I don' think they do. Most people I know that visit big cities like NYC and Chicago it's the firt thing they take pictures of. But when they get back home, they are glad to be home. Nice to visit, not as calming to live in. Or around.
If you are going back 3 years, I am talking about the last 50. Before we get totally OT you should re think your comments on talking about the city I grew up in.
I think this statement actually makes more sense than the title of the thread. Why should Switzerland, one of the weeniest countries in Europe, suddenly spring skyscrapers into its skyline, based on its role as a financial centre, when some of the bigger surrounding European countries largely don't bother with them. London has them (another financial centre) but not that many and they aren't really that high.
Or maybe the fall of the auto industry, or more specifically Detroit's problem with it, is a result of the same philosophy that put skyscrapers there in the first place. That is beleiveing in an all or nothing approach, go big or don't go at all, rather than going for a more diversified approach on a more human scale as European cities do.
Well, let me see. Real estate owners are people too. But it is people who make the regulations in Switzerland. If the people wanted higher and higher buildings you can bet money there would be a referendum.
I love converted industrial buildings into housing. There just aren't so many here to convert I don't think. Personally I'd love to live in this one in Geneva:
People "from Europe" don't have a resentment against tall buildings. In fact there are plenty of cities with tall buildings. They just tend to be much much much bigger than Geneva or Zurich, which as was said above, are in fact small towns in comparison.
you are the lucky one. First year I arrived in geneva, my apartment is directly facing the tram line. terrible noise. after a year, the building owner wanted to renovate it. I had to move to another one, which unfortunately is next to the airport. the noise was even worse. I have many friends who can tell horrible stories about their housing hunt. I came from a developing country. If I just compare my housing condition, Switzerland is horrible
There are several areas in Geneva where this is happening, or about to happen.
There's plenty of land, but there are rules about what can be done with it. Thank goodness.
This is a much better solution to the problem, re-using buildings rather than using valuable open space for new-builds. And any harmful industrial polluants are always cleared before the buildings are converted.
Well, then you were lucky at home because I doubt most people in China live in housing that is up to the standard compared to most people in Switzerland.
You see how generalizing and translating from what you had "at home" doesn't help?
I lived for two years in front of a rail line, the sounds just get blurred out. I've lived in SZ canton where, there is no noise. Except the sounds of ever changing tunes of goat bells, All Day, All Night, WTF? And the sweet smells of freshly pureed, sifted, and sprayed all over the fields of manure, that smells like ammonia or Lysol, which is probably ammonia based. Along with that came an army flies, and horse flies. So it depends on what you think is horrible.
Moving around alot? I have moved 16 times in the last 14 years, but I am still alive. I lived in big cities, next to them, in the suburbs, in the country side. I have seen small towns expand overnight to massive apartment and small skyscraper structures, and I have this to say. It's a calmer way of life when not everything is packed all into one spot, but one can find something to complain about in every living situation.
The fact is spending a few trillion on skyscrapers isn't going to solve the housing problem, because when you make it easier for more people to move to big cities, that offer better services, and more importantly higher paying jobs, 2 or more for every person you try to house will also come for that better way of life. And if for some reason that in the beginning would push down rent, the idea for some one to make better wages in a big city, and have cheap or affordable rent is too enticing for others to make the move there, and then forcing rates to go back up. This is has been well proven for the last couple of centuries.
If the Swiss really appreciates a calm life, then stop allowing immigration. It is so immoral to attract high paying jobs and then artificially limit housing supply to keep rents high
The Swiss government is not the super landlord of Swissdom. Nor do they have a one touch ability to control housing. I see no immoral act on how each city decides to tax their residents, and how you feel adding skyscrapers is the solution to keep this country morally correct.
If you feel like comparing China, a country that mows down poor people's neighborhoods, without having a solution on where they are to go, to build these ghost cities, is a moral alternative...
And that's not all, each country and each city in the worlds has it's own issues on how they became very populated, and how they dealt with those population problems. You are arguing against immigration because the act of allowing people into the country, without enough accomodations, is some evil plan. But the fact is a lot of immigrants that are coming to Switzerland are from Germany or other european countries without massive skyscrapering skylines, and they seem fine with it.
What works in developing countries doesn't mean it will work in a developed one, with a 1000 years of building and managing how it's people live experience. It might not be your cup of tea, but calling your host's evil cause they let you in for a better way of life, and un doubtably higher wages then where you left(maybe that is a stretch, but quite possible), you also want them to artificially suppress the cost of housing.
Why u are ignoring the fact there are many people complaining about the housing situation here? Maybe you are satisfied, but please do not ignore the other people who suffer from the housing problem. Just do a quick search on this forum, you can see how many complaints about it.
Maybe you are enjoying your high salary and your high standard Swiss living standard. But please at least show some sympathy for people who have difficulty finding affordable housing here. PLEASE
I've often wondered if all those people with "million dollar views" disliked skyscrapers supposedly because they "ruin the view" or if it was because it enabled more people to enjoy that view and thus ruin their exclusivity. I don't buy the "I like a view of Nature".
Also, if skyscrapers were led to their logical conclusion, they'd replace all existing buildings in a certain perimeter whilst incorporating horizontal access between floors, under and over ground, from top to bottom (see Montreal's underground city). It'd be a huge saving in land usage for constricted towns...