# Best *Compact* Skylines



## Sarcasticity (May 21, 2005)

Skyscrapercitizen said:


> ^^
> 
> These are all examples of not compact skylines...


True.

But he did mean the clusters themselves are compact, but not exactly what was asked by the OP. 

I think US cities in general are best examples of this as most skylines usually just have one cluster - even Chicago is just one big cluster as compared to London, Metro Manila, Bangkok, Hong Kong etc


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## 1Filipe1 (Jul 13, 2012)

Sarcasticity said:


> True.
> 
> But he did mean the clusters themselves are compact, but not exactly what was asked by the OP.
> 
> I think US cities in general are best examples of this as most skylines usually just have one cluster - even Chicago is just one big cluster as compared to London, Metro Manila, Bangkok, Hong Kong etc


i like it like that, i like 1 specified downtown or center city, then from their spread off to low rise and regular houses, and if you split new york, you can also consider ti by midtown then lower manhattan


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

Skyscrapercitizen said:


> ^^
> 
> These are all examples of not compact skylines...


Like I said, the skylines in each cluster in Metro Manila are compact especially with Makati, The Fort and Ortigas.

This is Makati, Metro Manila's main central business district. And yes it is compact










The fact Singapore was mentioned here but the skyline itself is not compact.










And no doubt it is compact.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

1Filipe1 said:


> i like it like that, i like 1 specified downtown or center city, then from their spread off to low rise and regular houses, and if you split new york, you can also consider ti by midtown then lower manhattan


This does not work in sprawling cities like Los Angeles. Though LA would have a main downtown and have various CBDs in other areas like Century City for example.


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## Redkey (Mar 25, 2011)

Regina is really compact for a city its size


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## nameless dude (Dec 16, 2008)

Manila's the absolute best of everything eh :lol:


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## diz (Nov 1, 2005)

Portland, OR


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

nameless dude said:


> Manila's the absolute best of everything eh :lol:


To me, life here is the best.


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## Manitopiaaa (Mar 6, 2006)

Panama City, Panama about 2 years ago. It's even denser now. Sometimes there's too much compactness in my opinion


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## desertpunk (Oct 12, 2009)

Downtown LA's skyline is fairly compact:


the city over the hill! by © Making Images | °L.A., on Flickr

As is Denver's:


Downtown Denver, Colorado, USA by Deep Fried Photography, on Flickr


Paradise City by Deep Fried Photography, on Flickr


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## Dimethyltryptamine (Aug 22, 2009)

Brisbane has a fairly compact skyline/CBD. It's bound by parks, gardens and a river, resulting in one of the smallest CBDs in the country in terms of land area.









http://www.flickr.com/photos/picturethisballooning/7588105826/sizes/l/in/photostream/








http://www.flickr.com/photos/picturethisballooning/7588106206/sizes/l/in/photostream/








http://www.flickr.com/photos/picturethisballooning/7588106920/sizes/l/in/photostream/


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## weava (Sep 8, 2007)

someone on the first page mentioned KC, which has a compact downtown office cluster, but overall our taller buildings are spread out over about 5 miles


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## EywaEywa (Feb 12, 2012)

*Karawaci, Indonesia*

Karawaci, a small township in Java, Indonesia. Developed by private management. Karawaci is the one of so many new township in Indonesia, like Alam Sutra township, Gading Serpong township, Summarecon Bekasi township, etc. All of those new township born in a last decade, developed by private, in compact concept. Perhaps a compact skyline


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## Major Deegan (Sep 24, 2005)

Those Brisbane aerials are beautiful. 

Would it be fair to assume that, as a rule, *the capitalist model** favors compact CBDs* with taller buildings erected on the most expensive available land?


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## 7kuna (Mar 6, 2008)

I like Melbourne skyline.


