--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The outcome of the city will depend on…" description: "\"The outcome of the city will depend on the race between the automobile and the elevator, and anyone who bets on the elevator is crazy.\" — Frank Lloyd W..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/frank-lloyd-wright-1353_automobile_the-outcome-of-the-city-will-depend-on-t_1145759.jpg" --- # The outcome of the city will depend on the race between… ![“The outcome of the city will depend on the race between the automobile and the elevator, and anyone who bets on the elevator is crazy.” quote by Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/frank-lloyd-wright-1353_automobile_the-outcome-of-the-city-will-depend-on-t_1145759.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/frank-lloyd-wright-1353_automobile_the-outcome-of-the-city-will-depend-on-t_1145759.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/frank-lloyd-wright-1353_automobile_the-outcome-of-the-city-will-depend-on-t_1145759.jpg) > “The outcome of the city will depend on the race between the automobile and the elevator, and anyone who bets on the elevator is crazy.” [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The city's future hinges on whether cars or elevators dominate, and favoring elevators is seen as irrational. **In simple terms:** City growth depends on transport choices; elevators are a risky bet. Key Takeaway Consider transport impacts on urban design. Themes urban planning transportation technology risk Mood critical analytical Type observational predictive When to use this quote - city zoning - transport policy - real estate development - urban mobility planning Key Concepts Modernism infrastructure mobility Questions to Reflect On - How might emerging transit tech shift this balance? - Are elevators truly a poor investment? A Different Perspective Elevators may still be vital for vertical density despite car dominance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Automobile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/automobile/) [Automobile Elevator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/automobile-elevator-3215317/) [Bets Elevator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bets-elevator-3215315/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Crazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crazy/) [Depends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depends/) [Elevator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elevator/) [Elevator Bets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elevator-bets-3215314/) [Elevator Crazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elevator-crazy-3215316/) [Elevators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elevators/) [Outcomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outcomes/) [Planning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planning/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Urban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urban/) [Urban planning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urban-planning/) ## Related quotes > [I've often thought that if planners were botanists, zoologists, geologists, and people who know about the earth, we would have much more wisdom in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/i-ve-often-thought-that-if-planners-were-botanists-zoologists/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [Americans are in the habit of never walking if they can ride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-philippe-i-of-france/americans-are-in-the-habit-of-never-walking-if-they-can-ride/) [Louis-Philippe I of France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-philippe-i-of-france/) > [The intellectual force of the West is still dominant, but other cultures are getting stronger. I expect that we will develop a new way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/the-intellectual-force-of-the-west-is-still-dominant-but-other/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [A plan that everyone dislikes for different reasons is a success. A plan everyone dislikes for the same reason is a failure. A plan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carson/a-plan-that-everyone-dislikes-for-different-reasons-is-a-success-a/) [Richard Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carson/) > [“Planning is for the world's great cities, for Paris, London, and Rome, for cities dedicated, at some level, to culture. Detroit, on the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/planning-is-for-the-world-s-great-cities-for-paris-london-and-rome/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“Ahhh, God's balls! The Horrible Halt!" Adoulla pronounced the Dhamsawaati term for the complete standstill of traffic with a familiar disgust.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saladin-ahmed/ahhh-god-s-balls-the-horrible-halt-adoulla-pronounced-the-dhamsawaati/) [Saladin Ahmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saladin-ahmed/) > [If a policeman must know the Constitution, then why not a planner?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/if-a-policeman-must-know-the-constitution-then-why-not-a-planner/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [“There are fashions in building. Behind the fashions lie economic and technological reasons, and these fashions exclude all but a few genuinely different possibilities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/there-are-fashions-in-building-behind-the-fashions-lie-economic-and/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [Those who plan do better than those who do not plan, even should they rarely stick to their plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/those-who-plan-do-better-than-those-who-do-not-plan-even-should-they/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There's a simple solution to our traffic problems. We'll have business build the roads, and government build the cars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/there-s-a-simple-solution-to-our-traffic-problems-we-ll-have-business/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [ Architects in urban planning are talking about this but they're not talking about it yet I don't think at that level that \[Buckminster\] Fuller… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/architects-in-urban-planning-are-talking-about-this-but-they-re-not/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [“Probably the most important element in intricacy is centering. Good small parks typically have a place somewhere within them commonly understood to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/probably-the-most-important-element-in-intricacy-is-centering-good/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [In traditional cities like Beijing, Nanjing, and Hangzhou, nature was a very important part of urban planning - not only as a landscape but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/in-traditional-cities-like-beijing-nanjing-and-hangzhou-nature-was-a/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [I feel however, that we architects have a special duty and mission... (to contribute) to the socio-cultural development of architecture and urban planning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenzo-tange/i-feel-however-that-we-architects-have-a-special-duty-and-mission-to/) [Kenzo Tange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenzo-tange/) > [“A young, beautiful mayor’s with high-powered plans for the city of Compton must put them aside to become a sleuth to solve the assassination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-tucker/a-young-beautiful-mayor-s-with-high-powered-plans-for-the-city-of/) [Martha Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-tucker/) ## More by Frank Lloyd Wright > [From time to time the continent shifts, and everything that isn't fastened down slides into Southern California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/from-time-to-time-the-continent-shifts-and-everything-that-isn-t/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [Respect the masterpiece. It is true reverence to man. There is no quality so great, none so much needed now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/respect-the-masterpiece-it-is-true-reverence-to-man-there-is-no/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [“Nature is my manifestation of God. I go to nature every day for inspiration in the day's work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/nature-is-my-manifestation-of-god-i-go-to-nature-every-day-for/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [Each had his past shut in him like the leaves of a book known to him by heart; and his friends could only read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/each-had-his-past-shut-in-him-like-the-leaves-of-a-book-known-to-him/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [“How many understand that Nature is the essencial character of whatever is. It's something you'll find by looking not at, but in, always in.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/how-many-understand-that-nature-is-the-essencial-character-of/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [The cultural influences in our country are like the floo floo bird. I am referring to the peculiar and especial bird who always flew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/the-cultural-influences-in-our-country-are-like-the-floo-floo-bird-i/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [Early in life, I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility. I chose honest arrogance and have seen no occasion to change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/early-in-life-i-had-to-choose-between-honest-arrogance-and/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [The Lincoln Memorial is related to the toga and the civilization that wore it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/the-lincoln-memorial-is-related-to-the-toga-and-the-civilization-that/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [The belief in a thing makes it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/the-belief-in-a-thing-makes-it-happen/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [“give me the luxuries of life and I will gladly do without the necessities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/give-me-the-luxuries-of-life-and-i-will-gladly-do-without-the/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [It's easier to make changes with a pencil than a wrecking bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/it-s-easier-to-make-changes-with-a-pencil-than-a-wrecking-bar/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [Life always rides in strength to victory, not through internationalism... but only through the direct responsibility of the individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/life-always-rides-in-strength-to-victory-not-through-internationalism/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [A man is a fool if he drinks before he reaches fifty, and a fool if he doesn't drink afterward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/a-man-is-a-fool-if-he-drinks-before-he-reaches-fifty-and-a-fool-if-he/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [Entering into the spirit of this interior, you will discover the best possible atmosphere in which to show fine paintings or listen to music.