Istanbul vs Mexico City (2 mega cities of recently industrialized nations) (apartment, crime)
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How do Istanbul and Mexico City compare to each other in the following areas:
-Economic clout over their respective regions (Southeastern Europe/Eastern Mediterranean for Istanbul and Latin America/Spanish speaking world for Mexico City?).
-Public Transit systems and state of city infrastructure.
-General safety.
-Architecture (historic and 21st century development).
-Cultural offerings and recognition as a center for art, fashion, creativity, etc.
Economy- Mexico has a stronger pull on Latin America than Istanbul has on its section of Europe. Due to language and the fact that Istanbul isn’t in the EU.
Public Transport- don’t know enough about Mexico City will assume their about the same but could be gravely mistaken.
General Safety- Istanbul hands down.
Architecture- Mexico City has good inner city architecture and good historical architecture. But the only city as beautiful as Istanbul that I have ever seen is Montpelier, France. Even Paris you leave the city of 2 million and it changes a lot half of the metro is gorgeous the other half is meh, okay. Most of Mexico City still has the hideous security gates that plague much of the third world. Istanbul’s apartment spread and density all the way to the suburbs make architecture Uniform but it looks as grand on the edge of suburbia as it does in the fit center which has masterpieces like Hagia Sofia.
Istanbul- is significantly more touristy. Turkey overall has more cultural offerings within a few 100 miles of the city of Istanbul than Mexico has in entire country. Mexico City though has pretty cool museums would still give it to Istanbul for the historical sites.
Beauty- Both are gorgeous and on mountains/ hills in some parts but Istanbul has almost zero truly flat parts and is breathtaking throughout the city, much of Mexico City is in a valley it seems.
Istanbul- is significantly more touristy. Turkey overall has more cultural offerings within a few 100 miles of the city of Istanbul than Mexico has in entire country. Mexico City though has pretty cool museums would still give it to Istanbul for the historical sites.
No way. You are hugely underestimating Mexico's cultural and historical heritage.
I have not yet been to either - but I have been reading extensively on their history, architecture, geography, and present economic clout in anticipation of one day visiting these two storied mega cities.
I am curious about hearing other perspectives on these 2 cities.
In my opinion, the chronicle of either city's founding and subsequent urban expansions over the centuries is incredible.
Geographically I don't think I could choose one over the other. Istanbul appears to straddle one of the most gorgeous natural waterways on the planet (not to mention being a strategic maritime trade route). However, I have heard from friends of mine who are natives of Istanbul that the weather isn't so nice (4 seasons - cold snowy winters and hot muggy summers).
Mexico City, despite not being near a large body of water, has an equally impressive geographic setting.
The city lies within a large basin at 7,300 feet above sea level (very high up for a capital city) and it is craddled by even taller volcanic peaks and foothills covered in alpine forest. I have read that the climate in Mexico City is spectacular because it is more stable and never gets too hot or too cold because of it's altitude within the tropics.
Last edited by sf_arkitect; 03-08-2018 at 09:25 PM..
Istanbul is a very crowded city with a 14 million population. Federal District, Mexico City, has a population of 21.2 million people with 8.9 million of these people living within the city. Both seem very crowded to me. Though Istanbul seems to have more people living in the city.
Public Transit- Istanbul has a bus network, various rail systems, funiculars, and maritime services.
General Safety- In terms of safety, Istanbul doesn’t have a huge crime rate, there isn’t a huge problem with drugs, gangs and murder etc. However, there is a bigger terrorism threat than Mexico City. Political situation is not very nice in Turkey either.
Architecture- There are many historical and modern examples of architecture in Istanbul.
I haven't been to either, but from Google maps it seems like Mexico has done a better job at preserving its historic architecture. I think that Istanbul has a prettier setting and has some very beautiful buildings, but I think Mexico looks better at street level. However I wonder how Mexico city would've looked like if the Spaniards hadn't razed down Tenochtitlan.
How do Istanbul and Mexico City compare to each other in the following areas:
-Economic clout over their respective regions (Southeastern Europe/Eastern Mediterranean for Istanbul and Latin America/Spanish speaking world for Mexico City?).
-Public Transit systems and state of city infrastructure.
-General safety.
-Architecture (historic and 21st century development).
-Cultural offerings and recognition as a center for art, fashion, creativity, etc.
-Beauty of city's surrounding geography.
I voted for Mexico City. I haven't been to either place, but I have seen the movie "Midnight Express"
How do Istanbul and Mexico City compare to each other in the following areas:
-Economic clout over their respective regions (Southeastern Europe/Eastern Mediterranean for Istanbul and Latin America/Spanish speaking world for Mexico City?).
-Public Transit systems and state of city infrastructure.
-General safety.
-Architecture (historic and 21st century development).
-Cultural offerings and recognition as a center for art, fashion, creativity, etc.
-Beauty of city's surrounding geography.
-Economic Clout: Comparable power for Mexico City and Istanbul economically within their own countries, but Mexico City comes out ahead when taking it further in the region as others have mentioned because of interconnectedness.
-Can’t really say for certain on that. I would tend to think Mexico City would win on metro, and maybe Istanbul on overall infrastructure, but I’m just not sure.
-General Safety: I don’t think Mexico City is particularly unsafe like its reputation, especially in its nice main areas (and rate overall I believe is ahead of a good number of US cities). That being said, Istanbul comes out ahead statistically and actually.
Architecture: Historic is gonna be Istanbul overall I think because of the much longer head start (though th significant number of Pre-Columbia’s sites in and around Mexico City would certainly factor in and it’s no slouch there either. However, modern probably goes to Mexico City, this year’s world design capital. It’s been a playground for avant-garde for last 70 years like just about no other WH City. Skyline is gonna go to Istanbul though probably with San Francisco-Esque topography and a mix of modern high rises and ancient temples with distinctive shapes, it looks like something out of Star Wars, Maybe unmatched mix of old and new in the world.
Cultural Offerings- Istanbul likely wins as a center for traditional arts, though it’s quite close as Mexico City has more museums than any other city in the world. However, for culture regarding fashion, creativity, festivals, Street life in general Mexico City seems pretty hard to beat.
Beauty of surrounding Geography: too difficult to call. Both gorgeous. Mexico City has more stunning landscapes within its range, but Istanbul maybe being more well rounded with both coastal setting also offset with some pretty decent nearby topography. I’d happily take both.
Overall: I voted for Mexico City because I’m visiting there next week and it just seems so endless in its offerings and still such an evolving place, plus I generally think more in North America need to visit/appreciate having such a city close by. That being said, I think both are Top 10 cities in the world for visitors when it comes to the sheer number/diversity/quality of attractions.
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