Europe is building its future – but only underground. New railways disappear into tunnels, wind turbines are kept at a distance, and power lines are buried. What was once a visible symbol of progress is now treated as a nuisance. Technology may only function if it remains unseen. Infrastructure is expected to vanish – ideally into the landscape, or failing that, into political silence. What remains is the illusion that prosperity is natural, effortless, and free of disruption.
Progress in avoidance mode
This aesthetics of invisibility is no accident, but a symptom of political and societal weakness. Instead of engaging the public in open debate, projects are hidden behind layers of concrete, soil, and compensation schemes. Conflicts are avoided, not addressed. The tunnel replaces the argument; the structure replaces political will. What is sold as consideration is, in fact, the systematic outsourcing of all discomfort. Politics that only act where no one objects has already surrendered its mandate.
Technology without a face
Infrastructure is never neutral. It represents visible order, shared priorities, and cultural commitment. A railway stands for connection, a power pole for reach, a wind turbine for responsibility. Burying or softening all of this doesn’t just erase physical space – it erases awareness. Public space degenerates into scenery, where nothing must interfere – not even what sustains it.
The discomfort called future
It’s time for Europe to refocus on what matters. Infrastructure should be visible, because it affects us all. Politics must convince people – not avoid them. And citizens must understand that prosperity is not a given. Those who reject infrastructure are cutting off the branch they sit on. Acceptance is not a sacrifice. It is an act of shared responsibility.