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## DZH22 (Aug 9, 2009)

Boston's financial district is pretty compact



















Although the main part of the city is actually 2 skylines right next to each other, so slightly less compact overall


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## eccentricy (Apr 4, 2005)

wow! korean cities are so futuristic and beautiful..



skyscrapercity said:


> Busan, Heaundae area
> 
> Picture by 캐논
> 
> ...


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## Legomaniac (Jun 30, 2012)

All those skylines you guys are pointing out seem normal to me. Except for Busan, which actually does compromise a bigger skyline behind it, there's a sort of compact skyline within their original. Places i would actually consider as "compact" would be one such as:

Moscow, Russia








Picture by PBCH.

Zapopan, Mexico








Picture by lamc60.

I can't think of others, perhaps Frankfurt from some angles could be an option too.

*note that non of those cities are from my actual country


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## Fab87 (Jul 16, 2008)

Busan kind of scares me. Futuristic, but a-la-blade runner.


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## Legomaniac (Jun 30, 2012)

Fab87 said:


> Busan kind of scares me. Futuristic, but a-la-blade runner.


you know which skyline scares me? that short future mecca skyline. The current project that id barely being build just makes me wonder soo much hno:

With respect to the people btw...i only mean the project.


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## Bannor (Jul 23, 2011)

Eyes up for Binhai New Area in Tianjin and Qianhai in Shenzhen too


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## I(L)WTC (Jan 30, 2010)

Buenos Aires Downtown 
















Creditos a Maxem


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

Knitemplar said:


> Makati is OVERLY congested; more so than compact. The Ayalas tried to cram in as much as they could before Ortigas/Pasig and Alabang would become the new hi-rise centers as well. The Ayalas did not learn or didn't care to learn from the mistakes of the older parts of Manila...which is why Ayala Avenue & Makati is as polluted and congested as the older parts of Manila. The Ayalas got too greedy.


Pollution within Makati CBD has improved as with various urban developments.

Yes it is dense and congested but the CBD itself give you a feel of a mini Manhattan or a Manhattan like atmosphere in South East Asia or even The Pacific Islands.

But again, isn't this the same with other Metro Manila CBDs such as Ortigas?

In fact it resembles a North American downtown, one of the few in Asia that has that feel other than Central in HK or Raffles Place in SG.


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## Kristian_KG (Apr 9, 2008)

IBC Moscow


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## wespje1990 (Apr 23, 2012)

moscow cbd looks stunning


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## hingpit1984 (Dec 22, 2008)

Love those collection of glassy buildings.


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## ZZ-II (May 10, 2006)

xronis99 said:


> DUBAI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/8368116088/lightbox/


Dubai is very stretched, not really compact


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## ZZ-II (May 10, 2006)

What about Frankfurt?


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## haikiller11 (Aug 11, 2009)

No way ^^


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## Dimethyltryptamine (Aug 22, 2009)

Small ≠ Compact


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## Knitemplar (Aug 16, 2008)

Frankfurt? Well, NOT with the gigantic pic u posted.


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## Dimethyltryptamine (Aug 22, 2009)

Even still, in terms of skyscrapers - Frankfurt is neither dense, nor compact. How 'compact' a city is, should be a combination of density, height and size. Not just a couple of skyscrapers.


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## Kristian_KG (Apr 9, 2008)

*Paris has 3 compact skyline!!* 

*1. ???*









*2. la defense*









*3. les olimpiades 13 paris district*


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## alheaine (Jan 11, 2009)

isaidso said:


> Almost every city in Australia, Canada, and the US has a compact skyline. It's a rarity to find one that's scattered.


^^
kay::yes: these countries' cities really does..


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## I(L)WTC (Jan 30, 2010)

Buenos Aires CBD


Maxem said:


>


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## Core Rising (Jan 4, 2011)

Charlotte


Charlotte Skyline by corerising, on Flickr


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## L.A.F.2. (Jun 26, 2012)

^^ Charlotte is magical in person. I saw it once at night heading from Atlanta to New York by train, and I absolutely loved it. At the time, I didn't even know what city it was, just that it was so beautiful.


