In particular, the architecture of a society embodies specific values and encourages certain kinds of relationships between people. Mumford claims that mass-produced, mechanical architecture has led to an increasingly uniform urban society that has lost touch with nature and tends to minimize genuine human contact. The most visible effect of this are the sprawling suburbs and commuter lifestyle that were becoming increasingly larger and more common in the early twentieth century. Mumford concludes by imploring the need for a new, human-centered kind of architectural framework, including urban design, that could encourage a better, healthier, society.
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