American Cities Vs. Asian Cities

[abdelko]

So sorry, but Neither, I prefer European Cities.

[sidney_jec]

why are you sorry about that?

[klamedia]

Originally Posted by Rail Claimore

I have no idea where "working class" or "poor" people in Tokyo live because I'm not terribly familiar with Japanese social welfare policy. All I know is that Tokyo has practically no areas that could be considered "poor" by even American standards: no favelas, no shanty towns, no ghettos, etc. Japan has a relatively even distribution of wealth and a very low gini-coefficient for a developed country (and they have this with a tax rate that's comparable to the US). I do know that many employers subsidize transportation costs to and from work, which is one reason for the sustainability of rail as the dominant form of transportation in the metro area. Those without a lot of money can thus, reasonably afford to live far from the city, and they don't live in anything remotely close to squalor conditions.

I would say that wealthier people tend to own homes or condos within or near the Yamanote Loop, but not everyone who lives in that area or even owns a home in that area is wealthy. Some people have simply not moved from their residences even as the land values have soared through the roof. Japan's property tax system and land-use regulations allow for this to occur.

As the population begins to age especially in Japan, I wonder if this is a sustainable model?

[MysticMcGoo]

It's a good question. Japan is seriously going to have to think about opening up the borders to immigrants, unless they just wish to slowly die off. I wouldn't be surprised if the Japanese government introduced some sort of 2 child policy in the near future. Unlike in China, Japanese parents will be rewarded FOR having kids instead of NOT having them.

If the population is not there to support the urban areas, infrastructure will crumble and a lot of areas will be abandoned. It will be interesting to see how things play out in the next 30-40 years.

[Resident]

Originally Posted by abdelko

So sorry, but Neither, I prefer European Cities.

I second that, or third I came late and didn't read beyond this.

[Westsidelife]

Asiana.

[回回]

Originally Posted by keopera91

Asian cities are more like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-AV-mbIvt8

American cities are more like; Well...:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3vz1...eature=related

I know they are two completely different videos, but most American cities are made up of suburbs so IMO, it was appropriate.

The suburbs ('American cities') must be pretty nice if it takes the best and biggest city in Asia to compete with them. In fact, there are millions of Asians living in America but only thousands of Americans living in Asia.

[minneapolis-uptown]

Originally Posted by fredcalif

I prefer American cities a million times over an over populate Asian City.
I rather live in my big house with a Swimming pool, with my SUV and a good quality of life than live in a Small box with no space for my big screen TV and riding a crowded Metro in Asia.

I see people in this forum fascinated with Density. al those that want that quality of life should move to the Bronx or Queens and then compare the diferent of quality of life than said Orange county, Denver, Plano, TX.

I know people are going to say that suburd destroy the enviroment, but that can be fix without densifying the cities.
we recycle , we can have electric car, solar energy, we can office close to the suburds.
there are millions on things that we can do to improve our lifes in the suburd without the need of movin to a place like Tokyo or Seoul.

You have really never heard of a luxury highrise?

I would never ever ever live in the suburbs even if I was offered a free million dollar house. The house would be butt ugly and exactly the same as all the other houses around it

[MysticMcGoo]

I find the suburbs to be dull. Full of cookie cutter people, developments, ideas, consumption patterns etc. They've got no culture/diversity to them. I dont need 3 acres of useless space and a big garage with a car for each day of the week. If I want nice green space and open areas, I'll go camping.

I like crowded, busy cities. I can feel the city breathing, it's a living entity. Suburbs to me are too fake and sterile.

[keopera91]

Originally Posted by 回回

The suburbs ('American cities') must be pretty nice if it takes the best and biggest city in Asia to compete with them. In fact, there are millions of Asians living in America but only thousands of Americans living in Asia.

Well, lets just say America loves to extend their suburban cities meaning the city core is usually less dense and small. Crime in American cities is higher on average than that of East/SE Asian cities. Therefore many American's (not just Asians) flock to the suburbs.

Q: Why aren't there millions of American's living in Asia?
A: Because most Asian countries are still developing.

