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I suspect it's more of a cultural/political problem than a density problem. NYC has a considerably higher population density than Tokyo and has an abysmally exp

by ruddct 9y ago

I suspect it's more of a cultural/political problem than a density problem. NYC has a considerably higher population density than Tokyo and has an abysmally expensive/inefficient rail system. American public transportation systems, even here in the densest part of the country, are easy political whipping boys. Blame whatever you'd like (cars, highways, unions, politicians, etc), it appears that Americans don't care too much about fixing their transportation infrastructure if those fixes don't involve cars.

GolDDranks 9y ago
> NYC has a considerably higher population density than Tokyo It's the other way around, Tokyo has higher population density: New York City: Land area: 784 km2 Population density: 10,431 ppl / km2 The Special Wards of Tokyo: Land area: 619 km2 Population density: 15,146 ppl / km2
- luckyt 9y ago
  This comparison seems a bit unfair -- the special wards are the most densely populated parts of Tokyo. You should compare either New York City <-> Tokyo Metro Area, or Special Wards of Tokyo <-> Manhattan.
  - timr 9y ago
    "This comparison seems a bit unfair" It's not just unfair, it's completely absurd. Tokyo sprawls like crazy, and a big percentage of the population lives in the outer wards. The special wards are high density, but expensive. As soon as you go outside of the Yamanote line, the population density of Tokyo falls dramatically (probably to Brooklyn levels). Take the train 10-15 minutes outside of that, and you find lots of detached houses and open land. Yet it's all "Tokyo", and this land area is counted when you see the huge population of the city referenced online. Tokyo has become a fantasy for people in America who think that urban density solves all problems. Most of these people have not ventured outside of the tourist regions of the city.
    - seanmcdirmid 9y ago
      To be fair, NYC technically includes Long Island. It isn’t obvious how to compare the two cities at all.
      - gowld 9y ago
        Only a small part of Long Island. Are you thinking of Staten Island?
  - majormajor 9y ago
    This is an interesting comparison in its own right. Manhattan: 27,799/km2 and 59.13 km2 So that's denser than the overall special wards area, but also vastly smaller in both land and total population. Basically 1.6 million people vs 9.4 million people. Probably significantly easier to have an extensive train network when you're consistently dense for that large an area. But I would agree that the main reason the US's public transit infrastructure is lacking is just that we like our cars too much. I expect this to get even more pro-car in a self-driving-car world, too.

by ruddct 9y ago

GolDDranks 9y ago

> NYC has a considerably higher population density than Tokyo It's the other way around, Tokyo has higher population density: New York City: Land area: 784 km2 Population density: 10,431 ppl / km2 The Special Wards of Tokyo: Land area: 619 km2 Population density: 15,146 ppl / km2

luckyt 9y ago
This comparison seems a bit unfair -- the special wards are the most densely populated parts of Tokyo. You should compare either New York City <-> Tokyo Metro Area, or Special Wards of Tokyo <-> Manhattan.
- timr 9y ago
  "This comparison seems a bit unfair" It's not just unfair, it's completely absurd. Tokyo sprawls like crazy, and a big percentage of the population lives in the outer wards. The special wards are high density, but expensive. As soon as you go outside of the Yamanote line, the population density of Tokyo falls dramatically (probably to Brooklyn levels). Take the train 10-15 minutes outside of that, and you find lots of detached houses and open land. Yet it's all "Tokyo", and this land area is counted when you see the huge population of the city referenced online. Tokyo has become a fantasy for people in America who think that urban density solves all problems. Most of these people have not ventured outside of the tourist regions of the city.
  - seanmcdirmid 9y ago
    To be fair, NYC technically includes Long Island. It isn’t obvious how to compare the two cities at all.
    - gowld 9y ago
      Only a small part of Long Island. Are you thinking of Staten Island?
- majormajor 9y ago
  This is an interesting comparison in its own right. Manhattan: 27,799/km2 and 59.13 km2 So that's denser than the overall special wards area, but also vastly smaller in both land and total population. Basically 1.6 million people vs 9.4 million people. Probably significantly easier to have an extensive train network when you're consistently dense for that large an area. But I would agree that the main reason the US's public transit infrastructure is lacking is just that we like our cars too much. I expect this to get even more pro-car in a self-driving-car world, too.