The uniqueness was an artifact of the lack of advanced manufacturing and standardization was far lesser period even with things like munition armaments. It is kind of like complaining soldiers soldiers aren't as good at tetsudo formations, aren't as good at swinging swords and spears, and they don't buy every bit of gear they use in spite of being citizens.
Technically we did so much better than the Romans for goods availability across broad distances - aluminum used to be more expensive than gold and platinum (once it was judged as anything but worthless). The Washington Monument being aluminum tipped was showing off US production capabilities.
Now it is used for disposable drink cans which to denormalize things a bit to how /weird/ that would be - it would be like alchemy made gold so cheap that if you dumped a sacks of coins in a beggar's container they would be upset about you pouring garbage on them".
Materially about the only thing we lack in comparison are slaves and in most places legalized prostitution.
The lack of a social space is a valid complaint as my previous paragraphs highlighted the society in which they served changed vastly. Launching your own forum as a mayor wouldn't work as it did before as the nature of transit, employment, and communication changed around it.
Malls did serve as a pedestrian stagnant oasis in a desert of unwalkable road networks. They may not be that great but they were better than many alternatives.
>The uniqueness was an artifact of the lack of advanced manufacturing and standardization was far lesser period even with things like munition armaments.
We still had uniqueness in city stores and shopping arcades far after the age of "advanced manufacturing and standardization", e.g. well into the 70s.
In towns like Manhattan they in fact took pride in their variety of shops, restaurants, etc. and culturally resisted malls and chains and same in several places in Europe. So it's not like "advanced manufacturing and standardization" automatically translates to malls, and bland cookie cutter one's at that.
Besides, my point wasn't that the ancient agora/forum was different from malls because of some virtuous choice - just that it was different, period. If that was out of necessity, that's fine too.
Technically we did so much better than the Romans for goods availability across broad distances - aluminum used to be more expensive than gold and platinum (once it was judged as anything but worthless). The Washington Monument being aluminum tipped was showing off US production capabilities.
Now it is used for disposable drink cans which to denormalize things a bit to how /weird/ that would be - it would be like alchemy made gold so cheap that if you dumped a sacks of coins in a beggar's container they would be upset about you pouring garbage on them".
Materially about the only thing we lack in comparison are slaves and in most places legalized prostitution.
The lack of a social space is a valid complaint as my previous paragraphs highlighted the society in which they served changed vastly. Launching your own forum as a mayor wouldn't work as it did before as the nature of transit, employment, and communication changed around it.
Malls did serve as a pedestrian stagnant oasis in a desert of unwalkable road networks. They may not be that great but they were better than many alternatives.