Are San Francisco “reactionaries” holding back progress in architecture by refusing to break the molds of existing looks? In a new book of essays on urban design, the chapter on the “city by the bay” criticizes planners and “NIMBY activists” of sticking to the past, reducing interesting new concepts to merely conform with the existing landscape when they could make futuristic statements. Columnist Carol Lloyd takes the example of the Victorians, the classic symbol of San Francisco housing. Despite their historical glamour, originally “they were tract homes, built with factory-made parts, row after row raised in tribute to mass conformity.” Ultimately, a city can settle stubbornly into its old roots or embrace a mix of new visions to balance the preservation.