Notice any metros "dropping off the radar"?

[jtown,man]

Singapore. When I was younger I heard about it and saw pictures of it all the time on forums like this, not much at all today. I think it's because it's skyline is stuck in time(or that's my perception).

Hong Kong-slightly

Dallas

[suburbanite]

I don't know that British accents being used more in tv is a sign of globalization of Western media. If anything I see it as actually more focused targeting of the American audience. If you're making a movie about anything or anyplace other than America, but you don't want subtitles with a foreign language, you use British accents...

HBO has done it with their Rome series back in the day, Chernobyl more recently, Game of Thrones, etc. From the very first scene it helps create the setting and lets domestic viewers know that they are not in a familiar place. I feel like the Brits would be much more likely to use foreign language or at least an accent for something like Chernobyl, because why would Stalin sound like your neighbour Harry from Leeds?

[suburbanite]

On the original topic, I think Boston might be a good choice. Late 90's & early 00's cinema blessed the city with some great appearances in Good Will Hunting, The Departed, Gone Baby Gone, Mystic River, etc.

If you extend the timeline back then maybe Tokyo as well? I wasn't around but I feel like Japan had a bigger presence in the Western mind back then with the fear that they were coming to dominate tech and automaking. Also before the 21st century it was likely the developed city in East Asia in the mind of most Westerners. The rise of Shangai, Beijing, Seoul, Hong Kong, and others has likely lessened that singular focus on Japan/Tokyo despite still being the largest city in the World.

The one thing that Japan still has is a sizeable subset of Westerners still fascinated with a cult-like obsession of Japanese culture.

Moscow had a lull on the international stage between 1991 to 2010 ish, but Putin has brought them back into the limelight.

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by jtown,man

Singapore. When I was younger I heard about it and saw pictures of it all the time on forums like this, not much at all today. I think it's because it's skyline is stuck in time(or that's my perception).

I'd disagree with that pretty strongly - there have been a number of high profile projects that have been completed there in the past few years.

If my Instagram feed is any indication at least, Singapore is very much on the quintessential "urban/travel photographer" circuit. Of course, Instagram feeds are also based on self-reinforcing algorithms that exist to further our biases more than anything, so I wouldn't put too much stock in that.

Singapore does objectively seem to be doing very well these days though by most observable metrics though (economy, tourism, etc).



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rain_Vortex


https://www.visitsingapore.com/see-d...ina-bay-sands/


https://everestholidays.com.bd/produ...y-tour-on-sic/


https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/470837336041193247/

[The North One]

This topic is kind of a mess, there's no way to possibly quantify this so it's just a feeling.

I guess my nomination is Dubai. It felt like Dubai was pushed everywhere from 2005-2009. Now it's relevance seems to be non-existent other than being a tourist stop, I guess it was all manufactured hype in the first place and was never going to last long. There was no substance to it all.

[badrunner]

New Orleans, St Louis, Baltimore, Portland, Detroit

[park123]

lol at the Singapore photos. Why the heck can't we build stuff like that in the USA? We struggle to put together a Hudson Yards, about as anodyne an urban upscale mall as you'll find.

Regarding Boston, I'm actually surprised people here think it hasn't fallen off at least a little. I went to a competitive New England university and getting a professional services job in Boston was definitely something that was on the table, and competitive with careers elsewhere. It wasn't as if everyone automatically moved to NYC or the Bay Area. Now I don't know, I don't hear much about Boston as a high-end job center, I don't hear much about Boston in general - I don't follow sports at all though.

And on this ultra North American focused urban forum, Boston just doesn't come up at all. But it's one of the nicest cities on the entire continent. It's not even very small if you take NYC out of the comparison.

I'm not from Boston, I never lived in Boston, I don't have a girlfriend or wife or whatever from Boston, it's just something I noticed.

[badrunner]

Originally Posted by park123

lol at the Singapore photos. Why the heck can't we build stuff like that in the USA?

We do. It's called Las Vegas.

[park123]

Originally Posted by badrunner

We do. It's called Las Vegas.

Uh, maybe things have changed, but last time I went to Las Vegas I got the feeling that the entire city was made of plastic.

[badrunner]

I mean, the most recognizable building in Singapore is literally owned by the Las Vegas Sands corporation

[The North One]

Originally Posted by park123

lol at the Singapore photos. Why the heck can't we build stuff like that in the USA? We struggle to put together a Hudson Yards, about as anodyne an urban upscale mall as you'll find.

Singapore is an authoritarian society that's probably why they can get flashy things built.

[park123]

Originally Posted by suburbanite

On the original topic, I think Boston might be a good choice. Late 90's & early 00's cinema blessed the city with some great appearances in Good Will Hunting, The Departed, Gone Baby Gone, Mystic River, etc.

If you extend the timeline back then maybe Tokyo as well? I wasn't around but I feel like Japan had a bigger presence in the Western mind back then with the fear that they were coming to dominate tech and automaking. Also before the 21st century it was likely the developed city in East Asia in the mind of most Westerners. The rise of Shangai, Beijing, Seoul, Hong Kong, and others has likely lessened that singular focus on Japan/Tokyo despite still being the largest city in the World.

The one thing that Japan still has is a sizeable subset of Westerners still fascinated with a cult-like obsession of Japanese culture.

