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It's certainly possible to grow SF up like NYC or HK. Both are bounded by water and yet manage to make more living quarters. As for whether building up and hav

It's certainly possible to grow SF up like NYC or HK. Both are bounded by water and yet manage to make more living quarters. As for whether building up and having more people is a good thing that really depends on the people, the culture and the management of the city. Personally Tokyo an awesome place to live with all kinds of activity, culture, etc and it has a population density much higher than SF so it's certainly true that an SF that grows up could be a great place.

WildUtah 14y ago
okyo an awesome place to live with all kinds of activity, culture, etc and it has a population density much higher than SF so it's certainly true that an SF that grows up could be a great place. But Tokyo's average building height is lower than San Francisco's already. Tokyo did not grow "up." Tokyo has double the density of SF by having much, much less parking and much narrower streets. Eighty-five percent of street miles -- or kilometers -- in Tokyo are single lane streets, not single lane each way or single with a parking lane but true single lane. Tokyo also has no truck with SF's absurd excess of easy, cheap, and free parking. Building up harms quality of life. If you want more density, and you do, then you need to eliminate parking and turn it into housing.
- eshvk 14y ago
  > But Tokyo's average building height is lower than San Francisco's already. Tokyo did not grow "up." This is very interesting. I did not actually know this. However, the city will never go for this. They make a ton of money through parking fees, citations etc to turn this city into a car free zone. Also, although SF has a large number of exceptions, most Americans have a love affair with cars.
- quanticle 14y ago
  >Building up harms quality of life. Proof? There is no shortage of demand for housing in Manhattan, despite massive "building up" there.

WildUtah 14y ago

okyo an awesome place to live with all kinds of activity, culture, etc and it has a population density much higher than SF so it's certainly true that an SF that grows up could be a great place. But Tokyo's average building height is lower than San Francisco's already. Tokyo did not grow "up." Tokyo has double the density of SF by having much, much less parking and much narrower streets. Eighty-five percent of street miles -- or kilometers -- in Tokyo are single lane streets, not single lane each way or single with a parking lane but true single lane. Tokyo also has no truck with SF's absurd excess of easy, cheap, and free parking. Building up harms quality of life. If you want more density, and you do, then you need to eliminate parking and turn it into housing.

eshvk 14y ago
> But Tokyo's average building height is lower than San Francisco's already. Tokyo did not grow "up." This is very interesting. I did not actually know this. However, the city will never go for this. They make a ton of money through parking fees, citations etc to turn this city into a car free zone. Also, although SF has a large number of exceptions, most Americans have a love affair with cars.
quanticle 14y ago
>Building up harms quality of life. Proof? There is no shortage of demand for housing in Manhattan, despite massive "building up" there.