How To Make Cities Beautiful Again: 7 Design Secrets

[@the_aesthetic_city]

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[@comment1014]

I really like your channel and I love the way you try to spread traditional architecture on social media to society. I just wanted to let you know from where I’m from in England they’ve just approved 6000 homes built in the traditional architecture and the building a brand-new village, you should check it out. It would be great for your content. Fareham Borough Council has approved plans for the construction of the new Welborne Village Centre in Hampshire.

[@Kaede-Sasaki]

Tokyo neighbourhoods might be a better model than NYC imho. In either case, I'd prefer not to need to dodge cars. Have the parking at the perimeter of the neighbourhood and have pedestrian only within the neighbourhood (≈3km²). I think also having an underground road for business deliveries or at least a trash suction pipe like Disney has would be good so no need for vehicles at all. Thank you for the video. 🫡

[@Kaede-Sasaki]

Disappearance protection

[@Kaede-Sasaki]

Error 404

[@carkawalakhatulistiwa]

With population collapse around the world. I doubt there are enough people to maintain this expensive infrastructure. Many beautiful villages in the mountains of Italy and Spain are empty and neglected.

[@adriandesauvanie]

What people (and architects) seem to forget, is that the original skyscrapers in New York were completely different than the glass and concrete boxes they associate with all of them today. These buildings still had decorative elements and a very clear entrance. It is so ironic that people (and architects) are led to believe that building with roots in the past is pastiche and attempting to copy the past, but building the exact same glass and concrete monstrosities everywhere is somehow progressive.

[@the_aesthetic_city]

Absolutely. The ‘old’ NYC had a totally different character as a result

[@unternehme]

This belief is the intentional product of the Athen's charter by Le Corbusier, where he dictated (because he formulated is as a commandment) that references to the past shall be "not tolerated". This rather authoritarian approach has become hegemonic in the architectural profession. Which however runs into the contradiction which you rightly mention, i.e. that copying anything before 1930s = pastiche. Copying post-1930s modernism = "modern" and "inspired". It is about time to tear down the invisible wall that modernist ideology has created and allow design to be free of invisible prisons.

[@andrewreynolds912]

That's why many hate skyscrapers because either their bad or it's just a'wful

[@RictaScale.Official]

The Woolworth building and Minicipal building are good examples.

[@theurbanistnetwork]

Agreed. A lot of those buildings were mass produced too. We just don’t seem to label them that way

[@fireflythinking1290]

In my city there is a giant exceptional medieval castle, surrounded by a parking lot... The city council decided to destroy it and replace it with a park, to pave the street nearby and add cycling lanes by 2025. It made me wonder how many more place were illogically designed like this in my city. It gives me such joy when I see cities planting trees everywhere, it changes the whole feeling of a street ! I also love cities that have big, gigantic trees in narrow streets, it's so magical ✨

[@JonZiegler6]

Which city?

[@fireflythinking1290]

@@JonZiegler6 Angers in France ^^

[@JonZiegler6]

@@fireflythinking1290 I have been so Impressed with city planning in france: Nantes is a truly wonderful city, and while it's small in population, it has amenities I'd say better than here in Prague. Lyon also impressed me. Although, as my friend said, "France is the height of civilization," and 1 Cafe Gaurmond is enough to convince anyone :)

[@fireflythinking1290]

@@JonZiegler6 Nantes is bigger than Angers and has a more industrial feel to it in some spots, so I like Angers better ^^. I hate sky-scrappers, I think there are totally unreasonable ahah, so I'm glad France doesn't have a lot of those. I've been to Lyon too and found it beautiful 😍. Also any big city separated by a river with bridges everywhere is nice. I really like the concept of walkable cities, it's so important to improve the quality of life and I think France does that well. I feel lucky to be french when I talk with my American friends here, who all want to stay in Europe 🤭.

[@woosix7735]

There is the same problem in Versailles…

[@billmiller4972]

One thing about removing cars from cities and creating spaces where people want to stay and spend money: - There must be more than Hookah-shops and betting/gaming places - The surrounding must be kept clean and safe.

[@the_aesthetic_city]

Absolutely. Safety, order and cleanliness are essential too. Unfortunately, those aren't really a given in many places anymore...

[@marciomartin7296]

Here in São Paulo the city center was converted in a pedestrian zone in the 80's and the result was and is a dead and unsafe zone. All the businnes flee and the residencial area became empty and impoverished. So the recipe need some adaptations.

[@timpauwels3734]

@@marciomartin7296seems like an important lesson that a city centre exists in a context. I suppose that the centre of a population dense medieval city can have its socioeconomic potential liberated by the removal of cars, while in a modern sprawling low density city that is car-dependent, simply pedestrianising the centre without doing something about the surrounding context will starve it.

[@billmiller4972]

@@marciomartin7296 There's no king's way to liveable cities. Too much cars is not good, no cars will not work either.

[@kulak403]

@@marciomartin7296 Which streets and which district are you referring to specifically?

[@engineeredarmy1152]

Imagine a world where we have beautiful cities with local architectures not just in Europe, but say Middle East, China, India, Ethiopia etc

[@Gelatinocyte2]

Japan and Singapore are there. Also, I thought China had beautiful cities?

[@engineeredarmy1152]

@@Gelatinocyte2 Everything's glass and skyscrapers. I don't think there's any city built entirely with traditional Chinese architecture.

