--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Instead of making grand structures and…" description: "\"Instead of making grand structures and beautiful buildings, we should focus on the environment and the urban space and how you encourage people to live..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95b/ma-yansong-9334_beautiful_instead-of-making-grand-structures-and-b_1823330.jpg" --- # Instead of making grand structures and beautiful… ![“Instead of making grand structures and beautiful buildings, we should focus on the environment and the urban space and how you encourage people to live.” quote by Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95b/ma-yansong-9334_beautiful_instead-of-making-grand-structures-and-b_1823330.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95b/ma-yansong-9334_beautiful_instead-of-making-grand-structures-and-b_1823330.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95b/ma-yansong-9334_beautiful_instead-of-making-grand-structures-and-b_1823330.jpg) > “Instead of making grand structures and beautiful buildings, we should focus on the environment and the urban space and how you encourage people to live.” [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prioritize environmental quality and livable urban spaces over monumental architecture. **In simple terms:** Focus on sustainable, people‑centered design. Key Takeaway Design for people and planet. Themes urban planning environment sustainability Mood optimistic pragmatic Type visionary practical When to use this quote - city development - public spaces - green infrastructure - housing projects Key Concepts architecture social design Questions to Reflect On - What policies encourage green urban design? - How can communities influence planning? A Different Perspective Balancing aesthetics and function is challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Buildings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buildings/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) ## Related quotes > [Beautiful buildings are more than scientific. They are true organisms, spiritually conceived; works of art, using the best technology by inspiration rather than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/beautiful-buildings-are-more-than-scientific-they-are-true-organisms/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [You can't have the finest buildings if they're not in focus. They become like nice cars parked on the street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-krier/you-can-t-have-the-finest-buildings-if-they-re-not-in-focus-they/) [Leon Krier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-krier/) > [I wanted to improve the suburban office building; to create a great urban space in a suburban environment with all that implies about interaction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-jahn/i-wanted-to-improve-the-suburban-office-building-to-create-a-great/) [Helmut Jahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-jahn/) > [I used to hate the urban environment and the urban din. But I realize now that it's really not that much different than living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hempton/i-used-to-hate-the-urban-environment-and-the-urban-din-but-i-realize/) [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) > [In China, we had some buildings that looked like the White House or wine bottles. All they seemed to represent was bad taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/in-china-we-had-some-buildings-that-looked-like-the-white-house-or/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [We try to turn buildings into landscapes - defying the idea of modernism which sees nature and buildings as two distinct elements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/we-try-to-turn-buildings-into-landscapes-defying-the-idea-of/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [People think that buildings are permanent, but in China, this isn't true; we can always demolish and remake it better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/people-think-that-buildings-are-permanent-but-in-china-this-isn-t/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [Modern buildings have become memorials to power and capital. More and more, they're isolated from people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/modern-buildings-have-become-memorials-to-power-and-capital-more-and/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [I don't like to talk about sustainability, because sometimes I see green buildings that don't appear any different from those in the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/i-don-t-like-to-talk-about-sustainability-because-sometimes-i-see/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [I always believed that my work should be unfinished in the sense that I encourage people to add their creativity to it, either conceptually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/i-always-believed-that-my-work-should-be-unfinished-in-the-sense-that/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [In providing this $5,000 tax credit for those purchasing rural homes, we're offering an important incentive to encourage people to live in smaller communities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-mchugh/in-providing-this-5-000-tax-credit-for-those-purchasing-rural-homes/) [John M. McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-mchugh/) > [I encourage all people to teach our young girls to value the things that one cannot take away from you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-moore/i-encourage-all-people-to-teach-our-young-girls-to-value-the-things/) [Kenya Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-moore/) > [For me, speaking my mind is a big part of my life, and I encourage other people to do that as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-marie/for-me-speaking-my-mind-is-a-big-part-of-my-life-and-i-encourage/) [Anne-Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-marie/) > [Why would I want to join an organization that would encourage people like myself to become members.