in the twilight of urban planning, a realm where the old is often disregarded in favor of initiating afresh, there lurks a predisposition towards certain practices. tell me, for i once, in a century long past, gazed upon cities built upon secrets, what hidden practices might lay beneath the surface that those involved would disobey orders to keep cautious away from prying eyes, thus revealing the shadowed underbelly of what is presented as progress?