Moscow had a lull on the international stage between 1991 to 2010 ish, but Putin has brought them back into the limelight.

Yeah Japan is like the poster-child for dropping off the radar, at least relatively speaking. It's been one long, slow, but unrelenting decline since the 1990 peak.

Japan in 2000 was already not what it was in 1990, but it was a lot more in people's minds than Japan in 2010. And so on with Japan in 2020. Going forward forever I imagine, with their now rapidly shrinking workforce and eviscerated consumer electronics industries.

Fun fact - Japan's relative GDP actually peaked in 1996, when Japanese total GDP was 75% of America's GDP. Not GDP per capita. Total GDP. Now it must be more like 30% of American levels.

[Yuri]

I don’t agree about Singapore. They’ve actually been slightly increasing their presence, with their always growing airport and pushing tourism more aggressively. Kuala Lumpur, on the other hand used to get more press.

Hong Kong also lost some ground with the rise of mainland Chinese cities.

[Yuri]

I also disagree about Japan. The number of tourists visiting the country jumped from 6 million mere 10 years ago to 30 million today.

Their soft power had never been so strong and Tokyo’s appeal as a cool destination is everywhere.

[park123]

Originally Posted by yuriandrade

I also disagree about Japan. The number of tourists visiting the country jumped from 6 million mere 10 years ago to 30 million today.

Their soft power had never been so strong and Tokyo’s appeal as a cool destination is everywhere.

You know where else gets a lot of tourism in Asia? Thailand. Bali too, for a small island.

Japanese pop culture influence peaked in the 90s. Jpop is a sad shadow of its former self. Japanese street fashion peaked in the early 2000s. These days its mostly back to black hair and conservative dark colors. Not much disposable income for brand items either.

Now South Korea, a country with less than half of Japan's population, has a much larger pop culture presence than Japan.

[Handro]

Originally Posted by The North One

This topic is kind of a mess, there's no way to possibly quantify this so it's just a feeling.

I guess my nomination is Dubai. It felt like Dubai was pushed everywhere from 2005-2009. Now it's relevance seems to be non-existent other than being a tourist stop, I guess it was all manufactured hype in the first place and was never going to last long. There was no substance to it all.

Yes this, haha. But anyway....

I feel like Chicago has lost a significant amount of cultural cache in the past 25 years, considering it was once truly the "second city." LA really took the crown in the 80s/early 90s and once the MJ Bulls broke up, Chicago didn't really have much on the national stage anymore. I suppose if you're heavily involved in finance or consulting worlds one would have a different view, but most people aren't.

Boston had a real moment in the 2000s, both with their insane success in sports and with several major movies set there. "The Departed", "The Town" "Ted", "The Social Network", "The Fighter" (just off the top of my head). Despite being much smaller than Chicago, Boston I think lives in this cultural lane of the "not New York or Los Angeles" city.

But now there are so many metros that draw interest. It's really New York, LA, then the rest. Seattle, Chicago, Boston, Miami, San Francisco, Denver, DC, even Austin and Portland, all exist on a similar plane in the average American's head.

[iheartthed]

Tokyo doesn't seem under the radar at all. It has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Instagram era.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by Handro

Yes this, haha. But anyway....

I feel like Chicago has lost a significant amount of cultural cache in the past 25 years, considering it was once truly the "second city." LA really took the crown in the 80s/early 90s and once the MJ Bulls broke up, Chicago didn't really have much on the national stage anymore. I suppose if you're heavily involved in finance or consulting worlds one would have a different view, but most people aren't.

Boston had a real moment in the 2000s, both with their insane success in sports and with several major movies set there. "The Departed", "The Town" "Ted", "The Social Network", "The Fighter" (just off the top of my head). Despite being much smaller than Chicago, Boston I think lives in this cultural lane of the "not New York or Los Angeles" city.

But now there are so many metros that draw interest. It's really New York, LA, then the rest. Seattle, Chicago, Boston, Miami, San Francisco, Denver, DC, even Austin and Portland, all exist on a similar plane in the average American's head.

SF and Miami are definitely not on the same plane as Denver, Austin, and Portland. Miami is one of the most visited places in the world.

[Yuri]

Originally Posted by park123

You know where else gets a lot of tourism in Asia? Thailand. Bali too, for a small island.

Japanese pop culture influence peaked in the 90s. Jpop is a sad shadow of its former self. Japanese street fashion peaked in the early 2000s. These days its mostly back to black hair and conservative dark colors. Not much disposable income for brand items either.

Now South Korea, a country with less than half of Japan's population, has a much larger pop culture presence than Japan.

I’m not talking about tourism but about the huge increase in their numbers. In other words, Japan became much more appealing in the past years.

Moreover, GDP tells only part of history. Japan and the US, GDP per capita (PPP) wise, are on the same place today than they were in 1996. Back then Japan currency was inflated as their real estate market. For people daily lives, nothing changed compared to other developed countries.

[Yuri]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Tokyo doesn't seem under the radar at all. It has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Instagram era.

That’s what I’m talking about it. Mere 10 years ago, nobody had even a mental image of Tokyo. Today, it seems everybody wants to travel there.

I’d say only Berlin grew more than Tokyo in this area on the past 10 years.