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## ThatOneGuy (Jan 13, 2012)

Paris has a huge skyline, not so compact.

1.N'Djamena, Chad
2.Minneapolis, USA
3. Moscow, Russia


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## Highcliff (May 4, 2006)

wwwooww....
I liked these skylines...
paris, frankfurt, moscow, buenos aires, charlotte....:master::master:


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## JayT (Sep 11, 2002)

Best ones I can think of - *My Opinion:

Europe - La Defance (Paris)

Asia/Oceania - Singapore (CBD section)

North America - Charlotte NC - This is a hard choice and with cities like Houston, Los Angeles downtown, Calgary and Columbus with its who's who of architects however I chose Charlotte as I like it's modernity and shape.

South America - Rio de Janeiro - (Centro)

Africa - Cape Town - Seems both Johannesburg and Durban have spread well away from their respective CBDs and now cannot be classified as compact. No other cities in Africa apart from Nairobi really come close


*Your opinion may be different and that's great


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## haikiller11 (Aug 11, 2009)

London Canary Wharf is one of the best compact skylines imo ^^



















P/s: my photos


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

Nice shots! ^^


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## Eric Offereins (Jan 1, 2004)

A very nice cluster , but no special designs.


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## J349 (Feb 7, 2013)

haikiller11 said:


> London Canary Wharf is one of the best compact skylines imo ^^
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Really good shots there, dude!



Eric Offereins said:


> A very nice cluster , but no special designs.


You wait a couple years


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## OtAkAw (Aug 5, 2004)

I think these are pretty compact:

*Sydney*


Sydney Skyline by jgreenman, on Flickr

*Calgary, Canada*


Calgary Skyline by Julia_Koch, on Flickr

*Los Angeles*


Downtown LA, Skyline with snow capped mountains by STERLINGDAVISPHOTO, on Flickr

*Paris *La Defense


La Défense by urb_mtl, on Flickr


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## datoriprogram (Sep 21, 2009)

Moscow would probably get my vote  But New York downtown is really compact aswell, you just don't think about it since it covers such a big area.


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## Marsupalami (Jan 29, 2009)

*Cape Town*
Deffo the best example in Africa!!


Cape Town CBD & Harbour by Schalk Marais, on Flickr


Cape Town CBD by Ihsaan Adams | Photography ©, on Flickr


Cape Town CBD by jeremyhughes, on Flickr


My favorite view of Cape Town. Cape Town. South Africa 20101211 by gimmenine, on Flickr


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## wespje1990 (Apr 23, 2012)

oh come on


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## mexico15 (Jan 21, 2009)

SHHH SHHH SSHH... Panama!


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## wino (Sep 8, 2009)

my favorite compact skyline is Seattle.


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## tita01 (Oct 21, 2011)

Green Separation by ERIC OEBANDA, on Flickr



Metro Manila compose of diff. cluster of skyline

-bgc
-makati
-ortigas
-manila bay area
-sm bay area
-binondo
-alabang
-quezon city (other parts)
-eastwood


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## guy4versa (Nov 19, 2011)

i know manila have many cluster..but it has nothing to do with "best compact skyline"


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## BK81 (Feb 7, 2013)

The only Asian city that comes to best, small compact skyline is Singapore, which I think is the best in the world. Moscow is another small compact skyline that is pretty nice. 

In the states I would put Houston up there togheter with LA and SF.


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## tita01 (Oct 21, 2011)

guy4versa said:


> i know manila have many cluster..but it has nothing to do with "best compact skyline"


makati cbd


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## tita01 (Oct 21, 2011)

Nairobi



tallglassy said:


>


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## guy4versa (Nov 19, 2011)

tita01 said:


> makati cbd


can u post that photo?


