3 ms·

Japanese cities are actually not especially high density. For example, Tokyo's density is lower than Queens.

by cdavid 8y ago

patio11 8y ago
Technically correct but misleading; the thing that most people mean when they say Tokyo is "the 23 wards" (compare: the five burroughs; the canonical definition of New York which even kids growing up in Chicago learn the names of by sheer osmosis). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_wards_of_Tokyo#/media/File:Tokyo_23_Special_Wards_Area_Map.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_wards_of_Tokyo#/media/... ^^ They're the green part of this map. The non-green part of this map is, technically correct is the best kind of correct, also Tokyo (administered under Tokyo-to as opposed to any other prefecture), but it's not core Tokyo. (Akiruno-shi, for example, looks like this: http://www.bbqjp.com/portfolio/dainimizube/ http://www.bbqjp.com/portfolio/dainimizube/ ) The density of the 23 wards is ~twice that of Queens, which much of it being 3x. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_wards_of_Tokyo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_wards_of_Tokyo
- cdavid 8y ago
  Hm, I thought I was careful of getting the numbers for the 23 wards (I live there too ;) ), but looks like I made a mistake indeed. With the correct numbers, Tokyo "23 wards" becomes 40 % higher than NY metropolis, and approximately the same as Brooklyn (~15000 / km2). I would still argue it is not as dense as many people think (e.g. people often don't think of Paris as super dense, even tough it is itself ~40 % higher density that Tokyo). Yes, the houses are small, but except for within the few central wards, there are not that many high rise buildings.
- timr 8y ago
  "The density of the 23 wards is ~twice that of Queens, which much of it being 3x." Technically correct but misleading; Queens is not especially dense. I dropped a pin at random in Queens: https://goo.gl/maps/ULFor21SjXq https://goo.gl/maps/ULFor21SjXq Here's a random pin-dropping in one of the 23 wards: https://goo.gl/maps/Ah5kaMKvyLn https://goo.gl/maps/Ah5kaMKvyLn Roughly equivalent, I'd say, and not atypical for Tokyo. But compare to what most anyone would call a "dense" part of Manhattan: https://goo.gl/maps/kKMgK4qZVcG2 https://goo.gl/maps/kKMgK4qZVcG2 HN people who talk about the "density" of Tokyo are picturing skyscrapers and block housing, but it's not an accurate picture. Having spent plenty of time in both cities, Tokyo is about as dense as the outer boroughs of New York, on average.

Japanese cities are actually not especially high density. For example, Tokyo's density is lower than Queens.

by cdavid 8y ago

Japanese cities are actually not especially high density. For example, Tokyo's density is lower than Queens.

Technically correct but misleading; the thing that most people mean when they say Tokyo is "the 23 wards" (compare: the five burroughs; the canonical definition of New York which even kids growing up in Chicago learn the names of by sheer osmosis). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_wards_of_Tokyo#/media/File:Tokyo_23_Special_Wards_Area_Map.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_wards_of_Tokyo#/media/... ^^ They're the green part of this map. The non-green part of this map is, technically correct is the best kind of correct, also Tokyo (administered under Tokyo-to as opposed to any other prefecture), but it's not core Tokyo. (Akiruno-shi, for example, looks like this: http://www.bbqjp.com/portfolio/dainimizube/ http://www.bbqjp.com/portfolio/dainimizube/ ) The density of the 23 wards is ~twice that of Queens, which much of it being 3x. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_wards_of_Tokyo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_wards_of_Tokyo

cdavid 8y ago
Hm, I thought I was careful of getting the numbers for the 23 wards (I live there too ;) ), but looks like I made a mistake indeed. With the correct numbers, Tokyo "23 wards" becomes 40 % higher than NY metropolis, and approximately the same as Brooklyn (~15000 / km2). I would still argue it is not as dense as many people think (e.g. people often don't think of Paris as super dense, even tough it is itself ~40 % higher density that Tokyo). Yes, the houses are small, but except for within the few central wards, there are not that many high rise buildings.
timr 8y ago
"The density of the 23 wards is ~twice that of Queens, which much of it being 3x." Technically correct but misleading; Queens is not especially dense. I dropped a pin at random in Queens: https://goo.gl/maps/ULFor21SjXq https://goo.gl/maps/ULFor21SjXq Here's a random pin-dropping in one of the 23 wards: https://goo.gl/maps/Ah5kaMKvyLn https://goo.gl/maps/Ah5kaMKvyLn Roughly equivalent, I'd say, and not atypical for Tokyo. But compare to what most anyone would call a "dense" part of Manhattan: https://goo.gl/maps/kKMgK4qZVcG2 https://goo.gl/maps/kKMgK4qZVcG2 HN people who talk about the "density" of Tokyo are picturing skyscrapers and block housing, but it's not an accurate picture. Having spent plenty of time in both cities, Tokyo is about as dense as the outer boroughs of New York, on average.