Autocrats Really Do Build More Skyscrapers
Harsh autocracies are more likely to build skyscrapers, whether or not they make economic sense.
Ryugyong Hotel tower.
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The Ryugyong Hotel towers over the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, a 105-story concrete pyramid that’s been dubbed, alternatively, the Hotel of Doom and the “worst building in the history of the world.” Construction began in 1987, halted five years later, and then resumed in 2008. The exterior was eventually completed, but according to reports, the hotel has yet to open.
It’s the kind of building that only a dictator could love.