--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most old cities are now sclerotic…" description: "\"Most old cities are now sclerotic machines that dispense known qualities in ever-greater quantities, instead of laboratories of the uncertain. Only the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7a/rem-koolhaas-5371_business_most-old-cities-are-now-sclerotic-machin_967232.png" --- # Most old cities are now sclerotic machines that dispense… ![“Most old cities are now sclerotic machines that dispense known qualities in ever-greater quantities, instead of laboratories of the uncertain. Only the skyscraper offers business the wide-open spaces of a man-made Wild West, a frontier in the sky.” quote by Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7a/rem-koolhaas-5371_business_most-old-cities-are-now-sclerotic-machin_967232.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7a/rem-koolhaas-5371_business_most-old-cities-are-now-sclerotic-machin_967232.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7a/rem-koolhaas-5371_business_most-old-cities-are-now-sclerotic-machin_967232.png) > “Most old cities are now sclerotic machines that dispense known qualities in ever-greater quantities, instead of laboratories of the uncertain. Only the skyscraper offers business the wide-open spaces of a man-made Wild West, a frontier in the sky.” [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cities have become predictable, mass‑produced systems; skyscrapers provide open, frontier‑like spaces reminiscent of a modern Wild West. **In simple terms:** Urban design is shifting from uniformity to vertical, exploratory environments. Key Takeaway Seek innovative, open spaces in urban planning. Themes urbanism architecture frontier innovation spatial freedom Mood critical analytical Type theoretical observational When to use this quote - city planning - real estate development - public space design - creative hubs Key Concepts sociology design theory economic forces Questions to Reflect On - How can vertical architecture foster inclusive communities? - What alternatives exist to the skyscraper frontier? A Different Perspective Skyscrapers may reinforce socioeconomic divides despite offering openness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Cities Sclerotic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities-sclerotic-1833664/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Frontiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frontiers/) [Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater/) [Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known/) [Laboratory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laboratory/) [Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machines/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Offers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offers/) [Old Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-cities-1833665/) [Open space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-space/) [Open spaces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-spaces/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Quantity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quantity/) [Sclerotic Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sclerotic-machines-1833667/) [Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky/) [Skyscraper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skyscraper/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Uncertain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncertain/) [Uncertain Skyscraper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncertain-skyscraper-1833666/) [West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west/) [Wide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wide/) [Wide open spaces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wide-open-spaces/) [Wild west](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wild-west/) ## Related quotes > [Manhattan has no choice but the skyward extrusion of the Grid itself; only the Skyscraper offers business the wide-open spaces of a man-made Wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/manhattan-has-no-choice-but-the-skyward-extrusion-of-the-grid-itself/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us - set us right with him, make us fit for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-the-apostle/by-entering-through-faith-into-what-god-has-always-wanted-to-do-for/) [Paul the Apostle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-the-apostle/) > [There's nothing that builds up a toil-weary soul Like a day on a stream, Back on the banks of the old fishing hole Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-guest/there-s-nothing-that-builds-up-a-toil-weary-soul-like-a-day-on-a/) [Edgar Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-guest/) > [I sing my heart out to the wide open spaces I sing my heart out to the infinite sea I sing my vision to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-townshend/i-sing-my-heart-out-to-the-wide-open-spaces-i-sing-my-heart-out-to/) [Pete Townshend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-townshend/) > [Stop inviting walls into wide open spaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/stop-inviting-walls-into-wide-open-spaces/) [Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/) > [A luxury meal was prairie sandwiches - two slices of bread with wide-open spaces between them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/a-luxury-meal-was-prairie-sandwiches-two-slices-of-bread-with-wide/) [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) > [The trouble with America is that there are far too many wide open spaces surrounded by teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-luckman/the-trouble-with-america-is-that-there-are-far-too-many-wide-open/) [Charles Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-luckman/) > [America is still a frontier country of wide open spaces. Our closeness to nature is one reason why our problem is not repression but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/america-is-still-a-frontier-country-of-wide-open-spaces-our-closeness/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [I'm a London lad, but I'm fascinated by America. I want to take a motorcycling trip across the country and see those wide open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-cox/i-m-a-london-lad-but-i-m-fascinated-by-america-i-want-to-take-a/) [Charlie Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-cox/) > [“Where are the coconut trees bowing allegiance to the wind, the wide open spaces, the verdant green fields?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renita-d-silva/where-are-the-coconut-trees-bowing-allegiance-to-the-wind-the-wide/) [Renita D'Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renita-d-silva/) > [We were the ones that from the beginning said that 'Wide Open Spaces' was a hit. 