Every time I have an argument , I can think of the perfect comebacks, but only after I leave the scene. Sometimes I try to avoid such a situation by planning my words out before – I scribble main points on scraps of paper, and catalog supporting elements like a to-do list. But the situation never seems to pan out the way I think it will. Designs and proposals look great on paper; unfortunately, they aren't always realized .

Architecture stands as a foundation for a city's cultural identity. The manner in which buildings serve the people – and how the people live in and around them – helps determine a city's character. For example, the alleys of Chicago help keep the garbage off of the main streets, giving the appearance of a cleaner city, and the grid system is supposed to make the area easier to navigate.

The Art Institute's current exhibition, Unbuilt Chicago , features a series of drawings and plans for architecture that never left the drawing boards. Many of the buildings would have been towering skyscrapers, but several would have served as residential communities or civic centers. The exhibit runs through January 16, 2005 , so there's plenty of time to peruse the drawings and imagine the Chicago that never was.

The drawing of the Tower of Water and Light, proposed for the Century of Progress Exposition of 1930, embodies enough grandeur and mystery to make me wish it had been built – even though I know that clouds don't usually radiate from glowing buildings – and that the building would have probably been sandwiched somewhere obscure. It still seems a shame that this project, along with many others of the decade, could not have found suitable funding because of the Depression.

The museum's exhibit also has several renditions of the Chicago Tribune tower, one of Chicago 's landmark structures. Originally, a contest had been run to bring in potential designs for the building, and another contest was held in the 1980s to see what current architects would have proposed for the same site. The dimly-lit halls of the exhibit become like a fitting room for the city: Maybe the shorter one looks better, or try this one on for color, or is this style flattering? Unlike clothes, however, the city's actual architecture is hardly changeable in five minutes and the toll on the pocketbook is slightly more than the latest trendy summer jacket.

In hindsight, the city would, of course, be perfectly designed . No buildings would block the sun from others, no housing developments would be unsafe for children, no memorial would be frivolous. This exhibit lets us remember that if it weren't for time, fire, money, space, and war, Chicago could have built any building it wanted.

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