4 ms·

Actually, Tokyo is a new Japanese city - and the much older Kyoto has a pretty strict grid layout.

by brazzy 12y ago

masklinn 12y ago
Tokyo is the renaming of Edo, while much younger than Kyoto it can hardly be called a new city when it predates the columbian voyages and gave its name to Japan's 17th-19th century period. Kyoto is actually an example of "artificial" and inorganic city, it's a replica of Chang'an which stemmed from the highly structured square-based chinese urban planning (although Chang'an wasn't strictly square for astrological and physical reason)
- brazzy 12y ago
  Q: What's the difference between an American and a European? A: A European thinks that 100km is a pretty big distance. An American thinks that 100 years are a pretty long time.
  - chton 12y ago
    In Belgian traffic, 100km takes 100 years to drive, so they're both right :p
  - kps 12y ago
    I'll side with the American: pretty much anyone can go 100km, and pretty much no one can go 100 years.
    - Shish2k 12y ago
      As a european, I can go more than 100km, but I very rarely do go anywhere near that far - our towns are based on the assumption of walking rather than the assumption of driving, so anything more than a 15 minute walk away is "exotic"; on the other hand, the architecture I walk past between my home and the office is just about to celebrate its 1000th birthday :)
chton 12y ago
Tokyo is still far older than any US cities, and more importantly it grew organically. Kyoto is much older, yes, but it is a stricter grid only because the entire city was built that way in the 8th century. Unlike Tokyo, most European cities, and most American ones, it wasn't a town that grew bigger organically. City architects in those days must have really liked the straight lines. Edit: Masklinn explained it far more elegantly than I could, listen to them :)
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
  - chton 12y ago
    Interesting, I did not know about this. I guess some of it can be chalked up to cultural differences, then. Does this also mean that the Chinese started far earlier than others in doing real urban planning?

Actually, Tokyo is a new Japanese city - and the much older Kyoto has a pretty strict grid layout.

by brazzy 12y ago

Actually, Tokyo is a new Japanese city - and the much older Kyoto has a pretty strict grid layout.

Tokyo is the renaming of Edo, while much younger than Kyoto it can hardly be called a new city when it predates the columbian voyages and gave its name to Japan's 17th-19th century period. Kyoto is actually an example of "artificial" and inorganic city, it's a replica of Chang'an which stemmed from the highly structured square-based chinese urban planning (although Chang'an wasn't strictly square for astrological and physical reason)

brazzy 12y ago
Q: What's the difference between an American and a European? A: A European thinks that 100km is a pretty big distance. An American thinks that 100 years are a pretty long time.
- chton 12y ago
  In Belgian traffic, 100km takes 100 years to drive, so they're both right :p
- kps 12y ago
  I'll side with the American: pretty much anyone can go 100km, and pretty much no one can go 100 years.
  - Shish2k 12y ago
    As a european, I can go more than 100km, but I very rarely do go anywhere near that far - our towns are based on the assumption of walking rather than the assumption of driving, so anything more than a 15 minute walk away is "exotic"; on the other hand, the architecture I walk past between my home and the office is just about to celebrate its 1000th birthday :)

chton 12y ago

Tokyo is still far older than any US cities, and more importantly it grew organically. Kyoto is much older, yes, but it is a stricter grid only because the entire city was built that way in the 8th century. Unlike Tokyo, most European cities, and most American ones, it wasn't a town that grew bigger organically. City architects in those days must have really liked the straight lines. Edit: Masklinn explained it far more elegantly than I could, listen to them :)

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
- chton 12y ago
  Interesting, I did not know about this. I guess some of it can be chalked up to cultural differences, then. Does this also mean that the Chinese started far earlier than others in doing real urban planning?