Skylines

Many modern cities tend to look the same these days. that isn't to say that all cities have to exact same features because there are obvious landmarks that are present in some cities that are not present in others. Consider Seattle's Space Needle or the Gateway Arch in Missouri. However there are differences in the way that European cities look in comparison to American ones.

The Skyline of Amsterdam
One of the most predominant differences that can be seen at first glance is that European cities appear to have fewer numbers of skyscrapers and other buildings that stand out from the skyline. Take for example this skyline of Amsterdam as compared to the skyline of New York City. The skyline of Amsterdam is dominated by much lower and more compacted buildings. The density of European cities is greater than that of American cities. That is not an indication of population but of the proximity of buildings. this has a lot to do with the age of the cities in question. American cities tend to have many more higher buildings but they are of an entirely different feeling from those in Europe.

Now then consider the appearance of a city like Munich, Germany as compared to New York City. The differences are aesthetic as well as architectural. The similar color scheme and construction style that can be seen on many of the buildings is indicative of a European city. It is very rare that you will see such similarities in an American city. The cities in Europe look as though they were planned at more or less the same time, whereas the American city looks like something that just got thrown together as money for various building projects was obtained, which is pretty much how it did happen or at least in terms of the contemporary look of cities. Munich is not the only place you can see this type of planning. Consider also the cities of Italy, or Denmark where cities retain the Old World charm which is absent in America.

This picture is of Toledo, Spain. Notice again the lack of "superstructures" as well as the closeness of the buildings. Also the aesthetic quality of the city is striking. The roofs all appear to be made of the same sorts of materials, if not the same color. The colors of the buildings themselves are the same if not similar. These cities are in direct contrast to a city like Chicago where it seems that a great portion of the buildings are skyscrapers.

A large part of me puts the differences in cities from America to Europe in terms of religion. The one thing you can clearly distinguish in the pictures of the European cities is the church. It looks as though the majority of the town sprang up around the church/cathedral, you can see the spires above everything else. However when you look at the skyline of Chicago its "steeples" are antennae not to mention the vast amounts of building which are way over the usual 4 to 7 story pattern one sees in the European city.