Essay 18: Repairing old buildings vs building new ones
A lot of money is spent on repairing old buildings. Instead of repairing old buildings that money should be spent on knocking down old buildings and building new ones. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
A lot of importance is given to monuments and old buildings across the globe and astronomical amounts are spent on their maintenance. Many consider this to be a waste of money and believe that the same money could be used to demolish them and construct new ones. However, I am in staunch disagreement with this view as these structures not only promote the economy but also give insight into the past.
To begin with, every year millions of local and international tourists are attracted by historical constructions which in turn boosts the local economy. The money spent by tourists on travel, food, accommodation, and shopping helps strengthen the economy of the area where such establishments are located. For instance, the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, attracts millions of tourists to India each year contributing considerably to the country’s economy and tourism. Moreover, the amount required for maintenance of old buildings is usually generated through entry ticket fees. Therefore, they are not such a burden on the government’s treasure, and hence should not be demolished.
Furthermore, the ancient buildings reflect the cultural heritage of a nation. It gives an opportunity for the inhabitants to reflect on how their ancestors used to live and build their homes, markets, and other buildings. These buildings can connect people of the present era with those of the past whenever they visit such constructions. For instance, the Egyptian pyramids are engineering excellence of the past, which are still complimented and studied by architects for how they were constructed so perfectly without any modern machines or equipment. In short, they provide us an opportunity to connect back to their ancestors and also learn from them.
To conclude, I ardently disagree with this view that old buildings should be bowed down, and space and money created for new buildings. That is because the ancient constructions not only can boost the economy by attracting tourism but can also provide us the opportunity to learn from history.
