# Most Monotone City?



## gonzo (Jul 30, 2006)

Europe-Toledo, Spain









Africa-Timbuktu, Mali









Americas-?...

Asia-?...

Oceania-?...


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## ozscorpio7 (May 6, 2006)

that has to be Guatemala city where i live , nothing but a big pile of cement , smoky , ugly many skyscrapers but contaminated as hell! I hate IT:scouserd:


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## Very Controversial (Dec 4, 2005)

Cities in the Middle East.


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## Super Hornet (Sep 10, 2006)

maybe those cities like pyongyang with their rows and rows of commie blocks.


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## wjfox (Nov 1, 2002)

Actually, I think Paris is fairly monotone.

I mean, obviously it's beautiful - but when you look at aerial photos there isn't much variety in the colour.

It's all creamy white buildings.


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## brisavoine (Mar 19, 2006)

Oh yeah, it SO monotone... Wjfox, sometimes your detestation of Paris is frankly ludicrous. Is it just that you're jealous that London is not as beautiful as Paris?


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## Forza Raalte (Sep 18, 2004)

Yeah, Paris was the first thing which came in my mind too. Most buildings do look like eachother in the center.

Timbuctu is much bigger than shown on your picture BTW but I doubt it is more diverse.

Most commieblock cities like Pyongyang, Murmansk, Vladivostok etc. are pretty monotone too. And I think cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix are pretty monotone too.


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## Canadian Chocho (May 18, 2006)

Managua, it can be a fun place but it's really just one big suburb:


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## gronier (Mar 2, 2005)

Sao Paulo, just a sea of boxes


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## wjfox (Nov 1, 2002)

brisavoine said:


> Oh yeah, it SO monotone...


Of course it is. Most of the central parts, anyway. Just look at aerial photos, or views from the Eiffel Tower and it's obvious. I never said it was a bad thing! I'm just pointing out that it all seems rather "white" compared with most other cities of its size.




brisavoine said:


> Wjfox, sometimes your detestation of Paris is frankly ludicrous.


Why don't you calm down instead of overreacting as usual. I've repeated time and time again on this forum that Paris is one of my favourite cities in the world. Why do you continue to insist that I "detest" Paris??




brisavoine said:


> Is it just that you're jealous that London is not as beautiful as Paris?


I've stated time and time again on this forum that I believe Paris is more beautiful than London. I know this, and don't have a problem with this. There are things in London which are better than Paris, and vice versa. I love them both.


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## will.exe (Aug 9, 2006)

I thought you meant "monotonous" as in a lack of night life, and so on. That title would definitely go to Flint, Michigan. 

But the most mono_tone_ has to be Athens, or any other city in Greece, with its perfectly white buildings.


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## wjfox (Nov 1, 2002)

Yeah, exactly. People should read the thread title - _monotone_, not monotonous :|


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## brisavoine (Mar 19, 2006)

Wjfox, all your posts for months now have been to hype London, and depreciate Paris. So please! Your pretending now that Paris is one of your favorite cities in the world is just a cover to hide your detestation of that city and your London-über-alles attitude, which is transparent from your many edits in various threads. It's like those racist people who pretend they are not racist because "look, my neighbor is black, and I like him very much, so how am I a racist?". It's easy to see through false pretense like that.


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## gronier (Mar 2, 2005)

Kabul


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## wjfox (Nov 1, 2002)

brisavoine said:


> Wjfox, all your posts for months now have been to hype London, and depreciate Paris. So please! Your pretending now that Paris is one of your favorite cities in the world is just a cover to hide your detestation of that city and your London-über-alles attitude, which is transparent from your many edits in various threads. It's like those racist people who pretend they are not racist because "look, my neighbor is black, and I like him very much, so how am I a racist?". It's easy to see through false pretense like that.


What on earth are you going on about? To my knowledge, the only way I've tried to "depreciate" Paris is by saying I'd prefer London to have the tallest skyscraper in Western Europe (London is my home city, after all). I've also talked about London being the greater financial centre, which is clearly an established fact.

Other than that, I'm genuinely baffled as to why you think I "hate" and "detest" the city - especially as I've been there twice, and both times it was the best holiday I ever had.

