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Old Posted Oct 30, 2020, 11:42 PM
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Greatest ever skyline from any era

Bigger is not always better, and newer buildings (design, facades, etc.) are often less attractive than their older counterparts.

I submit that the greatest ever skyline, from any era, was that of lower Manhattan, 1930-1958.







stuffnobodycaresabout.com

My heart literally aches when I see the way the downtown skyline once looked. There could not be a more perfect skyline, anywhere, anytime, not now, not ever.
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Old Posted Oct 31, 2020, 12:16 AM
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London rebuilt afterthe Great Fire of 1666.

Hundreds of ornate churches built by Sir Christopher Wren face his giant cathedral


Last edited by muppet; Oct 31, 2020 at 11:04 AM.
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Old Posted Oct 31, 2020, 12:24 AM
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Agree, but this skyline still exists (probably 90% of the Lower Manhattan pre-war skyline is still intact). It's just not easily seen anymore since all those 4-5 story low-rise buildings by the shore were replaced by 200m+ skyscrapers in the 70s (like 55 Water Street and 1 New York Plaza).

So the east view is obscured. The west side view was obscured by the Battery Park City infill and World Trade Center. And now most of the construction is in North Lower Manhattan near Chinatown/Tribeca.

But the historical core is surprisingly intact. I've long said an observation deck on 55 Water Street would be a massive hit:



https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ne...!4d-74.0059728
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Old Posted Oct 31, 2020, 12:24 AM
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Medieval Bologna


www.theincrediblylongjourney.com




Only a few of these massive towers remain


www.goldenassay.com
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Old Posted Oct 31, 2020, 12:31 AM
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The ancient, massive wind towers of Hyderabad, India once funneled cool air into every home -now seeing a revival as green tech studies it as natural aircon






Last edited by muppet; Oct 31, 2020 at 10:44 AM.
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Old Posted Oct 31, 2020, 1:44 AM
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They should do a masonry re cladding of some of those glass towers
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Old Posted Oct 31, 2020, 1:48 AM
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What purpose did all of those towers in Bologna serve?
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Old Posted Oct 31, 2020, 1:59 AM
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20 Exchange place and One Wall Street remind me of a fine grey suit.



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Old Posted Oct 31, 2020, 1:59 AM
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Bologna looked amazing

There is also San Gimignaro (what is left of many that have otherwise fallen)

tuscany.co
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Old Posted Oct 31, 2020, 2:02 AM
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this pic really shows where architecture went wrong in the 1970s. look at the detail and thoughtfullness on the right, and the obtuse travertine cliff on the left. .



too bad Portman didn't have more followers. we should have had more futurism, not post-modernism with its old timey radio shapes , castley shapes, and giant triangles.
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Old Posted Oct 31, 2020, 2:59 AM
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This one, from whatever point in time I happen to be gazing in awe upon it.


Chicago Skyline by Matthew Dray, on Flickr
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Old Posted Oct 31, 2020, 3:18 AM
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I second pre-Modern era Lower Manhattan. I have a 1933 era poster that I bought at the Met hung and framed in my living room.
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Old Posted Oct 31, 2020, 5:09 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by muppet View Post
Medieval Bologna


www.theincrediblylongjourney.com




Only a few of these massive towers remain


www.goldenassay.com
Wow I had no idea about that, its incredible. Although, living in the city during an earthquake back then would have really sucked.
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Old Posted Oct 31, 2020, 8:35 AM
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The towers were defensive for the rival families that had bloodfeuds for generations, similar to mafia scores as well as protection from general crime. Medieval Europe marked the highest homicide rate in our history.

Last edited by muppet; Oct 31, 2020 at 10:27 AM.
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Old Posted Oct 31, 2020, 8:58 AM
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Wadi Dawan, Yemen -400 years old


www.telegraph.co.uk





And the capital, Sana'a











https://megaconstrucciones.net



Last edited by muppet; Oct 31, 2020 at 9:21 AM.
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Old Posted Oct 31, 2020, 9:14 AM
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the world's largest medieval city, Islamic Cairo (not to be confused with old Cairo) looks amazing at sunset/ sunrise. It's studied by urbanists the world over as one
of the poorest pieces of humanity but also one of the lowest rates of crime.




www.traveller.com.au

http://c.tadst.com


www.heybrian.com




Last edited by muppet; Oct 31, 2020 at 10:28 AM.
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Old Posted Oct 31, 2020, 9:33 AM
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The skyline of Changsha is almost exclusively flat-roofed slabs, which is the city aesthetic


https://www.skyscrapercity.com/threa...lines.2151214/


...Except for one


https://www.skyscrapercity.com/threa...lines.2151214/


^the tallest btw is as tall as the Petronas Towers
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Old Posted Oct 31, 2020, 9:42 AM
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Bladerunner skyline, doesn't get more epic than this -a Manhattan thicket lumped onto where three mountain ranges meet and two rivers converge, and 4,500 bridges knit it all together - this is the world's best nighttime skyline.

Chongqing, possibly the most visually epic urban spectacle -for scale the river banks are 200ft high. The city is so hilly for centuries it operated an army of porters to carry people's bags up and down the topography.

This vid took 5 years to make, charting the rise in that short time from a drab river city to a polished gem:

Video Link

Last edited by muppet; Nov 1, 2020 at 10:30 AM.
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Old Posted Oct 31, 2020, 10:19 AM
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More dirty, filthy city porn

Nirvana Shenzhen

Video Link


Video Link
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  #20  
Old Posted Oct 31, 2020, 11:44 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by the urban politician View Post
What purpose did all of those towers in Bologna serve?
It isn't clear. Historians argue over whether it was defense or showing off wealth, or maybe a combination of the two. Lots of speculation that this was the medieval equivalent of a baller mansion.

Also, Bologna almost certainly didn't have that many towers. There are lots of artistic representations of tons of towers, but there are only historical records of a few dozen, mostly rather short, and there's evidence that most of the towers didn't exist concurrently, and were constantly being rebuilt, so there was never really a skyline of towers.
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