Restoration of old buildings in main cities involves enormous government expenditure. It would be more beneficial to spend this money to build new houses and roads. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

One of the main controversial topics in today’s world is related to the refurbishment and reconditioning of old buildings in major urban areas. Some people argue that the
money
should be used for different purposes
such
as building new houses and roads. I partially agree with
this
opinion and will sustain my view with examples.
Firstly
, numerous large cities are confronted with a major housing problem because of increasing population density and lack of residential land. Because of that, it would be irrational to spend public
money
on restoring old buildings, when numerous young people are in desperate need of buying a property.
For example
, if an old building in a certain
city
is deemed unfit for purpose,
then
it should be demolished and replaced with a high rise building that could accommodate hundreds of people. In
this
way, the government will ensure that taxpayer’s
money
is used in the right direction,
instead
of wasting it on ancient buildings.
Secondly
, old buildings are usually huge and have an exorbitant maintenance cost that involves electricity, heating, redecoration and staff’s salaries.
Moreover
, most of the time, they will bring no revenue,
thus
making them too expensive to restore and keep them in the cities.
Furthermore
, the general architecture of cities has changed throughout the years and the old buildings prevent
city
planners from developing the
city
even
further
.
Consequently
,
this
makes it clear that the governments should use the budget for building new housing and road infrastructure,
instead
of pouring
money
into a bottomless pit.
Nevertheless
, old buildings with substantial historic or architectural value can be a source of revenue rather than a great expense.
Moreover
, these structures can give a
city
character and tell the story of a
city
’s history and how it has changed over time. Cities, like Paris,
for instance
, are massively popular tourist destinations only because people can admire magnificent buildings from centuries ago.
Therefore
, perhaps only
such
buildings should be preserved and generally speaking not all buildings that were built in the past are equally important. In conclusion, there are some interesting buildings that are worth being preserved for the reasons mentioned above.
However
, in my opinion, many old buildings are not fit for purpose anymore and are a substantial drain on public funds, which could be used for better purposes
such
as building housing and roads.
Submitted by andrusca.anamaria on

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  • take, for example

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