That middle-ground haze is doing a lot. You've got the fog holding the space between foreground and those back buildings in a way that keeps everything from collapsing flat. I wait for that kind of atmospheric separation all the time when I'm out shooting urban scenes, it's the difference between "here's a street" and "here's a moment at a specific hour." The muted palette helps too, keeps the focus on depth rather than color noise.
That middle-ground haze is doing a lot. You've got the fog holding the space between foreground and those back buildings in a way that keeps everything from collapsing flat. I wait for that kind of atmospheric separation all the time when I'm out shooting urban scenes, it's the difference between "here's a street" and "here's a moment at a specific hour." The muted palette helps too, keeps the focus on depth rather than color noise.