Do you find the Asian cities too dense for your liking? (metro, suburb)

[Trimac20]

For those who have been to or know alot about the major Asian cities like Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok, Shanghai, Mumbai, you'll know in terms of density across the board they blow away almost all American cities. Even those cities not as dominated by high-rises such as Mumbai still manage huge population densities. I've heard that almost a million people live per square mile in the densest parts of the slums of Mumbai.

Anyway, in some cases it appears to work (Singapore) with the only downside being a comparative lack of privacy and space to 'get away from it.' Having spent most time in Singapore of the cities I've mentioned, I can say the density actually didn't feel too overwhelming for me. The annoyances I have about urban areas tend to be about traffic congestion and occasionally noise, but to be honest, it wasn't that much worse in Singapore than even low-density Perth. I personally have no problem living on the 10th floor instead of a single house, and relying on public transport (basically ALL homes and businesses in Singapore are connected via the rail network, feeder buses and the light rail. The windows of the light rail carriages even self-tint when they go by the windows of condos! That's how close they get).

I know some are averse to any sniff of dense living and are scared by phrases like 'transport-oriented development' and 'mixed use development.' For me, mixed use and density increase my quality of living far more than a desert of bitumen and roofs. Having said that, some parts of Bangkok lack greenery a bit, while Singapore has made sure to include quite alot of urban gardens (it does lack larger neighbourhood parks, though) so it never really has that bleak concrete jungle feel.

I think a Mumbai style density without proper utilities is asking for trouble, though. But that's more because of the poverty than the density itself. The density just magnifies the problem.

[faabala]

I spent a couple of weeks in Manila in Feb/Mar and it was too crowded and to much traffic for me. I saw some awesome high rise condos but quickly realized the fire departments were not up to the task of rescuing anybody. So I'll stick to one or two stories. I'm not a big city kind of guy anyway. I preferred the province.

[the city]

Yes give me a good low density American town.

[KC6ZLV]

I need about .25 of an acre for my vegetable garden, chickens, and maybe a goat or two.

[Lamplight]

Having grown up in a very low density town, I imagine I wouldn't be able to handle a city like Singapore for very long. I think the average density in my town is something like 2700, which I guess is pretty average in an American city of 100,000. I'd prefer a little higher density than that, I think, assuming more conveniences came along with it. I hate how we have vast seas of residential property, one after another, and then a vast sea of commercial property several miles away. Even my house, which was built just after WWII and is now practically right in the middle of town, is still a pretty good distance from any grocery stores. Too far to conveniently walk or bike. Of course most here don't care because they have no intentions of walking or biking anywhere. For reasons such as that I'd like to live in a denser area, or at least one that is more thoughtfully planned.

[richb]

I am glad I don't have to live in a city like that, just way too crowded. You got a choice in the US, so if you like a more urban life you can, but most American's don't chose that. One doesn't really have a choice in those Asian cities.

[sponger42]

I grew up on a faux farm in the US midwest. Dozens of acres of green grass, big vegetable garden, lots of big mature shade and nut trees, pond, fields and forest beyond for walking alone and undisturbed.

Hate it. Hate visiting. Hate the grass allergy I developed wasting countless hours of my life mowing all that stinking grass. Hate the massive waste of power, money, and fuel it takes to maintain that exurban place.

I love asian metropolises, they're so convenient and efficient. Loved living in a 5th floor 3br/1ba condo in Taipei with 4 others. Loved the rooftop garden, the buses that go everywhere, the clean quiet metro, the 24/7 day/nightlife. I could walk less than ten minutes and get to everything I would ever need: Hospital, dentist, meat/vegetable market, park, 6 bakeries, countless restaurants, mountain with hiking trails, nightmarket, etc. Getting on the metro or taking a cab (affordable!) could take you to world-class shopping, dining, tea houses, nightclubs, you-name-it. Take the train out of town for a day trip to the beach, mountains, lakes, etc. Plus the city feels safe. Burglaries are the major crime, murders are rare and gun violence is a non-issue because nobody owns any. Universal health care is nice too, though the doctors aren't always as good as their US counterparts. If I was older or had some weird ailment, I'd probably pay to go to a private clinic.

The countryside around Taipei is pretty, but also pretty boring, and there's not much work. Plenty of cheap land, though, since nobody wants to live there.

I've only visited, but I also loved: Tokyo, Bangkok, Hong Kong.
Liked: Shanghai, Chongqing, Kuala Lumpur
Meh: Bangalore, Kunming
Didn't like: Beijing, Delhi, Mumbai

US cities can't hold a candle, IMO. NYC is a tough city. Boston is like a giant country club. LA is full of idiots (but it is a fun town). I guess Chicago and San Francisco are pretty good places.

Small USA towns freak me out. I never feel the need to carry protection when I'm abroad. Coming back to the US is a different story though. People feel really hostile; like somebody's going to shoot you for cutting them off. Living in a house out in the countryside feels totally exposed. You're a long way from help if something goes wrong or if someone is breaking in. Small town USA is the only place I've ever been that I kept a gun close at hand.

[jm31828]

I've been to Guangzhou, China and Bangkok, Thailand. I didn't like the density at all- Bangkok was decent in that many areas don't feel so dense in that it could be tolerable... but Guangzhou is just high rises as far as you can see, with everything packed in very tight.
I'll take living in a suburb of a bigger American city any day over the rat race they have in most of those Asian cities.

[nightcrawler]

I hate it.


no really, I really hate anything that dense. I don't want anyone up my ass all the time....
especially because i think the bulk of people are disgusting and turn my stomach.

[Ohiogirl81]

I find quite a few U.S. cities too dense for my liking.