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## Vrooms (Mar 4, 2010)

guy4versa said:


> i know manila have many cluster..but it has nothing to do with "best compact skyline"


+1:cheers:


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## Marsupalami (Jan 29, 2009)

wespje1990 said:


> oh come on


^^^^^^
Whats this supposed to mean. Cape Town is widely regarded as a compact CBD. dont be a knob


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## Tokyo/Manila (Dec 2, 2012)

guy4versa said:


> can u post that photo?



Makati CBD, Metro Manila

*Makati up close*







[/QUOTE]


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## tita01 (Oct 21, 2011)

guy4versa said:


> can u post that photo?





tita01 said:


> makati city maybe one of the world's most compact skyline


from air :cheers:



Vrooms said:


> +1:cheers:


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## guy4versa (Nov 19, 2011)

its feel very american...maybe the city grid make it so,i hope someday i can visit this wonderful city.


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## Dimethyltryptamine (Aug 22, 2009)

It isn't even that dense...


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

guy4versa said:


> its feel very american...maybe the city grid make it so,i hope someday i can visit this wonderful city.


Yes Makati CBD is more of a North American or an Australian CBD. 

It is the main CBD of Metro Manila and yes it is dense and compact.

Here are some photos I took @ street level,

1









2









3









4









5









6









7









8









9









10









11


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## haikiller11 (Aug 11, 2009)

Doesn't look American to me


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## calaguyo (Nov 28, 2008)

^Yeah, because the people in the photos doesn't look americans.

Lame remarks.


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## haikiller11 (Aug 11, 2009)

calaguyo said:


> ^Yeah, because the people needs to be white in order to become one.
> 
> Lame argument.


Seriously man, Makati is more like Singapore. It doesn't have that American Grid layout. It doesn't have American architecture or American planning or what ever American.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

haikiller11 said:


> Seriously man, Makati is more like Singapore. It doesn't have that American Grid layout. It doesn't have American architecture or American planning or what ever American.


Both Makati and Singapore CBDs have more of that North American feel compared to other CBDs around Asia. 

In terms of layout and density, yes.

But it's more the *feel of this CBD itself*. And definitely it feels like a North American downtown.

The fact I do frequent trips to The United States particularly NY and SF.


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## haikiller11 (Aug 11, 2009)

Manila-X said:


> Both Makati and Singapore CBDs have more of that North American feel compared to other CBDs around Asia.
> 
> In terms of layout and density, yes.
> 
> ...


Downtown Singapore does look a little bit like an American downtown, just a little bit.

Let's compare a little bit.

This is Makati









Now let put it against a classic North American skyline, Toronto

Toronto by mighty_maxican, on Flickr

Just because you pack a bunch of skyscrapers together doesn't mean you are American.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

haikiller11 said:


> Downtown Singapore does look a little bit like an American downtown, just a little bit.
> 
> Let's compare a little bit.
> 
> Just because you pack a bunch of skyscrapers together doesn't mean you are American.


I'm talking about *city-scape* itself and not it's street layout or pattern.

In Asia, there are three cities that have the cityscape of a North American downtown and these are Manila (Makati), Singapore (CBD) and HK (Central).

Let's take some Asian CBDs for example

Kuala Lumpur City Centre
http://www.globalphotos.org










You can see some space between buildings. Same case with Pudong in Shanghai and other featured CBDs here










Shinjuku in Tokyo










Sathorn in BKK



















Along Jalan Thamrin in Jakarta










These CBDs do not have the cityscape as the former three mentioned. 

Some parts of Central in HK is the same but in the heart of the district, around Pedder St, it has a feel of a North American downtown where you have bustling streets with shopping centres, bars and other various eateries.










As with Singapore's CBD










And Makati CBD in Manila


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## L.A.F.2. (Jun 26, 2012)

^^ Great shots. I've never liked Manila's skylines or buildings, but from street level I'm quite impressed. :cheers:


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## Knitemplar (Aug 16, 2008)

Manila-X said:


> Y
> 3


Y r all those exposed electric posts and wiring still there? I thought the Ayalas in their planning, got rid of all of those already?

