which city has the best skyline in the world? (apartment, statistics)

[loathed]

tbh, where is montreal on this poll? o_O singapore has a great skyline as well, not as much buildings as the heavyweights, but the backdrop is quite amazing.

[shanghaiz]

Shanghai's skyline looking from the Bund to PuDong at night is quite a sight.

[CityPolice]

IMG]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3096/2786621476_0fbf95e89a_b.jpg[/IMG]

[hymalaia]

I voted Hong Kong. Really the vote comes down to HK vs NYC (Manhattan) - Sorry Chi-town. I've never been to HK but based on the pictures you can see it features the following;

- massive height
- massive density
- stunning natural location
- amazing nighttime display ("symphony of lights")

Where NYC competes with height and density (though statistically I think it still loses, at least in total number of high rises), the natural location is unspectacular, and the nighttime display is nothing special. The only place that NYC has HK beat is in architectural diversity. HOWEVER, we are talking about skylines here, which if nothing else are symbols of modernity and progress. The fact that HK is so new is part of what makes it a great skyline (perhaps this hurts it as a city, don't know, haven't been there). Which isn't to say the century long history represented in NYC isn't it's own kind of charm, but it's not essential for a skyline. The destruction of the WTC more or less cemented HK at the top, although even with the twin towers I'd vote for HK. In all honesty, I though the towers were quite ugly. Which was part of the point, I suppose, overwhelm you with their brute massive power. And in that sense it worked. Still, from an architctual stand point they were quite awful.

other standouts (besides Chi-town, which I suppose based on the voting is a distant third place);

Tokyo - A great mix of low and high rise urban density. Nothing quite like it, in this sense.

Sao Paulo - just lots and lots of high rises, as far as the eye can see. The buildings themselves are nothing special, but the aggregate effect is pretty impressive.

Paris - the low rise, architectually rich, European style skyline deserves some love. This is as good a representation as any. Recognizable landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Arch close the deal.

Seoul - Very similar to Tokyo, but the surrounding mountains are more stunning.

Vancouver - sort of a mini-Hong Kong. The fact that it was pretty much nothing in the 80's is interesting.

Rio De Janeiro - Haven't seen this one mentioned yet. Not a ton of high rises, but the beaches, the green moutains, the "favela's", + Christ in the Clouds. Pretty amazing sight, if sometimes shocking.

San Fran - downtown isn't that impressive, but it's well proportioned, pluse the great city scapes in all directions, with the great architecture crowding on the steep hills. Good color, IMO. Of course the distinctive bridges and the bay add to the effect. I also love the fog.

Seattle - my pic for best volcanic backdrop in Rainier (Fuji is too far from Tokyo). The North Cascades and Olympics can be stunning as well, so long as you can see them through the clouds.

Shanghai and maybe Beijing deserve a mention as well. Haven't seen too many pics of them though.

Skylines I do not care for include, Tapei, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, and Toronto. One (or in Dubai's case a bunch) of epic height structures do not a skyline make. Singapore doesn't impress me much either. It's ok, but I don't know why it's on the poll.

I still need to do some flickr exploring. If I haven't mentioned the skyline in this post, it's likely cause I have not seen enough of it yet! Sad that I can deduce so much from i-net pics. Perhaps if I actually visited these places I'd have a different opinion! Who wants to pay my airfare and hotel? lol.

[CityPolice]

Originally Posted by hymalaia

I voted Hong Kong. Really the vote comes down to HK vs NYC (Manhattan) - Sorry Chi-town. I've never been to HK but based on the pictures you can see it features the following;

- massive height
- massive density
- stunning natural location
- amazing nighttime display ("symphony of lights")

You do know that NYC has three Skylines right. They are in the last Picture I posted. It includes Midtown, Lower Manhattan, and Downtown Brooklyn. so it really doesnt only come down to manhattan. Speaking of natural location you are talking about a city made up of islands







I cant believe you are calling an American icon ugly



Here are some more Pictures of NYC

Click the previous post to see more pics

Originally Posted by NYCBoy1212

NYC is better, just because they put all their buildings together making it look more modern with buildingas around the same size it does not quite meet when the brilliant design of ny.

!930s- 2007

[hj2500]

Hong Kong, New York, and Chicago are considered the big 3 skylines of the world. Why are there more poll options?
I would rank New York's skyline last among the three, due to it looking good only at night when you can't see the buildings, and its lack of a dramatic natural setting.




Just built, Dubai is already spoken of as a heavyweight skyline.

Here's Minato Mirai in Yokohama, one of the Tokyo area's numerous skylines:

[CityPolice]

Originally Posted by hj2500

Hong Kong, New York, and Chicago are considered the big 3 skylines of the world. Why are there more poll options?
I would rank New York's skyline last among the three, due to it looking good only at night when you can't see the buildings, and its lack of a dramatic natural setting.

Um do you want us to build a volcano on the east side, mountains on the west side, or something. The way you said that comment made it sound like natural settings can be made. It doesnt only look good at night. And the fact that you missed these pictures, the weather is also a natural setting. Also Chicago doesnt have any more of a natural setting than NY.

[hj2500]

Hong Kong and Chicago only need one or two pictures to look good, that is why they are the best. Compared to New York, Chicago has a much better natural setting because of its lake, i.e. alot of water.

[CityPolice]

Originally Posted by hj2500

Hong Kong and Chicago only need one or two pictures to look good, that is why they are the best. Compared to New York, Chicago has a much better natural setting because of its lake, i.e. alot of water.

same with NYC catch my drift. Alot of water compared to a city with water surrounding it

[hj2500]

Originally Posted by CityPolice

same with NYC catch my drift. Alot of water compared to a city with water surrounding it

That is not much water, check out the first picture of Chicago I posted.

Did anyone mention Vancouver? It has a pretty nice skyline