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One factor not mentioned is that Tokyo was almost completely destroyed by bombs and especially by firestorms during World War 2. This required rebuilding much o
by coldcode 8y ago
One factor not mentioned is that Tokyo was almost completely destroyed by bombs and especially by firestorms during World War 2. This required rebuilding much of the city after the war. Cities like New York have never been destroyed. San Francisco was destroyed by earthquake much further back (in 1906 before modern skyscrapers were common). So some of what we see here may be rethinking following destruction as well as other factors.
- lemoncucumber 8y agoOn the other hand, the cities in the US that were built out postwar tend to be sprawly and not very dense. San Francisco arguably got lucky to be (re-)built before detached single family homes were in vogue.
- boomboomsubban 8y agoEven the US cities that have grown post war generally had their city centers long before the war, and their tallest buildings tend to be there. This is about tall building density, not population density.
- boomboomsubban 8y agoNot only was Tokyo destroyed in the war, the previous business and financial class was largely destroyed in the occupation. So the ones doing the rebuilding had ties to new areas of the city. Plus, having just witnessed their city being destroyed, the fear of it happening again would inspire them to limit clustering.