S.S. Enterprise...)

i kinda like the zeppelin terminal. I just finished reading the man in the high castle, among my enemies (turtledove) and fatherland. all in a row. this thread comes as handy illustrations.

so in your alterntive timeline if my last name is cohen do i get to be supreme judge?

If you want to. :cool:

Appearing here are the World Health Organization HQ, Lucius Council HQ, and the entirely new Snelson Centre, with the Jaliva District appearing across the bay in the distance.

Snelson Centre is the World Capitol Project's new tallest building, standing at 2,771 feet. For perspective, it is also the only building in my model to be slightly taller than the real-world Burj Khalifa.

Snelson Centre is comprised of four free standing towers which are linked to the main tower via skybridges. It is mixed use, housing World Welfare and Good Will Services, International Embassies, Major Corporations, and the State Leisure Organization, which operates a cruise ship terminal there.

The alternate-reality version of Titanic, which has seven stacks and is longer than the real-world ship, makes its first appearance here as well.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...randPeace2.jpg

Snelson Towers:

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...radeCenter.jpg

For fun, I went into the archives and pulled up a few old shots of World Capitol Project back when it was first getting started two years ago. Here is the Daventry District as it looked in October 2009, before I decided to scrap the textures:

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h.../Daventry1.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h.../Daventry2.jpg

And here is what the World Capitol Project looked like at the end of my first day working on it in in January 2010:

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...rldCapitol.jpg

Progress as of February 2010:

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...rldCapitol.jpg

And I'll leave you with this daytime shot:

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...randPeace3.jpg

The new TLS I (Totenkopf Land Ship First Class) guards New Babylon streets as part of the city's elite guard. While in the peaceful urban context of the world capitol, it serves as an ornamental peace keeper. Citizens who behold these tanks stationed on many major avenues are reminded of the entire power of the State.

On the battlefield, it is equipped as a high capacity troop carrier, operations center, and mobile fortress. Even without firing its battleship-grade canons, it has enough brute force and mass to destroy enemy installations just by rolling through them.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...H688/Tank3.jpg

The Temple of Loyalty, built to honor the Goddess Fides, is home to the FFF (Federation of Federal Fraternities). The FFF is a worldwide network of social agencies in the context of the World Capitol Project timeline.

The temple has 31 steps, each representing a unique philosophical principle. It has 38 pillars which are 38 feet apart and 38 feet tall. It houses a four story building within. The pinnacles are decorated with hourglasses.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...altyTemple.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...fLoyaltyII.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...pletoFides.jpg

Cool stuff, glad to see you still working on this, probably the most individual city we have on here! Temple of Loyalty's interior reminds me of the Spanish cemeteries that are often stacked on top of one another - famous one in BArcelona.

Thanks to all of you who have remained interested in this project for the long haul. :)

A view of the southern end of the city, showing the Temple and Airship Terminal, against the backdrop of Victory Stadium and the Hydroponics Towers. The south end Financial District and Department of Public Works & Corrections facility are in the distance:

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...uthernCity.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...8/SouthEnd.jpg

World Capitol Project is currently fully stored in two separate Sketchup model files. The central and northern districts are stored in one file which is 85 MB, and the southern and western districts are stored in a second file which is about 60 MB.

I'm still waiting for the optimal time to buy my new system, but I strongly expect to buy it between now and April. Once that happens, I'll merge the two models, fill in the gaps, and finish building the rest of the city's rough models. By the end of the year, I expect to have the city model as a whole completed and begin on the longer process of adding small details throughout, such as street-level props, flora, and (possibly) textures.

Wow, still a lot of work. I look forward to seeing the 2 halves merge. Textures may help to give it better scale, I know some of those buildings are in reality enormous. If you could add atmospherics like fog (not sure if you can do this in Sketchup or rendering software) that would also help to give it scale.

Wow, there's some really huge projects it there! I like the temple a lot. It would be nice to see some people on those stairs to really get a feel of its huge size. Do those columns have a star profile? I can't quite tell.

Quiet impressive last shot. I don't think it would be illegal or taboo to use the Japanese character for "Bhudist Temple" for those red black and white flags, what do the mods think?

This whole city serves us an invaluable service by allowing us to so clearly see the contrast between this unique city and all the others.

How can you know light when you see it if you've never experienced darkness? And would you want all of either and none of the other?