In ancient cities, the religious temple was placed in the highest or most central location; in modern cities, skyscrapers occupy that position. What method of analysis allows us to compare symbolic cultural meanings?

semiotics Analysis

Explanation:

Semiotics is the analysis of systems of symbols and signals, from cultural perceptions to languages, to signs of problems, labels and emojis.

Semiotic Analysis considers signals as part of a symbol network, and uses them. The use of the sign is directed by a sign system and thus the system also affects the contents of individual signs. These theories are important because they reveal the way in which signs communicate ideas, attitudes and beliefs to us.

there is an explationation of this on a site called crash   course world history 1