From first hand experience, I can tell you that Paris has better food and drink, better art galleries, better museums, better street life, a more exciting shopping experience, is far more beautiful and neatly planned, has wider streets and boulevards, a much denser and more impressive skyscraper cluster, a thousand foot tower from the 1870's, countless beautiful parks and walks and riverside views... I could go on.

After London, it's my #2 favourite city in the world.

Perhaps you're confusing me with somebody else? Or maybe you're overreacting a little to my first post in this thread...


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## gonzo (Jul 30, 2006)

Wow...Kabul needs alot more irrigation.


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## Canadian Chocho (May 18, 2006)

Gonzo, if you dont mind me asking, where are you from?


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## gonzo (Jul 30, 2006)

^I was born in Lima, Peru with Canadian/Peruvian dual citizenships. My father is Canadian , my mother is Peruvian....I grew-up mostly in Ottawa but have also lived in Dhaka, Bangladesh and Maputo, Mozambique.

...so, if I'm from anywhere, I guess it's Ottawa.


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## ZZ-II (May 10, 2006)

for me a really monotone city is a city without any interesting building


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## Very Controversial (Dec 4, 2005)

Taxco, Mexico?


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## wjfox (Nov 1, 2002)

SuomiPoika said:


> If this is true then how come London is your favourite city? You think Paris is better in almost every category and still concider London to be #1??


Well, that’s pretty irrelevant to this thread, but there are lots of reasons I prefer London.

In my opinion it's more energetic, more cosmopolitan, has a greater mixture of people and cultures, and feels more like the centre of the world. It has much better nightlife, absolutely tons of clubs and other venues, offers better salaries and job opportunities, a better financial centre, is more connected in terms of transport, and is more important in terms of sports, media and entertainment.

And whilst Paris is more beautiful and pristine, I think London has a greater _diversity_ in its architecture, with greater contrasts, more variety and more surprises to be found in its urban landscape. Plus I utterly adore its history and the legacy of things like the British Empire, the Victorians, Christopher Wren, Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, King Charles II, Henry VIII, World War II, Winston Churchill, the Swinging Sixties, the red buses, black taxis, etc.

And the fact that everyone speaks English also helps. 

London also has an amazing mayor, who is a tremendously good leader that I admire greatly and has been doing wonders for this city ever since he came to office.


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## Tubeman (Sep 12, 2002)

^
Bravo, Will :applause:

Couldn't have put it better myself


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## brisavoine (Mar 19, 2006)

^^Funny how most threads on this forum end up being hijacked by French-bashing English chauvinists. This is not an isolated case. Seriously, some people need to grow up.


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## Quall (Feb 15, 2006)

Buffalo, NY

Awesome city, though


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## gonzo (Jul 30, 2006)

I think central Paris is _reltively_ monotone, but not a candidate for Europe's most because, though the buildings _do_ match/coordinate, there _is_ contrasts between the roofs/walls/road (typically black/creamy white/gray).


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## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

brisavoine said:


> ^^Funny how most threads on this forum end up being hijacked by French-bashing English chauvinists. This is not an isolated case. Seriously, some people need to grow up.


I see no French bashing English chauvinists on this thread Brisavoine. In fact, the people you have claimed to be French bashers have said nothing but praise of Paris

What I did see was you freak out when someone suggested Paris is montone, despite the fact that it is.


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## eklips (Mar 29, 2005)

brisavoine said:


> ^^Funny how most threads on this forum end up being hijacked by French-bashing English chauvinists. This is not an isolated case. Seriously, some people need to grow up.



Seriously nobody was bashing Paris...


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## Peshu (Jan 12, 2005)

The only reason why Paris is quite monotone is because they had enough money to build a city center that is the envy of the world . It's as if every other city were only capable of building a few grand buildings mixed in with alot of cheap structures . Some think this mixture makes a city so interesting . Especially most people that live in other cities that are no comparison to Paris in its architectural beauty . 
Maybe it's just pure jelousy .


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## gonzo (Jul 30, 2006)

^ I'm actually a fan of cities with buildings that match/coordinate. I just can't stand it though when those buildings that 'match' are ONE colour, especially when that ONE colour is the same as the ground/street.

This is a "bread and butter" thing for me....structural details are icing on the cake.


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## rocky (Apr 20, 2005)

what about eastern cities like minsk or commieblock cities in russia


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## wjfox (Nov 1, 2002)

brisavoine said:


> ^^Funny how most threads on this forum end up being hijacked by French-bashing English chauvinists. This is not an isolated case. Seriously, some people need to grow up.