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/entering-into-the-spirit-of-this-interior-you-will-discover-the-best/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [A great architect is not made by way of a brain nearly so much as he is made by way of a cultivated, enriched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/a-great-architect-is-not-made-by-way-of-a-brain-nearly-so-much-as-he/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) [Explore all 251 Frank Lloyd Wright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) ## More Automobile quotes > [“A car is one of the most interesting inventions, but driving is one of the most boring activities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-car-is-one-of-the-most-interesting-inventions-but-driving-is-one-of/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [So the poet, who wants to be something that he cannot be, and is a failure in plain life, makes up fictitious versions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-tate/so-the-poet-who-wants-to-be-something-that-he-cannot-be-and-is-a/) [Allen Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-tate/) > [Having spent years ruining the housing markets with their interference, leading to a housing meltdown that has taken the whole economy down with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/having-spent-years-ruining-the-housing-markets-with-their/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [There comes a day of public ceremonial, and a chance to make a speech… A million voters with IQs below 60 have their ears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/there-comes-a-day-of-public-ceremonial-and-a-chance-to-make-a-speech/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [The power of branding, particularly when it comes to automobiles, is overwhelming. You go back to the seventies and eighties with the General Motor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-power-of-branding-particularly-when-it-comes-to-automobiles-is/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Democrats are going to proudly run on the fact that we turned the economy around. It was our policies under President Obama's leadership through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-wasserman-schultz/democrats-are-going-to-proudly-run-on-the-fact-that-we-turned-the/) [Debbie Wasserman Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-wasserman-schultz/) > [... in spite of being happier than I ever dreamed I could be, I'm also soberer. The fear that something may happen to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/in-spite-of-being-happier-than-i-ever-dreamed-i-could-be-i-m-also/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [I do not use airplanes. They strike me as unsporting. You can have an automobile accident-and survive. You can be on a sinking ship-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-do-not-use-airplanes-they-strike-me-as-unsporting-you-can-have-an/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [But it is my total conviction that all the trappings of good leadership are generic and widely applicable whether you are standing in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cosgrove/but-it-is-my-total-conviction-that-all-the-trappings-of-good/) [Peter Cosgrove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cosgrove/) > [You can see what man made from the seat of an automobile, but the best way to see what God made is from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-marion-russell/you-can-see-what-man-made-from-the-seat-of-an-automobile-but-the-best/) [Charles Marion Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-marion-russell/) > [The electronics industry expanded rapidly and the seeds for the semiconductor and software revolution were planted. The postwar period also saw the suburbanization of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/the-electronics-industry-expanded-rapidly-and-the-seeds-for-the/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [I'm a huge fan of John Hughes and can say that 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' is easily a top 3 favorite. I'm also a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-mcpartlin/i-m-a-huge-fan-of-john-hughes-and-can-say-that-planes-trains-and/) [Ryan McPartlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-mcpartlin/) > [“Most people do not realize that they are one car crash away from death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/most-people-do-not-realize-that-they-are-one-car-crash-away-from-death/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [This country has achieved its commercial and financial supremacy under a regime of private ownership. It conquered the wilderness, built our railroads, our factories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-b-cortelyou/this-country-has-achieved-its-commercial-and-financial-supremacy/) [George B. Cortelyou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-b-cortelyou/) > [“The first decade of driving is the most hazardous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-first-decade-of-driving-is-the-most-hazardous/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) [Browse all 424 Automobile quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/automobile/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The outcome of the city will depend on the race between the automobile and the elevator, and anyone who bets on the elevator is crazy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frank Lloyd Wright" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/the-outcome-of-the-city-will-depend-on-the-race-between-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Automobile" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/the-outcome-of-the-city-will-depend-on-the-race-between-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/frank-lloyd-wright-1353_automobile_the-outcome-of-the-city-will-depend-on-t_1145759.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/frank-lloyd-wright-1353_automobile_the-outcome-of-the-city-will-depend-on-t_1145759.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/frank-lloyd-wright-1353_automobile_the-outcome-of-the-city-will-depend-on-t_1145759.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The outcome of the city will depend on the race between the automobile and the elevator, and anyone who bets…” — Frank Lloyd Wright", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Frank Lloyd Wright", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The outcome of the city will...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/the-outcome-of-the-city-will-depend-on-the-race-between-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/the-outcome-of-the-city-will-depend-on-the-race-between-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```