'This is a hit, people are going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martie-maguire/we-were-the-ones-that-from-the-beginning-said-that-wide-open-spaces/) [Martie Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martie-maguire/) > [“He had been haunted his whole life by a mild case of claustrophobia—the vestige of a childhood incident he had never quite overcome. Langdon’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/he-had-been-haunted-his-whole-life-by-a-mild-case-of-claustrophobia/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“You can see the old cities still everywhere. The bones and bricks go to dust, but the little pieces of plastic never do -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/you-can-see-the-old-cities-still-everywhere-the-bones-and-bricks-go/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [All of us '60s pop stars came from old cities which had a jazz club, a folk club, a coffee house, and an art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donovan/all-of-us-60s-pop-stars-came-from-old-cities-which-had-a-jazz-club-a/) [Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donovan/) > [Every sensitive person carries in himself old cities enclosed by ancient walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-walser/every-sensitive-person-carries-in-himself-old-cities-enclosed-by/) [Robert Walser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-walser/) ## More by Rem Koolhaas > [ That has been another interesting discovery: that basically a city \[Lagos\] could recover from a really deep, deep, deep pit. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/that-has-been-another-interesting-discovery-that-basically-a-city/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Manhattan has generated a shameless architecture that has been loved in direct proportion to its defiant lack of self-hatred, has been respected exactly to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/manhattan-has-generated-a-shameless-architecture-that-has-been-loved/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [In a script, you have to link various episodes together, you have to generate suspense and you have to assemble things - through editing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/in-a-script-you-have-to-link-various-episodes-together-you-have-to/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [ The beauty of my profession \[architecture\] lies in its randomness and surprise. And don't think I can choose my projects. I have to build… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/the-beauty-of-my-profession-architecture-lies-in-its-randomness-and/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Our office acts like a kind of educational establishment and we are very careful who we educate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/our-office-acts-like-a-kind-of-educational-establishment-and-we-are/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [We discovered a person in Lagos who had a fish stall, and within a single square metre she carried two children all the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/we-discovered-a-person-in-lagos-who-had-a-fish-stall-and-within-a/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [ Nigeria \[in 1990\] was all rumour, an unbelievable amount of rumour - largely about crime and almost mythical manifestations of evil. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/nigeria-in-1990-was-all-rumour-an-unbelievable-amount-of-rumour/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Let's put it this way: One can be happy or unhappy in a building. But some buildings make us more depressed than others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/let-s-put-it-this-way-one-can-be-happy-or-unhappy-in-a-building-but/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Nigeria was a blank on the map - there weren't even any maps. The US State Department, everyone said don't go there. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/nigeria-was-a-blank-on-the-map-there-weren-t-even-any-maps-the-us/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [The City is an addictive machine from which there is no escape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/the-city-is-an-addictive-machine-from-which-there-is-no-escape/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [The work in S, M, L, XL was almost suicidal. It required so much effort that our office almost went bankrupt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/the-work-in-s-m-l-xl-was-almost-suicidal-it-required-so-much-effort/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Manhattan has no choice but the skyward extrusion of the Grid itself; only the Skyscraper offers business the wide-open spaces of a man-made Wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/manhattan-has-no-choice-but-the-skyward-extrusion-of-the-grid-itself/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [The stronger the identity, the more it imprisons, the more it resists expansion, interpretation, renewal, contradiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/the-stronger-the-identity-the-more-it-imprisons-the-more-it-resists/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Why I talked about political correctness: the colonial is now such a major taboo that any achievement of the colonial period, or any generosity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/why-i-talked-about-political-correctness-the-colonial-is-now-such-a/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [The thing is that I have a really intense, almost compulsive need to record. But it doesn't end there, because what I record is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/the-thing-is-that-i-have-a-really-intense-almost-compulsive-need-to/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) [Explore all 101 Rem Koolhaas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most old cities are now sclerotic machines that dispense known qualities in ever-greater quantities, instead of laboratories of the uncertain. Only the skyscraper offers business the wide-open spaces of a man-made Wild West, a frontier in the sky.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rem Koolhaas" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/most-old-cities-are-now-sclerotic-machines-that-dispense-known/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/most-old-cities-are-now-sclerotic-machines-that-dispense-known/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7a/rem-koolhaas-5371_business_most-old-cities-are-now-sclerotic-machin_967232.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7a/rem-koolhaas-5371_business_most-old-cities-are-now-sclerotic-machin_967232.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7a/rem-koolhaas-5371_business_most-old-cities-are-now-sclerotic-machin_967232.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Most old cities are now sclerotic machines that dispense known qualities in ever-greater quantities, instead…” — Rem Koolhaas", "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": "Rem Koolhaas", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Most old cities are now sclerotic...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/most-old-cities-are-now-sclerotic-machines-that-dispense-known/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/most-old-cities-are-now-sclerotic-machines-that-dispense-known/#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 } } ] } ```