The city will be the living space and creative centre of tomorrow’s society. The question in the future will not be whether we want to live in cities, but how we want to live there, what quality of life, what social, what ecological environment are we seeking. A rethink is now a necessity, and the amelioration of individual symptoms will not be enough. Prospective strategies for urban development are calling for the return of landscape. Two extreme examples, Venice and Las Vegas, will be illustrated from an unfamiliar point of view.