>Public buildings and infrastructure, on the other hand, have other considerations in play. Durability, civic pride, long term safety ...
Who's paying? I can't express within the confines of the rules here how livid this sort of "we should spend taxpayer money on looking good to fluff our own egos" thinking is. The public is best served a vinyl tiled "Walmart subway" where the lightbulbs work and the trains run. Not a billion dollar marble monstrosity. Any bureaucrat opting to condone the latter is shirking their duty to use the resources at their disposal to deliver maximum results to the taxpayers.
Who's paying? I can't express within the confines of the rules here how livid this sort of "we should spend taxpayer money on looking good to fluff our own egos" thinking is. The public is best served a vinyl tiled "Walmart subway" where the lightbulbs work and the trains run. Not a billion dollar marble monstrosity. Any bureaucrat opting to condone the latter is shirking their duty to use the resources at their disposal to deliver maximum results to the taxpayers.