Architecture critic worries that ubiquitious surveillance isn't aesthetically pleasing

The DHS wants to cover America's cities with UK-style ubiquitous surveillance daleks. These are ominous curbside refrigerators bristling with surveillance gear, to be installed at every major intersection. And the only thing the Philadelphia Inquirer's architecture critic has to say about them is that they won't fit in with the quaint old buildings in central Philly.

Some signal boxes slam hard up against the walls of 18th-century houses. Others block the gracious windows of antiques stores and restaurants. A box shadows the side of St. Peter's Church, one of the city's most significant colonial buildings. And even when the big boxes find spots at curbside, their presence is impossible to ignore.

In our zeal to protect America from attack, it seems we've implemented a policy that scars one of America's most intact colonial neighborhoods.

Changing Skyline: Big boxes making us safer, and uglier

(Thanks, Michael!)