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/why-would-i-want-to-join-an-organization-that-would-encourage-people/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [When we built Roomba, we explicitly designed it to not have a face. We didn't want to think it was cute; we wanted people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-angle/when-we-built-roomba-we-explicitly-designed-it-to-not-have-a-face-we/) [Colin Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-angle/) ## More by Ma Yansong > [China is a place where you can experience two very contrasting things coexisting. First, the rich, cultural history of the country - and, second,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/china-is-a-place-where-you-can-experience-two-very-contrasting-things/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [I don't like to talk about sustainability, because sometimes I see green buildings that don't appear any different from those in the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/i-don-t-like-to-talk-about-sustainability-because-sometimes-i-see/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [Architects think that beauty is a crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/architects-think-that-beauty-is-a-crime/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [When I graduated from high school, I thought I wanted to make science fiction movies, so I applied to film school, but I couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/when-i-graduated-from-high-school-i-thought-i-wanted-to-make-science/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [If we're talking about the urban landscape as an advanced, forward-thinking art form, there must be some intellectual thinking involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/if-we-re-talking-about-the-urban-landscape-as-an-advanced-forward/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [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 think where traditional values are concerned, Chinese people see nature as very symbolic. It's a form of culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/i-think-where-traditional-values-are-concerned-chinese-people-see/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [In China, it's very easy to make architecture special because anything you design will look different, as most parts of the city are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/in-china-it-s-very-easy-to-make-architecture-special-because-anything/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [The way we do our architecture is to show that we can come up with our own solutions. We don't just take orders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/the-way-we-do-our-architecture-is-to-show-that-we-can-come-up-with/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [I would say that many architects are very logical. They start their process from analysis and from rational processes to try and find the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/i-would-say-that-many-architects-are-very-logical-they-start-their/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [Although we're architects, we believe we do culture; architecture is culture, and the topics we tackle will always arise a broader debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/although-we-re-architects-we-believe-we-do-culture-architecture-is/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [We proposed Tiananmen Square - this very empty political square in the city centre - should turn green. Maybe in the future, this space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/we-proposed-tiananmen-square-this-very-empty-political-square-in-the/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [I treat my projects as art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/i-treat-my-projects-as-art/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [To allow millions of people to live together on limited land, we have to go to the sky; we have to build a high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/to-allow-millions-of-people-to-live-together-on-limited-land-we-have/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [A door handle is very symbolic to me. It is the first object that one will interact with before entering a new space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/a-door-handle-is-very-symbolic-to-me-it-is-the-first-object-that-one/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) [Explore all 73 Ma Yansong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) ## More Beautiful quotes > [I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/) [Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/) > [Being beautiful comes naturally!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-beautiful-comes-naturally/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) Tumblr > [You will never know just how beautiful you are to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-know-just-how-beautiful-you-are-to-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/) [Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [You're beautiful, cute, pretty, gorgeous, and fuck.. I ran out of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/you-re-beautiful-cute-pretty-gorgeous-and-fuck-i-ran-out-of-words/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) > [Growing up in Iceland, it was very beautiful, very safe, but quite isolated. There was something about jazz music that had a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laufey/growing-up-in-iceland-it-was-very-beautiful-very-safe-but-quite/) [Laufey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laufey/) > [How could you feel worthless when God has honoured you by creating you and choosing you to be with Him, in this life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/how-could-you-feel-worthless-when-god-has-honoured-you-by-creating/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [Sometimes it's about less is more. It's about the seed. Thinking about this gigantic tree that you think is so beautiful but it started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/sometimes-it-s-about-less-is-more-it-s-about-the-seed-thinking-about/) [Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) [Browse all 17,976 Beautiful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Instead of making grand structures and beautiful buildings, we should focus on the environment and the urban space and how you encourage people to live.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ma Yansong" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/instead-of-making-grand-structures-and-beautiful-buildings-we-should/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beautiful" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/instead-of-making-grand-structures-and-beautiful-buildings-we-should/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95b/ma-yansong-9334_beautiful_instead-of-making-grand-structures-and-b_1823330.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95b/ma-yansong-9334_beautiful_instead-of-making-grand-structures-and-b_1823330.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95b/ma-yansong-9334_beautiful_instead-of-making-grand-structures-and-b_1823330.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Instead of making grand structures and beautiful buildings, we should focus on the environment and the urban…” — Ma Yansong", "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": "Ma Yansong", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Instead of making grand structures and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/instead-of-making-grand-structures-and-beautiful-buildings-we-should/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/instead-of-making-grand-structures-and-beautiful-buildings-we-should/#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 } } ] } ```