Parts of Makati feel American because of the architecture. But a lot of the Makati avenues are not in straight boxed grids. They bend and wind, and thus avoid the box-like look of No. American cities. But I am really disappointed with Makati and the Ayalas. I think they just crammed too much in that little space. At least there's more open spaces between skyscrapers in Ortigas (which lacks a lot of greenery) and Alabang. The Manila of old had many beautiful trees; but the Ayalas forgot that...which is odd considering how beautiful they made Forbes Park.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

L.A.F.2. said:


> ^^ Great shots. I've never liked Manila's skylines or buildings, but from street level I'm quite impressed. :cheers:


I actually like Manila's skyline. More impressive compared to many great skyline cities out there though I'm not going to mention which one.

Even Makati alone can create an impressive skyline for Metro Manila.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

Knitemplar said:


> Y r all those exposed electric posts and wiring still there? I thought the Ayalas in their planning, got rid of all of those already?
> 
> Parts of Makati feel American because of the architecture. But a lot of the Makati avenues are not in straight boxed grids. They bend and wind, and thus avoid the box-like look of No. American cities. But I am really disappointed with Makati and the Ayalas. I think they just crammed too much in that little space. At least there's more open spaces between skyscrapers in Ortigas (which lacks a lot of greenery) and Alabang. The Manila of old had many beautiful trees; but the Ayalas forgot that...which is odd considering how beautiful they made Forbes Park.


Note that Makati was *developed earlier* compared other modern CBDs in Metro Manila. Even Ortigas still has the overhead wires. 

But the newer ones such as Global City or Filinvest City have it's electricity underground. 

Yes Makati, does not have the grid as N.A. cities but it's cityscape still resemble to the latter.

Ortigas is also already cramped.


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## Vrooms (Mar 4, 2010)

*Singapore*

Singapore 2013 by woOoly, on Flickr


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## Tokyo/Manila (Dec 2, 2012)

Hongkong very very very very dense and compact



desertpunk said:


> HK


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

Here are some night photos I took with Makati CBD.

12









13









14









15









16









17









18









19


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

Tokyo/Manila said:


> Hongkong very very very very dense and compact


Dense, yes but compact, no!

Though it is compact to some extent let's say HK Island. 

But high-rise density has also spread to Kowloon and The New Territories.


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## CarltonHill (Dec 11, 2011)

*Makati, PHL*


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## Dimethyltryptamine (Aug 22, 2009)

not enough makati tbh.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

Seriously there are too many Makati posts in here concerning skyline.


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## red_eagle_1982 (Jan 24, 2009)

As for Singapore, perhaps the iconic skyline of Singapore taken with the Merlion and the Fullerton from the Bay would make it look "compact" but Singapore is much from sprawling than that view.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

red_eagle_1982 said:


> While there is really just one Makati CBD, the Makati skyline almost always include the Makati Ave cor Kalayaan Skyline (including Century Properties), the Rockwell Cluster, the buildings along Pasong Tamo and the other surrounding areas of the CBD.
> 
> If we are going to be strict about it, perhaps, the Ayala/Makati CBD would constitute a "compact" skyline, but the Makati Skyline, for me, aren'ts just those buildings in and around the Ayala Triangle.


It is usually Makati CBD that is referred to as the "skyline". Though both Rockwell and Century City can create compact skylines within their areas.


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## wino (Sep 8, 2009)

well "REAL" compact skylines are usually the smaller ones...


@Manila X - enough of Makati already...


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## wino (Sep 8, 2009)

Manila-X said:


> *Problem is we cannot stop those who keep posting images of Makati though I discourage people who post flood this thread with images* of the said area.
> 
> 1 to 5 images is enough.



uhhmm... excuse me...

wasn't it you who has been posting too much pictures???????
:nuts: :nuts: :nuts:


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## wino (Sep 8, 2009)

red_eagle_1982 said:


> Perhaps, certain angles would give the impression that they are compact but IMHO, camera angles is kind of not the point of the thread.



hmmm.. but angles is really important in pointing out the compactness of a skyline..

example Seattle. 










at a different angle..


