American Cities Are The Same Compared to Europe

[Sankofa Alwayz]

So this article on Quora popped up on my home page feed on there (it’s a pretty interesting site) where the OP is asking why are American cities so boring and uniformly similar to each other compared to European cities. The person who replied is most likely a Cac because the answer sounds like some shyt I’d see on City-Data

The reply starts of by saying that there are only three (3) American cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans....Everywhere else is Cleveland.


Jerry B Wiley's answer to Why are American cities essentially all the same and boring comparative to Europe? - Quora


What y’all think about this shyt?

 

[MischievousMonkey]

I'm not gonna act like I'm an expert of European metropolitan architecture but

America is built around the automobile. While European cities are built around the human. Cities in Europe are far older, built before cars, and were built around how far people could walk and live comfortably. This promotes a dense “human-friendly” approach to city building. They are also far older, when governments, churches, and monarchs would pour money into projects simply for their grandiosity and beauty. There was not as much of a concern for the bottom line as in America.

this sounds bs lol. At least I hope he's not including Hausmann's Paris in his analysis.

 

[Black Magisterialness]

So this article on Quora popped up on my home page feed on there (it’s a pretty interesting site) where the OP is asking why are American cities so boring and uniformly similar to each other compared to European cities. The person who replied is most likely a Cac because the answer sounds like some shyt I’d see on City-Data

The reply starts of by saying that there are only three (3) American cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans....Everywhere else is Cleveland.


Jerry B Wiley's answer to Why are American cities essentially all the same and boring comparative to Europe? - Quora


What y’all think about this shyt?

1. Its half true. It's unfair really to compare a cities built for efficiency over aesthetics. That "human" shyt is just that...shyt. It's why Paris is so stunning to people is because almost all of it was deliberately aesthetic and somewhat efficient. Most other places in Europe was basically build where the fukk you can. However, outside of Boston, New Orleans, and a few other towns America WAS built for the Automobile.

2. Also, American cities outside of New Orleans, most of Florida and California...all American cities have rarely ever been anything but "America". Some cities in Europe have been a part of multiple countries, empires, regimes and cultures. Take a place like Prague which has influences from Romans, Visigoths, Mongols, Ottomans, Germanics and more...those are all VERY different cultures. So its unfair to compare cities that have had THOUSANDS of years of cultural influence compared to 350 years at BEST.

 

[...and some waffle fries]

Seen 1 major American city you seen them all.

 

[King Kai]

I'm not gonna act like I'm an expert of European metropolitan architecture but



this sounds bs lol. At least I hope he's not including Hausmann's Paris in his analysis.

Some of it is definitely true. I think modern architecture is lazier with an emphasis on being cost effective ie: glass buildings. This doesn't just apply to the US but worldwide.

The reason NOLA is such a cool experience is because it looks so different compared to most of the country.

Solid thread by the way, I find architecture/city planning interesting as hell.

 

[filial_piety]

Not sure I agree with him entirely being that the design of the majority of American cities were built before the automobile. The streets in the US were built for horse and buggy, just as they were in Europe albeit European roads and cities are far older. If you go to Philadelphia, New York, Boston etc there's major traffic and parking problems for a reason and that's because they were never intended for cars let alone millions of them.

And I don't know what he's talking about as far as walking and living comfortably...major cities in Europe are just as much a pain to get around at the US ones are.

 

[the bossman]

Seen 1 major American city you seen them all.

Not at all. Cities in northeast are nothing like cities in the South or cities on West Coast.

 

[Standing on business]

Seen 1 major American city you seen them all.

New orleans is different

 

[Jekyll]

I'm not gonna act like I'm an expert of European metropolitan architecture but



this sounds bs lol. At least I hope he's not including Hausmann's Paris in his analysis.

I lived there. Its 1000 percent true. Alot of the cribs in Italy were like they were from the stone ages on the outside. Usually the insides are more modern but stil.

And absolutely on the city design. You can walk to everywhere you need to go in european cities or take a train usually . In fact most roads are small and not built for many vehicles and are not built for large vehicles.

 

[Doobie Doo]

1. Its half true. It's unfair really to compare a cities built for efficiency over aesthetics. That "human" shyt is just that...shyt. It's why Paris is so stunning to people is because almost all of it was deliberately aesthetic and somewhat efficient. Most other places in Europe was basically build where the fukk you can. However, outside of Boston, New Orleans, and a few other towns America WAS built for the Automobile.

2. Also, American cities outside of New Orleans, most of Florida and California...all American cities have rarely ever been anything but "America". Some cities in Europe have been a part of multiple countries, empires, regimes and cultures. Take a place like Prague which has influences from Romans, Visigoths, Mongols, Ottomans, Germanics and more...those are all VERY different cultures. So its unfair to compare cities that have had THOUSANDS of years of cultural influence compared to 350 years at BEST.

Aren't all major American cities like New Orleans influenced by various cultures such as French, Spanish. Haitian. African etc? I don't think it's unfair

 

[...and some waffle fries]

Not at all. Cities in northeast are nothing like cities in the South or cities on West Coast.

New orleans is different

Im coming from a perspective of someone who has has travelled and lived abroad. All our cities are generally the same. The setup and look is the same.

 

[the bossman]

Im coming from a perspective of someone who has has travelled and lived abroad. All our cities are generally the same. The setup and look is the same.

what does that have to do with anything as if you're the only person on the entire forum who's traveled or lived abroad?

The only general similarity you could apply across the board to American cities is the widespread use of the grid system in various parts, but that's about it. Otherwise explain how LA and Philly for example are the same?

 

[Jekyll]

what does that have to do with anything as if you're the only person on the entire forum who's traveled or lived abroad?

The only general similarity you could apply across the board to American cities is the widespread use of the grid system in various parts, but that's about it. Otherwise explain how LA and Philly for example are the same?

Roads, general infrastructure. I mean the American interstate road system itself is something that makes travel significantly different in Europe vs America.

 

[CodeBlaMeVi]

The regional planning of the Atlanta metro is trash.

 

[CodeBlaMeVi]

Roads, general infrastructure. I mean the American interstate road system itself is something that makes travel significantly different in Europe vs America.

But the US got the concept of interstate from the Autobahn built by the Nazi in Europe.