Originally Posted by MysticMcGoo

I find the suburbs to be dull. Full of cookie cutter people, developments, ideas, consumption patterns etc. They've got no culture/diversity to them. I dont need 3 acres of useless space and a big garage with a car for each day of the week. If I want nice green space and open areas, I'll go camping.

I like crowded, busy cities. I can feel the city breathing, it's a living entity. Suburbs to me are too fake and sterile.

Ditto. Suburb's have the snottiest people on Earth.

[desertpunk]

Harbin China

image hosted on flickr

[minneapolis-uptown]

Originally Posted by keopera91

Well, lets just say America loves to extend their suburban cities meaning the city core is usually less dense and small. Crime in American cities is higher on average than that of East/SE Asian cities. Therefore many American's (not just Asians) flock to the suburbs.

Q: Why aren't there millions of American's living in Asia?
A: Because most Asian countries are still developing.



Ditto. Suburb's have the snottiest people on Earth.

which is probably a good thing if they stay in the suburbs. no one wants them in the city

[MysticMcGoo]

Asian suburbs are just as bland as their American counterparts, but with density.

[Philly Bud]

Originally Posted by MysticMcGoo

I like American cities. They have such rich history to them. Many Asian cities are much more modern, and lack character because they've only exploded in population during the last 30-40 years.

Every American city has had it's industrial past, decline, and recovery (except Detroit...R.I.P.). I find that studying them is quite interesting.

Obviously you never visited the old palaces, shrines, gardens, and temples of Bangkok.

Are you familiar with the history of Ratanakosin Island and the growth of Krung Thep City under the Chakri Dynasty?

[MysticMcGoo]

Originally Posted by Philly Bud

Obviously you never visited the old palaces, shrines, gardens, and temples of Bangkok.

Are you familiar with the history of Ratanakosin Island and the growth of Krung Thep City under the Chakri Dynasty?

So i need to have visited a place to fully appreciate it? I've never visted the Scottish castles from the middle ages, but I definately appreciate them and the tales of knighthood/royalty that accompany them. The feudal system was a learning experience that lead to the new innovations of the Rennaissance, and that whole period shaped how Western urban areas evolved into the post-Fordist cities that are with us today.

I'm sure many east/south/southeast asian cities have fascinating histories, and I may find time to study up on every single one of them one day

Call me crazy, but I just tend to like Western culture/history more than Eastern culture/history.

[klamedia]

Originally Posted by desertpunk

Harbin China

image hosted on flickr

That's just sad and awful. I don't know what's worse; bland suburbs or bland urbanity?

[isaidso]

They both have their good qualities, but neither would be my top choice. Canadian or Australian cities seem to have the best of both.

[Svartmetall]

Originally Posted by isaidso

They both have their good qualities, but neither would be my top choice. Canadian or Australian cities seem to have the best of both.

No, Australian cities certainly don't have a good balance at all. They sprawl just as much as American cities. Detached single family dwellings are by far the most popular housing type in Australia/New Zealand even in the big cities. The only city that really has a very good number of multi-family dwellings is Sydney.

IMO, a few European countries have cities that have the right balance of private dwellings and multi-family dwellings. Some, like The Netherlands manage to combine a large number of single family dwellings with a usable, urban city and good transport network, whilst others such as Spain manage to create liveable neighbourhoods based on multi-family dwellings. Then you have mixed countries where about 2/3 or so of the housing stock is multi-family whilst the rest is single family such as Germany or Sweden. Both of these countries boast fantastic transportation networks and good amenities as well as decent modal shares especially in biking and walking (par example, only 33% of people in Stockholm use a car for their mode of transportation).

Then of course you have the Asian countries like Japan that have a good number of both single and multi-family dwellings and excellent transport networks in the big cities. I found Japan to be very liveable as the suburban streets were quiet, but you were never more than a couple of hundred metres from a hive of activity. Traffic was minimal even in Tokyo on the side streets and the neighbourhoods were quiet and private.

[xuleinju]

Many chinese youths admire American life styles, while you guy prefer eastern models. I think all this depends on personality and personal favor. When we are young, we want to enjoy life full of mirth, and maybe when we are old, we would want a quiet and peaceful place.

[Philly Bud]

Originally Posted by MysticMcGoo

So i need to have visited a place to fully appreciate it?

In my opinion - in a word:

YES