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> the USA is only ~250 years old and most of its planning was done in the past ~150 years, whereas most European cities date back to the middle ages or even bef
by Kaibeezy 5y ago
> the USA is only ~250 years old and most of its planning was done in the past ~150 years, whereas most European cities date back to the middle ages or even before that, growing much more organically
Agree. This is key. To be sure, Europeans are busy making plenty of wasteful American-style car-based future ghost towns around the edges and satellites of their beautiful (or at least walkable) dense old urban cores. Places tourists don't usually see, what I recall travel writer Rick Steves referred to as "Dullsdorf or Nothington".
- devchix 5y agoDresden was leveled by bombings in WW2, and rebuilt. There was an attempt to preserve its architectural heritage - red tiled roofs, cobble stone streets, large piazza at the center. There's a burnt church somewhere that's preserved but everything else is new. I remember it being nice, but not as charming as similar places which had preserved its centuries of haphazard, worn, old buildings and alleys. In the main square there's plenty of swank shops, Wempe, Chanel; the bricks were new, so were the unstained roof tiles, the avenues were wider, the water drain quickly, but I remember it as a Epcot version of a European city; there was a tram service, not sure if that qualifies as walkable but it was easy to get from one end of town to another.
- ghaff 5y agoDüsseldorf is similar. There is an “old town” which is mostly similar to what you describe and the rest is with some exceptions a fairly generic modern city along a pretty river. Nothing wrong with it but not exceptional.