Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Cities of Magnificent Objects

okay, impressively big objects
  (+11)(+11)
(+11)
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1/4 of the area of cities are given over to the placement of surplused engineering, scattered about the urban landscape, which intrinsic value as scrap is far outweighed by sheer presence.

Old bridges, locomotives, rail-cars, oil storage tanks, ships, airliners, military jetsam (all types), statues and sculptures nobody wants, tug boats, rocket engines, et cetera.

The purpose isn't to create a distributed junkyard, nor museum, and it's merely a trickle diverted from recycling. There's no political or social agenda to placement: a railway car could be on the plot between 2 houses on a residential street, an airliner next to the high school on a main street; placement is chosen based on size, shape and generic feng shui with surrounding developments.

No commemorative plaques (though it's an easy lookup on the cities' websites, or calling Information); the objects are returned to factory finish, or to burnished, clearcoated metal and varnished wood.

The plots of land are well tended, and the objects are kept in show, if not working, condition. Larger objects may be rented (for a nominal fee) as sites for community-based activites.

FlyingToaster, Nov 11 2015

mitxela not shitting you https://en.wikipedi...ndela_Way_T-34_Tank
[calum, Nov 11 2015]

(?) St Louis tower http://www.paperbac...louis/stlouis29.jpg
This used to be a bustling part of the city. I am glad they did not take the tower down when the buildings went. [bungston, Nov 11 2015]

[link]






       I think this makes for an amazing visual concepetion. +
blissmiss, Nov 11 2015
  

       Although some of this is already baked, a nice idea +.
xandram, Nov 11 2015
  

       whois.net says "concepetion.com" and "concepetition.com" are still available...
hippo, Nov 11 2015
  

       There's a Russian tank between two houses near Elephant & Castle. Supposedly its gun is pointing at the council planning department.
mitxela, Nov 11 2015
  

       Can I get something like this to explain the cars in my front yard to the city? The cars are defacto in show condition because their condition is that they are showing.
bungston, Nov 11 2015
  

       This idea would be great for a movie to give character to an elsewhen city. Every now and then one sees a movie featuring a city wall that is clearly a giant vertebral column; good stuff.
bungston, Nov 11 2015
  

       Yikes. Must have been late last night.
blissmiss, Nov 11 2015
  

       Finally a use for Detroit's Zug Island...
RayfordSteele, Nov 11 2015
  

       There is a larger but also mysterious Corinthian column in a bad area of St Louis. I will try to link a picture.
bungston, Nov 11 2015
  

       The problem with that one, [bung], is that somebody appears to have nicked the bloke off the top of it.
MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 11 2015
  

       There's no intent to have the populace live in a piece's shadow (though, without some forethought, the aircraft carrier could prove problematic), so a plinthed statue would probably be countersunk. Plaques would be removed. (It's easy enough to look up a piece's history, of course, if you want to)
FlyingToaster, Nov 12 2015
  
      
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