Obviously, regulations play a large part in hampering the modern entrepreneur or visionary. They also hamper car manufacturers, builders and the rest.

As for glittering cities, I don't think that's a fair assessment. Sure you had the socialists like Le Corbusier designing glorified bunkers for the masses and other architects like Neutra and the entire "Bauhaus" crowd that went in for an aesthetic sobriety that worshipped at the altar of the machine -folks who would be in ecstasy if they could live in a "Metropolis" world.

However, there are other visions that don't see humans as hamsters spinning the wheels, but rather glorify the human.

Here's Frank Lloyd Wright's Broadacre city:

It was designed to merge agricultural middle America with industrial America and create a blend of the two so that there was no stigma associated with either. The highest quality of structures living right (Wright?) alongside farmland. Love his combination helicopter/vehicle design too! Considering the image dates to the mid-thirties, he was probably the first to promote the home rooftop helipads - an idea that captured a war-stressed nation during the early forties as a reward for winning the war.

The car transformed the landscape to accomodate it. Right now we have cities that worship at the altar of the car. On the plus side, the car is an expression of personal liberty, but the downside is that the city as a whole becomes car dependent. I think I would like to see some of Europe's mass transportation systems employed here so that pedestrians are not second class citizens, as they are now in America.

The car based landscape also discriminates against an aging boomer crowd who someday will find their vision and their reactions not good enough to drive anymore. They will doom themselves to sitting at home or depending on their kids to drive them if some more mass transport doesn't appear soon.

It's PR and money. With one or the other it is possible to acquire both and help plant ideas and options in the minds of those who might never be aware of the opportunities or alternatives to the status quo.

Someday the left and the right will see the 'little guy' as their salvation. Until then the pandering towards the big money will make things tougher for the 'new-idea' men and women.