4 ms·

Just look at Tokyo as an example of what a city organically grows into. Every major transport hub is filled with shopping and food. NYC is abit the same way. I

Just look at Tokyo as an example of what a city organically grows into. Every major transport hub is filled with shopping and food. NYC is abit the same way. I like it. People generally don't like living right next to transportation hubs, so why not make those areas commercial space. Everyone likes having many options for dining, so that's the main draw. Dining naturally has waiting, so why not have shopping for waiting diners to kill some time and even act as buffer space between dining options. Movie theaters and museums are great before/after meal activities. Throw in some office space so there's weekday/daytime business for restaurants and better utilization of parking and transportation. Now you've created a place where people want to be that's convenient to get to. That's what a city is, isn't it? Just without the typical city drawbacks like crime, trash, vehicles, pollution, and homelessness.

Sukotto 7y ago
>Just look at Tokyo ... Every major transport hub is filled with shopping and food. They are designed that way. New transit construction is often the result of a joint venture between a rail company and one or more shopping construction companies / real estate companies. They work together to identify where they can profitably build a new station, with attached (or nearby) shopping + residences. Then work with financing companies to pay for the land acquisition, construction, and advertising.
- kenhwang 7y ago
  Point is, they wouldn't design them that way if it didn't work or if people didn't like them. Retail works best when it's convenient. Classic American malls were not. Cities are designed too. Why don't we design them to be desirable places to be?
  - devnulloverflow 7y ago
    Because in America these things are designed by zoning and the political process. What you describe in Japan sounds like the Horrors of Captialism and can't possibly be allowed in America. (Except I suppose it does happen, since the whole point of the article is that NYC does it).

Sukotto 7y ago

>Just look at Tokyo ... Every major transport hub is filled with shopping and food. They are designed that way. New transit construction is often the result of a joint venture between a rail company and one or more shopping construction companies / real estate companies. They work together to identify where they can profitably build a new station, with attached (or nearby) shopping + residences. Then work with financing companies to pay for the land acquisition, construction, and advertising.

kenhwang 7y ago
Point is, they wouldn't design them that way if it didn't work or if people didn't like them. Retail works best when it's convenient. Classic American malls were not. Cities are designed too. Why don't we design them to be desirable places to be?
- devnulloverflow 7y ago
  Because in America these things are designed by zoning and the political process. What you describe in Japan sounds like the Horrors of Captialism and can't possibly be allowed in America. (Except I suppose it does happen, since the whole point of the article is that NYC does it).