landscape opposition
The opposition of physical nature is extremely significant. As cities grow into more rural areas, not all land is in the ideal shape to be built upon. With rolling hills and large trees, large rock formations and marshes, sometimes building is more of a task than it initially appears.
There are several solutions for this predicament in construction. A good option is to just leave the land be. Eliminate urban sprawl and build either upwards or downwards, but not outwards. Another option would be to cut into the hillsides, the bluffs, the mountains and build on and into the earth's surface. A third option would involve completely bulldozing the hills, the trees, anything that stands in the way, and building on the now conveniently flattened ground.
Ideally, I would like to see nature left alone. Make use of already developed areas. Rebuild existing smaller structures into taller buildings with more room for businesses, apartments, etc... Centralize urban communities to eliminate the need for long range transportation and for the need to sprawl out into now 'undisturbed' land. In the long-term, this solution could not only avoid the conflict with physical nature, but could help eliminate other problems such as congestion and pollution. It would also save money wasted on tearing up ground while increasing the amount of land covered by concrete and reducing the amount of green natural space.