In thinking about the trends of personalization and customization, I’ve been wondering if these (marketing and strategic) categorizations accurately reflect the way we live and if these categories are still useful in allowing reinterpretation and new application. These days, you’ll find computer makers thinking about allowing customization en masse through specialized product configurations, or shoe makers installing booths in their retail stores for consumers to style a new pair of sneakers. To be sure, teenagers and adults across the world seem to enjoy participating in this process. Personalization and customization …

McDonald’s is an interesting place. The one on Rue de Passy, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris where old money lives, fascinates me. During winter, the seating area in the basement of this McDo—as the French call it—turns into a social space that usually does not exist in this wealthy neighborhood. Young children drag their grandparents who are dressed in thick fur coats into the fast-food chain; youthful backpackers tap into the free WiFi to check their emails and itineraries; and in the corner, a small group of homeless people …

Sharing shoulders: the latest Trump International Tower & Hotel and the stately Wrigley Building

A few days ago, I learned a new fact about the skyscrapers along the Chicago River downtown. Many of the architectural landmarks have been designed to relate to the river and their neighboring buildings. Roof lines of older and shorted buildings are picked up by the mid-section of their tall neighbors; curved green glass panels wrap softly around a convex facade that follows the river bends. To the uninitiated, this silent conversation lends an air of …