I developed this theory when I was in Italy, I was wondering if people thought it was accurate or not.
I noticed that European cities had much more atmosphere to them than Australian cities. And that Europeans tended to go out alot more than Australians. I attribute this in part to the architecture of the cities in which we live.
In Europe, the housing is dense, so there is a much greater concentration of people than in most Australian cities. As a result, the space in which Europeans live is much smaller than in Australia. This concentration is usually due to historic reasons, ie greater protection from attack if places were clumped together. Anyway, as a result of this lack of space, people tended to want to stay in their houses less and go out more, so that creates this atmosphere. It also means its much easier to get around, as everything is closer together.
In Australia, conversely, we all have whopping big houses with big backyards, so we tend to go straight home after work and relax at home. We usually drive because of the distances involved, so that reduces human contact even further after the working day is over. Entertaining is usually done at home, and going out is not as common, perhaps partly because of the expense of the mortgage. The result? Europeans go out much more than Australians (certainly in my experience anyway) and are much more social.
But it seems things are changing in Australian cities now. I was reading about the densification of the central areas of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Perhaps this is a response to the sterility of the anonymous suburbs.
So my question to you is this: would you rather have a small apartment in a busy place close to restaurants, cafes, markets, etc etc etc or would you rather live out in the sticks with a big house and big backyard?
From my point of view, I think the densification of our cities is a good thing. I don't really share the Aussie dream of owning my own home; I'd be happy to rent my whole life. If I were to design a city in Australia from scratch, I would have an area adjacent to the CBD with dense housing, where would be located the university, markets, museums, etc etc.... and I would have this area cut off from traffic. Public transport in the form of an underground would be the preferred mode of transport, which would be more viable due to the increased proximity of everything.
Thoughts?
Sbagman.
I noticed that European cities had much more atmosphere to them than Australian cities. And that Europeans tended to go out alot more than Australians. I attribute this in part to the architecture of the cities in which we live.
In Europe, the housing is dense, so there is a much greater concentration of people than in most Australian cities. As a result, the space in which Europeans live is much smaller than in Australia. This concentration is usually due to historic reasons, ie greater protection from attack if places were clumped together. Anyway, as a result of this lack of space, people tended to want to stay in their houses less and go out more, so that creates this atmosphere. It also means its much easier to get around, as everything is closer together.
In Australia, conversely, we all have whopping big houses with big backyards, so we tend to go straight home after work and relax at home. We usually drive because of the distances involved, so that reduces human contact even further after the working day is over. Entertaining is usually done at home, and going out is not as common, perhaps partly because of the expense of the mortgage. The result? Europeans go out much more than Australians (certainly in my experience anyway) and are much more social.
But it seems things are changing in Australian cities now. I was reading about the densification of the central areas of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Perhaps this is a response to the sterility of the anonymous suburbs.
So my question to you is this: would you rather have a small apartment in a busy place close to restaurants, cafes, markets, etc etc etc or would you rather live out in the sticks with a big house and big backyard?
From my point of view, I think the densification of our cities is a good thing. I don't really share the Aussie dream of owning my own home; I'd be happy to rent my whole life. If I were to design a city in Australia from scratch, I would have an area adjacent to the CBD with dense housing, where would be located the university, markets, museums, etc etc.... and I would have this area cut off from traffic. Public transport in the form of an underground would be the preferred mode of transport, which would be more viable due to the increased proximity of everything.
Thoughts?
Sbagman.
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