在当代中国城市的高歌猛进中，我们至少能发现我们的城市正在从三个方向消灭街道眼的存在：
一是“国际城市”、“中心城市”的远大目标。这种目标往往与城区拓展同步，着迷于城市的空间效果和城市外观，追求大而新、洋而超前的样板气质，打着为了“我们城市的未来”的旗号，忽略了对城市“人”的生活的真正重视。城市中心丧失多样性和居住意义，大路朝天车轮滚滚，街道交流以及街道安全感再无觅处。
译文：In China’s efforts to build more modern cities, the traditional living quarters are disappearing because of the following 3 reasons:
First, that is because of the long-term aim in building the so-called “international cities”, or “central cities”. Usually accompanied by the expansion of the city proper, that aim, with the banner of “striving for the future of our city”, puts more emphasis on the space effect and the outlook of the city, thus overlooking the real need of the city dwellers. With the loss of diversity and any single living place, the city center has become a place simple for transportation, no longer providing us the communication and security we used to enjoy there.
二是住宅郊区化。虽然居住水平从技术指标上提高了，但出行高度依赖汽车，郊区居民被圈禁在小社区之内，丧失了城市里丰富多彩的生活选择的自由，丧失了在熙熙攘攘的人流中漫步、发呆、看人、被看的自由，丧失了与其他社区的居民随机地邂逅交流的机会。这时，动辄几万平方米的社区会所，只起着丰富业余生活的意义，并非有效的公共生活空间。
Secondly, that is because of the concentration of living quarters in the suburbs. Technically, higher living standards are available there, but private cars become something of great necessity for the movement over long distance. As a result, the dwellers there, restrained in their limited societies, can no longer enjoy the free choice of the diversified life in the city center; find it impossible to stroll, remain motionless, examine the other people, or be examined in the crowed city center; and lost the opportunity to communicate with some other residents they came across. So the community in the suburbs, though as wide as tens of thousands of square meters, acts as nothing but a subsidiary area instead of an effective space for the public life.
三是旧城更新工程。城区的一切都被最大效益化，商业思维示范和操纵着一切，老街区老房子如果没有文物价值，则必死无葬身之地。在“规划”的名义下，近代街区里的居民响应城市的号召搬迁住进新楼房，在被经济承受能力过滤成身份地位彼此相近阶层的城市一隅，丧失了相遇与碰撞出火花的更多可能。《概念城市之街道眼》
Thirdly, that is because of the reconstruction of the old city proper. Judged by the commercial consideration, the single standard, everything in the city proper was squeezed for its maximum commercial value. Old streets or ancient buildings, once judged lack of historic value, can count their days of being demolished. Believing in the “great significance of a reasonable layout of the city proper”, the residents used to live in the city center respond to move out to the new buildings in the suburbs. Screened and divided by their economical status, they end up with living with those similar to them economically, thus losing the possibility of coming across the differences necessary for the birth of new and better ideas.
