---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Architecture is a slow business, and city…"
description: "\"Architecture is a slow business, and city planning even slower.\" — Richard Rogers"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/861/richard-rogers-9562_architecture_architecture-is-a-slow-business-and-city_1940085.png"
---

#  Architecture is a slow business, and city planning even…

![“Architecture is a slow business, and city planning even slower.” quote by Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/861/richard-rogers-9562_architecture_architecture-is-a-slow-business-and-city_1940085.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/861/richard-rogers-9562_architecture_architecture-is-a-slow-business-and-city_1940085.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/861/richard-rogers-9562_architecture_architecture-is-a-slow-business-and-city_1940085.png)

> “Architecture is a slow business, and city planning even slower.”

[Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Architectural projects take decades; urban planning takes even longer due to bureaucracy and scale.

**In simple terms:** Building and planning are slow processes.

Key Takeaway

Patience and long‑term vision are essential.

Themes

patience urbanism bureaucracy vision long‑term planning

Mood

reflective analytical pragmatic

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- large‑scale construction
- city redevelopment
- infrastructure upgrades
- public policy formation

Key Concepts

systems thinking policy scale stakeholder management

Questions to Reflect On

- How can designers balance speed with quality?
- What mechanisms slow down city planning?

A Different Perspective

Speed cannot replace thoroughness; rushed decisions risk future problems.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Architecture Slow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture-slow-2912430/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city/) [City planning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city-planning/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Planning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planning/) [Planning Slower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planning-slower-3086654/) [Slow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slow/) [Slow Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slow-business-541171/)

## Related quotes

> [Architecture is too slow in its realisation to be a 'problem solver'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric-price/architecture-is-too-slow-in-its-realisation-to-be-a-problem-solver/)

[Cedric Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedric-price/)

> [“Architecture is a fuzzy amalgamation of ancient knowledge and contemporary practice, an awkward way to look at the world and an inadequate medium to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/architecture-is-a-fuzzy-amalgamation-of-ancient-knowledge-and/)

[Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/)

> [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [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/)

> [Automobiles are often conveniently tagged as the villains responsible for the ills of cities and the disappointments and futilities of city planning. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/automobiles-are-often-conveniently-tagged-as-the-villains-responsible/)

[Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/)

> [City planning finds its validation in the intuitive recognition that a burgeoning market society can not be trusted to produce spontaneously a habitable, sanitary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/city-planning-finds-its-validation-in-the-intuitive-recognition-that/)

[Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/)

> [This is a slow business to have success in. There are exceptions, but for the most part it's kind of like the last writer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/this-is-a-slow-business-to-have-success-in-there-are-exceptions-but/)

[Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/)

> [Hope is a slow business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/hope-is-a-slow-business/)

[Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/)

> [“slow it is a slow business to grow a few words to say love”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anselm-hollo/slow-it-is-a-slow-business-to-grow-a-few-words-to-say-love/)

[Anselm Hollo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anselm-hollo/)

> [Slow business is an interesting area because it's taking into consideration the reality that we have to make a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/severn-cullis-suzuki/slow-business-is-an-interesting-area-because-it-s-taking-into/)

[Severn Cullis-Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/severn-cullis-suzuki/)

> [“Under the seeming disorder of the old city, wherever the old city is working successfully, is a marvelous order for maintaining the safety of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/under-the-seeming-disorder-of-the-old-city-wherever-the-old-city-is/)

[Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/)

> [The materials of city planning are: sky, space, trees, steel and cement; in that order and that hierarchy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-corbusier/the-materials-of-city-planning-are-sky-space-trees-steel-and-cement/)

[Le Corbusier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-corbusier/)

> [The work that launched Snohetta into the architectural big leagues was their Oslo Opera House, which will certainly rank among the firm's highlights whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/the-work-that-launched-snohetta-into-the-architectural-big-leagues/)

[Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/)

> [“A democracy is understandably boisterous and subject to the prevailing social and economic whims of the nation’s bulging populous. Politics based upon mass appeal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/a-democracy-is-understandably-boisterous-and-subject-to-the/)

[Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/)

> [Neighborhood is a word that has come to sound like a Valentine. As a sentimental concept, 'neighborhood' is harmful to city planning. It leads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/neighborhood-is-a-word-that-has-come-to-sound-like-a-valentine-as-a/)

[Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/)

## More by Richard Rogers

> [There is a Jewish tradition of family, too, but then not all Italian or Jewish families are close.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/there-is-a-jewish-tradition-of-family-too-but-then-not-all-italian-or/)

[Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/)

> [Most buildings, whether they're Gothic cathedrals or Romanesque ones, were high tech for their time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/most-buildings-whether-they-re-gothic-cathedrals-or-romanesque-ones/)

[Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/)

> [I cycle, which is a healthy thing for an 80-year-old to do. I rarely go further than five miles, but in those five miles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/i-cycle-which-is-a-healthy-thing-for-an-80-year-old-to-do-i-rarely-go/)

[Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/)

> [Form follows profit is the aesthetic principle of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/form-follows-profit-is-the-aesthetic-principle-of-our-times/)

[Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/)

> [My mother was very family-oriented. And I do love being with my children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/my-mother-was-very-family-oriented-and-i-do-love-being-with-my/)

[Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/)

> [Family is everything, although I've been fortunate enough to have worked with some of the most amazing minds over the years, including Renzo Piano,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/family-is-everything-although-i-ve-been-fortunate-enough-to-have/)

[Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/)

> [Watching TV on your own is not very inspiring. But meeting people is where you get new ideas and get things done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/watching-tv-on-your-own-is-not-very-inspiring-but-meeting-people-is/)

[Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/)

> [Education in British schools isn't good enough. It's not remotely imaginative enough. It lets down too many children, excluding them from society, and, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/education-in-british-schools-isn-t-good-enough-it-s-not-remotely/)

[Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/)

> [I love cities, I spend most of my life talking about cities. And the design of cities does have an effect on your life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/i-love-cities-i-spend-most-of-my-life-talking-about-cities-and-the/)

[Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/)

> [There has to be policies about that, about what materials we use and so on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/there-has-to-be-policies-about-that-about-what-materials-we-use-and/)

[Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/)

> [Suburban sprawl leads to social atomisation and fragmentation and is environmentally disastrous, as carbon-intensive car journeys displace local shops and replace public transport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/suburban-sprawl-leads-to-social-atomisation-and-fragmentation-and-is/)

[Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/)

> [Today is much more an age of greed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/today-is-much-more-an-age-of-greed/)

[Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/)

> [The gap between the rich and poor is widening fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/the-gap-between-the-rich-and-poor-is-widening-fast/)

[Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/)

> [Cities are about juxtaposition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/cities-are-about-juxtaposition/)

[Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/)

> [You know, the environment is fragmenting, and the environment is, in many places, absolutely hideous!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/you-know-the-environment-is-fragmenting-and-the-environment-is-in/)

[Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/)

[Explore all 70 Richard Rogers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/)

## More Architecture quotes

> [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/)

[Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/)

> [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [The Parthenon is really only a farmyard over which someone put a roof; colonades and sculptures were added because there were people in Athens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/the-parthenon-is-really-only-a-farmyard-over-which-someone-put-a-roof/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/)

[Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/)

> [I just think structure can make a book feel so much bigger. It's the architecture. You could use flimsy materials if you wanted to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-just-think-structure-can-make-a-book-feel-so-much-bigger-it-s-the/)

[Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/)

> [When I am asked what I believe in, I say that I believe in architecture. Architecture is the mother of the arts. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-meier/when-i-am-asked-what-i-believe-in-i-say-that-i-believe-in/)

[Richard Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-meier/)

> [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/)

[Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/)

> [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [London, from the architecture to the culture to the fashion to the accents, feels like it's a special place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-eazy/london-from-the-architecture-to-the-culture-to-the-fashion-to-the/)

[G-Eazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-eazy/)

> [A wiki works best where you're trying to answer a question that you can't easily pose, where there's not a natural structure that's known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-cunningham/a-wiki-works-best-where-you-re-trying-to-answer-a-question-that-you/)

[Ward Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-cunningham/)

> [Architecture is not a profession for the faint-hearted, the weak-willed, or the short-lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/architecture-is-not-a-profession-for-the-faint-hearted-the-weak/)

[Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/)

> [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/winning-a-competition-in-architecture-is-a-ticket-to-oblivion-it-s/)

[Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/)

> [It's not so much about form versus functionality. Rather, it's about doing both and doing them a lot and doing them well-and that's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/it-s-not-so-much-about-form-versus-functionality-rather-it-s-about/)

[Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/)

> [Engineering, medicine, business, architecture and painting are concerned not with the necessary but with the contingent - not with how things are but with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-simon/engineering-medicine-business-architecture-and-painting-are-concerned/)

[Herbert Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-simon/)

[Browse all 3,013 Architecture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Architecture is a slow business, and city planning even slower.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard Rogers"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/architecture-is-a-slow-business-and-city-planning-even-slower/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Architecture"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/architecture-is-a-slow-business-and-city-planning-even-slower/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/861/richard-rogers-9562_architecture_architecture-is-a-slow-business-and-city_1940085.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/861/richard-rogers-9562_architecture_architecture-is-a-slow-business-and-city_1940085.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/861/richard-rogers-9562_architecture_architecture-is-a-slow-business-and-city_1940085.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Architecture is a slow business, and city planning even slower.” — Richard Rogers",
                "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": "Richard Rogers",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Architecture is a slow business, and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/architecture-is-a-slow-business-and-city-planning-even-slower/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/architecture-is-a-slow-business-and-city-planning-even-slower/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
