in a way you're kind of agreeing with the author, the reason those mediterranean villages feel the same is because they make sense to the climate and lifestyle of the people there. It wouldn't make sense to have that kind of architecture in say Canada, but somehow globally we're converging on styles that might not be the most appropiate for the place (without going into the hot debate of the identity of the place). For example, why do we have glass skyscrappers in hot countries instead of architecture and materials that by design helps regulate temperature?
I also don't buy the argument that considering the identity of a place is being snob. Of course it's ok to want to build affordable housing but that doesn't mean you can't spend some time to plan the city we want to live in. If it was just about building cheap many countries have tried building faceless blocks and ended up with bigger problems than just rent. If anything, I find assuming that other places should just build like Austin because it worked there problematic.
There is a paragraph with four economic reasons why buildings are converging on the same set of styles. It is reasonable to infer that divergence would make properties more expensive, and the article doesn't even attempt to suggest that that might not be so.
Just following the paragraph on the economic reasons for convergence, there's another paragraph with a quote dripping with contempt for the aesthetics on which the style has converged. The combined message is "It's too bad we can't afford to have better taste." That sentiment is snobbishness in a nutshell.
I also don't buy the argument that considering the identity of a place is being snob. Of course it's ok to want to build affordable housing but that doesn't mean you can't spend some time to plan the city we want to live in. If it was just about building cheap many countries have tried building faceless blocks and ended up with bigger problems than just rent. If anything, I find assuming that other places should just build like Austin because it worked there problematic.