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## IFeelShort (Jan 20, 2011)

WTF how has the KOWLOON WALLED CITY not come up!
All major cities should have something like this where they send all of their 'undesirables' 
This sh*thole had a 3.2 million people/ sq. mi. density! To compare HK as a whole had a 17k/sq. mi. density!
smh


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## wino (Sep 8, 2009)

wow.. gives "compact" a new meaning... lol

but is that real??


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## IFeelShort (Jan 20, 2011)

wino said:


> wow.. gives "compact" a new meaning... lol
> 
> but is that real??


Yep, and it got so bad in there that they had to blow it up sometime in the 90s.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

wino said:


> uhhmm... excuse me...
> 
> wasn't it you who has been posting too much pictures???????
> :nuts: :nuts: :nuts:


Then tell that to the other forumers here as well especially those who post various image of The Makati skyline.

At least mine isn't repetitive and that I only posted cityscapes and that all of the photos I posted were taken by me.


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## Bannor (Jul 23, 2011)

Oh my, that Kowloon "block" looks like it is falling apart. In what terms of "bad" do you mean though? Bad as in air quality and hygene? Or bad as in crime? Or all of the above ++?


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## Dimethyltryptamine (Aug 22, 2009)

It had to do with hygiene. The walled city had surprisingly low crime rate (even after 30 years of Triad occupation and prostitution, gambling and drug use) with the majority of its residents living peacefully within its walls. In the end it was the sanitary conditions that saw it pulled down in '93.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

Dimethyltryptamine said:


> It had to do with hygiene. The walled city had surprisingly low crime rate (even after 30 years of Triad occupation and prostitution, gambling and drug use) with the majority of its residents living peacefully within its walls. In the end it was the sanitary conditions that saw it pulled down in '93.


That is because it's residents formed patrol teams to check the areas.


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## red_eagle_1982 (Jan 24, 2009)

wino said:


> hmmm.. but angles is really important in pointing out the compactness of a skyline..
> 
> example Seattle.
> 
> ...


That's why I don't consider it a "compact" skyline. True compact skylines are those that do not depend on angles to give it an impression of compactness, IMO.


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## red_eagle_1982 (Jan 24, 2009)

Take LA, for example. 










From any angle, its compact.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

I really like Downtown LA's skyline the fact you these skyscrapers 700 ft and above surrounded by a sea of low-rise.


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## Dimethyltryptamine (Aug 22, 2009)

Sydney. It's a dense, compact skyline from most, if not every angle.









http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5892339015/sizes/l/in/photostream/








http://www.flickr.com/photos/abirkill/3508671652/sizes/l/in/photostream/








http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/8483508547/sizes/l/in/photostream/








http://www.flickr.com/photos/frabber7/4840688558/sizes/l/in/photostream/








http://www.flickr.com/photos/theheiwa/8389474310/sizes/l/in/[email protected]/








http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigbro69/246179864/sizes/l/in/photostream/








http://www.flickr.com/photos/kokkaing/8169625368/








http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5892896326/


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## Tokyo/Manila (Dec 2, 2012)

^^ crikey awesome shots


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

How about Melbourne? Isn't it compact as well?


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## Dimethyltryptamine (Aug 22, 2009)

To an extent, yes, but it'd more fall under the 'dense/compact from _some_ angles' category.


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## wino (Sep 8, 2009)

red_eagle_1982 said:


> Take LA, for example.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



LA only looks compact because of it's very small size.. look at the spaces in between those few buildings... 
it's not the angle this time, it's the illusion of "compactness" because of size and surroundings.. :lol:


I've been to downtown LA.. it's street views are very underwhelming.. not really compact at all...
If it is compact, it would look half the size it is right now... 


on the other hand.. street wise.. TORONTO is one of the most compact downtowns I have ever seen.
It definitely belongs to the "compact" category.


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