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Yes...haha...actually Bangkok was quite quiet when I was there, but it was after some big floods, so that might've been it. In a lot of areas I felt like one of the few tourists there, like in the old city, Yaowarat...Sukhumvit, Silom were busier. It's far from the busiest feeling city I've been to overall.
It must have been the flood to be honest because the times I've been there the ped vibrancy is every bit on the level of Istanbul and Cairo.
I think the wealth of a city/region is inextricably linked to how big they feel, or in older cities' cases, how urban they are.
Mexico City is far and away soooo big that it cannot possibly not be #2, however, I think that there would probably be an inflection point north of Toronto's population where it "felt" smaller and less "urban" in the developed world sense of the word. While I applaud Mexico City and Guadalajara on being massive, old cities, they are still third world compared to Toronto or any premier US/Canadian city. People in Toronto live in bigger space, have more office space, buy more goods sold in brick/mortar retail with more disposable income, and require more "for-pay, large-scale" entertainment options, which they can also afford with their higher disposable incomes. According to Euromonitor, which uses government data, Mexico City had 3.13 million foreign visitors and Toronto had 2.82 million foreign visitors, so in the same ballpark. Toronto is a small fraction the size of Mexico City, yet has a higher GDP according to McKinsey 2010 research.
However, all I can do is nerd out on numbers never having been to each...but I do have parallels in my life where one city has felt incredibly larger to me than another (when in reality the opposite is true) based on factors such as GDP, built environment, etc etc.
I don't think it's possible for Mexico City to be less urban than Toronto at its size, but Guadalajara and Monterey in the same league as SF, Toronto, Boston, DC, etc? I would have to see that in person! LoL
I've traveled to Mexico on many occasions, including Guadalajara and Mexico City. They cannot compare to the quality of life, cleanliness, safety, amenities, job market, etc, that are offered in Toronto/American big cities. Poverty and crime is entrenched in Mexico's 2 biggest cities. Where in America do you see children scavenging the streets begging for money or selling chewing gum? Because that's what you see on every major street in Mexico. And architecture? Mexican cities do have some nice buildings in the center of the city, but the vast majority of buildings are stucco single story boxes that are not built to the "habitable standards" that US/Canada requires.
Now Mexico is an important country, but the quality of life is severely lower in every capacity when rivaled with the US and Canada. You would have to be in denial to walk the streets of Mexico City and not sense the difference from it and SF/Toronto. For these reasons, people generally don't discuss Mexico's large cities when it comes to major "world class" cities. These cities are important to the world economy, but they are not exactly places US or Canadian residents would prefer to live in.
I as well have spent a decent amount of time in a few of Mexico's major cities. DF is an incredible place, that does have its problems, but I found considerably more positives than negatives. Possibly this is due to me originally being from a major city in a 3rd world country myself (One that is more violent and dangerous than DF) So I don't sweat situations that may make most folks feel uncomfortable and cut through the BS and enjoy my time basically anywhere.
With that said Mexico does have its issues, especially economically. But last I checked we were not having a discussion about QOL ratings but rather a city's urban qualities. When it comes to being Urban, good or bad, Mexico City is hyper urban, vibrant, interesting and exciting. Does it have the economic opportunities of an American and Canadian city? No, but that has no relevance when it comes to this thread.
I think it's in the discussion. But easily #2? I don't think so.
My vote would go to Chicago for number two in the US and Canada with Boston, the Bay, Southern California, Toronto, Montreal, DC and Philadelphia battling in the next tier.
People in Toronto live in bigger space, have more office space, buy more goods sold in brick/mortar retail with more disposable income, and require more "for-pay, large-scale" entertainment options, which they can also afford with their higher disposable incomes.
Not true. There are more middle class and wealthy residents in Mexico City than in Toronto. In fact there are more middle class+ residents in Mexico City than there are people in Toronto.
Mexico City is not really a "third world" city. It's more of a middle-income city in a middle-income country. Mexico is similar to Russia, Brazil, Turkey, China and the less prosperous parts of Eastern Europe.
And Mexico City, is, by far, the richest city in Mexico the same way that Moscow is, by far, the richest city in Russia. There is vast wealth in Mexico City, probably moreso than anywhere on the continent outside of NYC, LA, and the Bay Area.
Not true. There are more middle class and wealthy residents in Mexico City than in Toronto. In fact there are more middle class+ residents in Mexico City than there are people in Toronto.
Mexico City is not really a "third world" city. It's more of a middle-income city in a middle-income country. Mexico is similar to Russia, Brazil, Turkey, China and the less prosperous parts of Eastern Europe.
And Mexico City, is, by far, the richest city in Mexico the same way that Moscow is, by far, the richest city in Russia. There is vast wealth in Mexico City, probably moreso than anywhere on the continent outside of NYC, LA, and the Bay Area.
Disingenuous. Sure th GDP of the greater M.C area is greater than the greater Toronto area but lets look at numbers
The GDP of the Greater Toronto area is 330 Billion with 6.3 million people.
The GDP of the Greater M.C area is 411 Billion home to over 20 million people.
The average per capita income is considerably more in Toronto's favour. The middle income in Toronto is a more weathy middle income on average than in M.C.... When you factor in the value of real estate for the average Torontonian he or she is one of the strongest Middle Class individuals in the world.
Disingenuous. Sure th GDP of the greater M.C area is greater than the greater Toronto area but lets look at numbers
The GDP of the Greater Toronto area is 330 Billion with 6.3 million people.
The GDP of the Greater M.C area is 411 Billion home to over 20 million people.
The average per capita income is considerably more in Toronto's favour. The middle income in Toronto is a more weathy middle income on average than in M.C.... When you factor in the value of real estate for the average Torontonian he or she is one of the strongest Middle Class individuals in the world.
You apparently didn't read my post. No one said Mexico City had a higher median income than Toronto. If that were true, Mexico City would be as rich as any city on earth.
The point is that Mexico City has massive income inequality, and a huge middle and upper class. There are 8 million Mexico City residents that are middle class or higher, which is more than the entire population in the Toronto area.
So obviously, Mexico City, as a whole, has a lot more wealth than Toronto, including millionaires, billionaires, and regular middle class people. The richest man in the world lives in Mexico City. Neighborhoods like Polanco and Las Lomas have millioanaire and billionaire wealth that is unknown in North America outside of NYC area and California.
The Bridal Path in Toronto and those leafy neighborhoods off Yonge would be upper middle class by DF standards. The wealth in Toronto isn't even comparable to similarly sized U.S. cities, because Canada has less wealth inequality. But compared to Mexico, with its crazy wealth inequality, the comparison is even more odd. People have Ferraris in every color, just for fun, while there is raw sewage running down the street a mile away.
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