The buildings are the purest white marble with crystal, gold and silver veins. The streets are paved with gold (slippery and dazzling and completely useless in a place where value of gems and precious metals is meaningless).
The very center of New Jerusalem is not some towering monument, not some skyscraper-building, not some fabulous landmark, not some great commercial concern. It isn't a golden temple or an ivory palace. It is the throne from which Yahweh rules and reigns over all of creation.
The city is a monument to the pride of the glory-hungry sovereign who delights in robbing men of their dignity, and granting his subjects freedom enough to make a mistake just so he could condemn them for it and command their execution.
The city's beauty conceals its tyrannical nature, where every action is scrutinized, and those who inhabit the city will have their identities completely squashed.