It's you that needs to grow up.


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## wjfox (Nov 1, 2002)

In fact, you can have a couple of days in the Brig.

I'm sick of your attitude, not just here but in other subforums too.


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## will.exe (Aug 9, 2006)

This thread has provided much entertainment for this casual Canadian outside observer.



wjfox2002 said:


> Actually, I think Paris is fairly monotone.
> 
> I mean, obviously it's beautiful - but when you look at aerial photos there isn't much variety in the colour.
> 
> It's all creamy white buildings.


What a civil, neutral analysis. I too noticed how mono_tone_ Paris is when I was last there, most visitors notice that. 




brisavoine said:


> Oh yeah, it SO monotone... Wjfox, sometimes your detestation of Paris is frankly ludicrous. Is it just that you're jealous that London is not as beautiful as Paris?


DETESTATION???? This is your rebuttal to "I think Paris is fairly monotone"??


I dont have to show where it went from there but...anyone from Toledo, Athens, or Siena want to accuse anyone of Spain-, Italy-, or Greece-bashing?


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## ROYU (Jul 19, 2004)

Lots of candidates there is
Athens, Greece.
Jerusalem, Israel
Some Middle East city
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Pyongyang, North Korea
And theres a huge list.


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## Oaronuviss (Dec 11, 2002)

Oshawa Ontario
hahahaha


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## Good (Jun 20, 2006)

Hmm, I may be wrong, but I have the feeling that all this fight about Paris-bashing is due to some linguistic misunderstanding. In French (I am French...), the word "monotone" has a pretty negative connotation. Actually, it's even a sort of synonym for "boring", "non interesting", etc. On the contrary, maybe in English the word "monotone" is a very neutral expression meaning something like "homogeneous", "harmonious". 
I am sure that's why Brisavoine started to feel offended when people said Paris was monotone, in French, this sentence actually sounds rather insulting...
Apart from that, I agree that the city center is very "homogeneous", but it's probably only due to the white colour of the stone and the grey-blue colour of the roof. Because otherwise, Paris can boast architecture from the Middle Ages until now: I dont think a city with Notre-Dame, the Marais, the Opera, the Pompidou Center, the Art Nouveau metro entrances, the Louvre and its pyramid, the Art Déco buildings in the west, the Eiffel Tower, la Défense, the villages of Montmartre and Ménilmontant, Le Corbusier villas and Jean Nouvel's art galleries can qualify as "monotone". It's mainly an impression caused by the general use of white and cream, which indeed give a sensation of harmony and blending.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

I look at both Paris and London as one of the most beautiful cities in the world but there is something about Paris I like.

Though Paris is definitely *not* the most monotone city, most buildings have the traditional French building architecture has been preserved though there are some that have been renovated giving it's interior a modern look. Despite having a few skyscrapers and modern building withing the city centre, the rest are built in suburban areas.


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## Quintana (Dec 27, 2005)

How about Sana'a?


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## will.exe (Aug 9, 2006)

Wow, Yemen has some very unique cities.


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## spongeg (May 1, 2006)

monotone seems to be taken as a negative

its not its just a description

its like saying chocolate is brown


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## gonzo (Jul 30, 2006)

Monotone, to me, doesn't simply mean "the buildings match"...If that were the case Prague 
















...could, arguably, be as monotone as Jerusalem








...which is far from the case in reality IMO.


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## PanaManiac (Mar 26, 2005)

wjfox2002 said:


> Yeah, exactly. People should read the thread title - _monotone_, not monotonous :|


*Both are one of the same. Monotonous is an adjetive of the noun monotone. In short, monotonous is to monotone what mountainous is to mountain, or monumental to monument. Boy, this explanation is rather, well, monotonous! *


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## gonzo (Jul 30, 2006)

Yeah, I thought _monochromatic_ would sound a little intimidating for the thread.


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## sbarn (Mar 19, 2004)

I'd say San Francisco is the most monotone (in color) city in the U.S.


