Charleston is a city of 128,000 people, but locals are quick to note that it was the fourth-largest port city in the Colonies in 1770, and many of its finest 18th- and 19th-century buildings were built with money from the trade of indigo, rice and slaves.

That sense of self-importance did not waver as other cities surpassed it. Indeed, it may have been bolstered after Charleston emerged from the 20th-century era of urban renewal with its historic core largely intact. The historic downtown neighborhoods have been further burnished by waves of wealthy newcomers who have lovingly restored many old homes — while sending real estate prices soaring.

Beyond the center, greater Charleston has its share of unremarkable suburban development. But aesthetics and the built environment remain central to the civic conversation.

On a recent afternoon, Robert Behre, the architecture columnist for The Post and Courier of Charleston, drove through downtown, pointing out newish anonymous buildings that could have been built in Atlanta or Orange County, Calif., the ungainly new government buildings, and the dull boxes dressed up with the occasional row of columns.

“It’s not blatantly bad,” he said. “It’s just kind of meh.”

New buildings proposed for the historic district must be approved by the Board of Architectural Review, but it does not dictate a specific architectural style. Critics of newer buildings offer a range of theories as to why they fail to impress, from the need to build in hurricane- and earthquake-resistant features that eat up construction budgets, to the suspicion that builders prefer to submit the designs that are least likely to provoke or offend.

The hiring of Mr. Duany, who could not be reached for comment for this article, has only stirred more controversy. He is a leading proponent of the New Urbanism, the idea that neighborhoods should be dense and walkable. His best-known project, the planned community of Seaside, Fla., was the backdrop for the 1998 film “The Truman Show.” And unfairly or not, there is a lingering concern among critics here that Mr. Duany will impose a movie-set uniformity in Charleston.

“That’s what gives me great pause in a city like Charleston, because the city is so diverse, and presents so many eras and fashions,” said Whitney Powers, a local architect.