səˈpərlədiv - of, relating to, or constituting the degree of grammatical comparison that denotes an extreme or unsurpassed level or extent.

The citiest of cities. The storiest of stories. The peoplest of peoples. Okay, none of those make sense, but you get the gist.

Charles Dickens’ celebrated novel’s, “A Tale of Two Cities,” opening sentence begins, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…,” and finishes, “…in the superlative degree of comparison only.” The tale of those two cities, Paris and London, is told through a rich cast of characters symbolic of revolution, sacrifice, renewal, injustice, and redemption. Dickens argues that the human story is far richer than the superlative degrees adopted by its “noisiest authorities.”

A contemporary caution against painting in such dull tones as black and white, Dickens also uses superlative degrees as a canvas to contrast the vivid color of the true human story that lies amidst the extremes. In this discovery, I was drawn to the phrase. And the way in which Dickens paints history and culture through the brush of human stories is truly superlative.

People deserve to live their richest lives. And cities are bursting with opportunities to do so. As a built environment professional, it’s my passion to partner with development teams and property managers to deliver opportunities for people to live vivid stories in a Superlative.City.