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## drunkenmunkey888 (Aug 13, 2005)

im surprised no one has mentioned any chinese cities. the southern ones are alright but the northern chinese cities like Harbin, Qiqihar, Shenyang, Jilin, etc. are HIDEOUSLY MONOTONE!!! they are just a cluster of the ugliest, cheapest looking skyscrapers in the world surrounded by rows and rows of never-ending commieblocks all oriented in the same direction. I dont have any pics but google them or look for them on these forums n you all will know what I'm talking about. Truly the most atrocious looking cities on earth, especially Shenyang!


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## will.exe (Aug 9, 2006)

Panamaniac said:


> *Both are one of the same. Monotonous is an adjetive of the noun monotone. In short, monotonous is to monotone what mountainous is to mountain, or monumental to monument. Boy, this explanation is rather, well, monotonous! *


"monotonous" in English is used as an adjective to describe something or someone as being dull and boring. Yes its root is "monotone", but that word doesn't carry at all the same connotation. It is entirely neutral and subjective. Monochromatic would be a better term, though.


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## Darrell (Oct 22, 2002)

San Antonio, Texas, where I now live, has an amazing city center and beautiful Riverwalk but the buildings are fairly monotone in color.


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## PanaManiac (Mar 26, 2005)

sbarn said:


> I'd say *San Francisco* is the most monotone (in color) city in the U.S.


*Okay, I'll take the bait. Do you have a rational - visual or otherwise - argument to support that statement, or are you just vying (trollin') for attention? If the latter is true, you got mine. (Your) failure to respond will confirm my perception.*


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## wc eend (Sep 16, 2002)

i think a serious disscussion here is not really possible, since people don't understand each other by what is meant by 'monotone'. Nevertheless the first European cities that came up into my mind are Athens and Vienna.


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## wjfox (Nov 1, 2002)

Panamaniac said:


> *Okay, I'll take the bait. Do you have a rational - visual or otherwise - argument to support that statement, or are you just vying (trollin') for attention? If the latter is true, you got mine. (Your) failure to respond will confirm my perception.*


How is he trolling? SF looks very monotone to me.


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## NN (Jun 1, 2006)

Why can't people understand what monotone means?

from Collins English Dictionary:

tone [tEUn] noun: 
2 short for tone colour

11 the quality of a given colour, as modified by mixture with white or black; shade; tint
a tone of red

13 the overall effect of the colour values and gradations of light and dark in a picture

14 (Photog) a colour or shade of colour, including black or grey, of a particular area on a negative or positive that can be distinguished from surrounding lighter or darker areas

mono:

mono- or (before a vowel) mon- combining form 
1 one; single
monochrome
monorail

Therefore monotone means:

*ONE SHADE OR COLOUR*

*It doesn't mean boring.*


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## SOLOMON (May 18, 2005)

PARIS...so far.


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## gonzo (Jul 30, 2006)

^^In Europe?...or the world?


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## Marcanadian (May 7, 2005)

As far as North America goes, I think Washington takes the cake.


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## Anymodal (Mar 5, 2005)

Venice? take a peak at google earth.


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## Küsel (Sep 16, 2004)

I still think that places like Jerusalem or Sanaa should get the price... a city is not only buildings but also their environment, infrastructure etc. 

These places are settled in desert area and that colour reflects in the buildings which (geo-determind - sorry) are mostly or historically built with material of this region. 

Vegetation is rare and apart from some parks or plantations green is a rare colour.

Winds bring a constant sandy brown air to that places thus the sky is not always so nicely blue as in the one pic.

*So what can compete with Jerusalem, Sanaa and Co? *


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## brisavoine (Mar 19, 2006)

NN said:


> Therefore monotone means:
> 
> *ONE SHADE OR COLOUR*
> 
> *It doesn't mean boring.*


Definition from the American Heritage Dictionary:
*Monotone*:
Sameness or dull repetition in sound, style, manner, or color.

Definition from Merriam Webster:
*Monotone*:
A tedious sameness or reiteration.

For a large part of English speakers, monotone certainly means dull, boring. Make a search on Google with "monotone life", it returns 17,600 hits.


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## sbarn (Mar 19, 2004)

Marcanadian said:


> As far as North America goes, I think Washington takes the cake.


I actually disagree... as I mentioned earlier, I think San Francisco takes the cake in North America:


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## Küsel (Sep 16, 2004)

brisavoine said:


> Definition from the American Heritage Dictionary:
> *Monotone*:
> Sameness or dull repetition in sound, style, manner, or color.
> 
> ...


