Building Beautifully Doesn't Cost More Money*

*And when it does, returns more than make up for the added costs

For some years, I’ve been making an argument that goes something like this: building a more beautiful world doesn’t necessarily cost more money. To many, this sounds either willfully ignorant or hopelessly naive—or both. But I assure you, dear reader, I am neither uninformed nor quixotic.

In broad strokes, what we perceive as beautiful is often just a ma…