The human desire to conform to what “others” do and think can sometimes become overwhelming. At the Dutch “Vinex” locations, it becomes choking. Every attempt at originality is quickly suppressed by rows and blocks of the same single house, repeated over and over again, without a single trace of individuality added.

What makes these locations even more depressingly dull is the deadness. During the day, most houses are deserted as both husband and wife are at work, and their children are at the day-care centre. When they come home at night, people hurry from their cars to their living rooms. There are no parks, no trees, and the tiny gardens (if the houses even have one) are quickly paved over to make sure no green will ever sprout there.

Even brilliant architectural ideas cannot survive this drearyness, and soon dwindle to become another drab line of houses…