What is the relative dimensions of a city?

[cooliegirly]

When someone talks about how the buidings in a city center destroy the scale or relative dimensions of the city, what would they possibly mean by "relative dimensions"?

[Yankee]

Hi Cooligirly

To me it sounds like they were talking about the monster skyscrapers that tend to be built in the centers of cities and how the scale or size of these buildings often negatively affects what's already been built there. The negative affects could be both aesthetic as well as functional. It might just be the size of the various buildings in relation to each other that are the "relative dimensions".

Just a guess...
Amy
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Alan]

Hi,

Most cities and towns have regulations concerning what is built in a town or city and anyone wanting to put up such a building is usually required to get planning permission. The reason for this is to try to ensure that the city or town retains its original proportions. The relative dimensions means the sizes of buildings in relation to one another and their proportions one to another. The last thing you want is a tall office block sticking up and having no relationship to the other buildings around it because it destroys the skyline.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Phrasal Verbs/bring

[cooliegirly]

Ah!!!I see!!! Thank you.