Yes, yes we know and at the beginning I also misunderstood, but I think in the meantime we all should know what this thread is about - even though some people still don't get the point. We are talking about COLOURS here and not DULLNESS!!


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## Petroshky (Dec 1, 2005)

Quintana said:


> How about Sana'a?


The color of the skyline may be monotone, but it is still a very pretty and unique city. The Old City of Sana'a was even designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.


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## Nivek (Aug 10, 2006)

sbarn said:


> I actually disagree... as I mentioned earlier, I think San Francisco takes the cake in North America:


wow...i didn't imagine San Fransico like that. Are those blocks, trees surrounded with houses to form a rectangle grid?


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## Giorgio (Oct 9, 2004)

Can you say sea of white?


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## Brendan (Feb 24, 2006)

Nivek said:


> wow...i didn't imagine San Fransico like that. Are those blocks, trees surrounded with houses to form a rectangle grid?


Goodness!!! I do certainly believe that I love that! It is completely organised, rectangles and rectangles! I love it! Goodness me.


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## brisavoine (Mar 19, 2006)

Nivek said:


> wow...i didn't imagine San Fransico like that. Are those blocks, trees surrounded with houses to form a rectangle grid?


That picture actually is just one part of SF, the Sunset district. The rest of the city is very different, with streets going up and down, and houses painted in all sorts of colors (SF monochromatic? yeah right!). Sunset is boring, but nobody goes to Sunset. Sunset is also covered by fog most of the year. That photo is quite unusual as there's no fog above Sunset. Personally, I wouldn't like to live in Sunset, but that being said, I must admit it's a place to visit. The dullness and foginess of the place, combined with the distant sound of the foghorn by the Golden Gate, makes it completely eerie and surreal.


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## AMS guy (Jun 27, 2003)

brisavoine said:


> Oh yeah, it SO monotone... Wjfox, sometimes your detestation of Paris is frankly ludicrous. Is it just that you're jealous that London is not as beautiful as Paris?


Hey mate, don't be angry. I think in this case he's right. Paris - by the way my city # 1 in Europe - is quite monotone as for colours of buildings. Most of them are made of stone and have "creme" colour. Even the famous monuments like Notre Dame, Grand Palais, Pantheon, Hotel de Ville have similar colour.

But I would rather call Paris "harmonious", as most people here willl think of "dull", seeing the word "monotone".

Central Amsterdam is also quite monotone, I mean the 4 historic canals within the city core. 
In opposite to Paris we have all buildings made of red brickstone, and most of them are painted dark. Also architecture of these buildings is more or less the same - late renaissance and baroque.


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## KIWIKAAS (May 13, 2003)

I would imagine that Australian and New Zealand cities would on average be among the least monotone urban locations on earth. There are very few neighbourhoods built with a standard architectural style. The level of individuality is very high with most streets having no 2 houses alike. Also the architectural influence from abroad is huge. Whether that be Victorian, Edwardian, American (the California bungalow was very popular in the 1920's), neo mediteranian, etc,etc.


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## AMS guy (Jun 27, 2003)

Does anybody have pics of San Fran's Sunset district from street level? Is it a residential area? I don't think it looks so flat and dull (yes in this case just dull) in real, like in this photo posted above. 

I wouldn't call SF monotone. Been there and saw many buildings painted in different colours. 
Aerial photos, especially from such height, will show all cities as monotone.



gonzo said:


> Monotone, to me, doesn't simply mean "the buildings match"...If that were the case Prague.


Prague monotone? What are you talking about? :dunno: 

Pics by sky's the limit




























This thread rocks! :lol:


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## LEAFS FANATIC (Dec 13, 2004)

As Giorgos displayed earlier, Athens is a sea of white for as far as the eye can see.

This is easily evident upon making the journey to the top of Mount Lycabettus in the city's center:


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## Nouvellecosse (Jun 4, 2005)

AMS guy said:


> Prague monotone? What are you talking about? :dunno:
> 
> Pics by sky's the limit


Oh my lord!! That's the gayest thing I've ever seen! :lol:


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## gonzo (Jul 30, 2006)

AMS guy said:


> Prague monotone? What are you talking about? :dunno: QUOTE]That's not what I said...read the entire post.
> 
> Nice pics btw.


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