Our perception of urban places as welcoming, deterring, intriguing or alluring is often influenced by a framing sky.

Here, a false urban setting in a Las Vegas mall contrasts with the former cave dwellings of Matera in Italy’s Basilicata region and a sepia-toned St. Kilda beach in Melbourne, Australia.

Does the bright blue and false Las Vegas sky confirm the ideal urban street? Do the Italian and Australian clouds serve another purpose in alternatively diverse settings?