Public buildings and city life

The ones people use most aren't the grand ones on postcards. It's the ward health clinic, the post office, the cultural house where pensioners do morning exercise, and, in the big cities, the newer libraries with air conditioning, which fill up with students every exam season. Museums and theatres are admired, but most residents visit them about as often as tourists do. On funding, I'd argue libraries and community centres deserve more money than they currently get, although not at any price. Hospitals and schools obviously come first, and I'd be uneasy about a province building a showpiece museum while its clinics are short of beds. That said, a modest library is surprisingly cheap compared with a flyover, and it's one of the few indoor places where you can spend a whole afternoon without being expected to buy anything. For a teenager in a crowded flat, that matters a great deal. As for the future, I think public buildings will become less single-purpose. A library that only lends books will struggle, but one that also offers study rooms, free wifi, children's workshops and a decent café will stay busy. I'd also expect them to be greener, with solar panels and natural ventilation, simply because running costs are rising. The risk is that everything turns into a glossy co-working space and the quiet corners disappear, which would be a real loss.