[@Gelatinocyte2]

@@engineeredarmy1152 Seriously? That's your point? Then I guess you don't see the bigger picture. I don't remember which city exactly, but they have tramway networks, with double decker trams; they got nice streets. I don't think the point was "big skyscraper bad"; they do have a place, especially in places where space is precious (e.g. cities in the middle of a valley, or surrounded by nature you don't wish to destroy). Tall buildings are inevitable especially when density is the point of a city; that's why it's absurd when countries like Egypt or Dubai seek to build absurdly tall skyscrapers when they're already in the middle of a desert - exactly the place where space is the opposite of scarce.

[@Emppu_T.]

​@@Gelatinocyte2 china used to, but Mao's regime knocked it all down. Most of it anyway.

[@Gelatinocyte2]

@@Emppu_T. Uh, no. Dafuq you talking about? Hong Kong is still there. It's only recently that it's getting ugly ever since they try to be like America, building a bunch of multi lane highways; putting their train stations in middles of nowhere, just so they can have more generic condos.

[@RROO-qy8je]

Modernist architecture should already be considered old architecture. We've had the same modernist architecture for about 60 years now. For example Art Nouveau and Art Deco developed around the same time Modernist architecture has so they technically could be considered new modern architecture the same way modernist architecture is considered new. Art Nouveau and Art Deco are a great example of modern architecture using modern materials that looks good. Its very possible. And we live in the best times to do this. We are more advanced than ever and can build buildings twice as fast as we did in the past. There even are robots that can build detailed ornaments very efficiently. Going back in time to copy architecture isnt the best option but it surely is a great start. We first need to get used to classical architecture again and then continue from then on designing new architecture styles using modern materials and building techniques. This literally is how its been done all throughout history. They looked back at the previous architecture styles and improved them with new designs. But the main framework was the same which is what matters. The main design rule should be to use Classical proportions. From there on you can invent millions of new architecture styles. Maybe ive written too much but i hope people will get the point and will try to be more open minded about this topic.

[@the_aesthetic_city]

Thank you for this reply, I agree - there is so much possibility nowadays. Why not use that power, capital and technology to build more beautifully?

[@african8855]

@@RROO-qy8je I think you are right and make a strong argument. But I dont think we have to completely reject contemporary architecture. I think a lot of contemporary architecture is very beautiful and invokes emotional experience in a way is that traditional architecture does not, that is if its not just a glass box or some pretentious building ofcourse. So I see s role of both mordern architecture in our future as well as the traditional (beyond copying the past).

[@african8855]

@@RROO-qy8jeThe reason I think we should not just build copies of traditional architecture is while it is absolutely beautiful it does not reflect the modern world. But that doesnt mean we should not get inspiration from it. Have you seen some of the brick contemporary apartments that are build in Iran? I wonder what you think about it. Ive seen many positive reactions to those buildings but they are absolutely modern but also use traditional materials like bricks.

[@microcolonel]

Name something that is actually attractive about modern architecture... attractive to humans, not just architects. ​@@african8855

[@bahamut149]

@@african8855 we can do whatever we one nowadays. If you like post modern there are MVRDV, Foster , if you like classic then there are guy like Sebastian Treese. But one thing for sure when it comes to to skycraper classic style won't work.

[@kasnickijakub]

Why not have the huge golden statue? 😂

[@the_aesthetic_city]

Public art could have been number 8, in all fairness

[@taxevader4095]

@@the_aesthetic_city i would argue that buildings themslevs are public art, the public needs to see them and live in them every day

[@jakobresas3427]

That was a good laugh 😂

[@valeriemacphail9180]

????

[@MaticJ29]

King kong balls

[@themutable5684]

Another benefit of mixed-use areas is that steady activity levels around the clock mean there are always "eyes on the street", to pull from Jane Jacobs. This greatly improves the safety of the environment, as well as providing more opportunities for casual, spontaneous interactions.

[@sirrliv]

A prime example of this in my native land is comparing Austin, Texas, to San Antonio. Just 50 miles apart, these two cities are like night and day. Austin, especially in the past 10 years, has grown dull and soulless, throwing up tons of minimalist skyscrapers that it doesn't really need, with hip, trendy, generic businesses and bland apartment blocks making it feel like a game of Cities: Skylines. San Antonio has been able to hold onto its soul and identity by encouraging reuse of many older downtown buildings that preserve its historic architecture, and by redeveloping its riverside areas, not just along the famous Riverwalk tourist center, but along the whole length of its urban rivers to create attractive walkable areas that stretch deep into the quieter residential areas.

[@ElJefe3126]

And then you have Houston. Now, what is a city like if you regulate it so that it MUST have Gentle Density? San Francisco...beautiful, with homeless people defecating in the streets.

[@erine.5680]

Futuristic Art Nouveau rapidly becomes my favorite architecture for the future.

[@the_aesthetic_city]

I do hope Art Nouveau returns somehow

[@Haddaminb]

Here in New Zealand, our cities are run by NIMBYs who become councillors. Especially in Wellington. Any thoughts on medium density housing and pedestrian development is constantly shot down. Suburbs are the ultimate pinnacle of NZ urban design and the CAR is definitely KING.

[@user-gu9yq5sj7c]

Watch Not Just Bikes, Flurfdesign, and About Here.

[@JohnsonvillePoint]

There are some great community activism groups (mostly in the bigger cities), like Greater Auckland that promote good urban design and public transport.

[@Haddaminb]

@@user-gu9yq5sj7c yes I’m subscribed to not just bikes. Great channel.

[@ciro_costa]

band together with like-minded people and fight for your views on the councils.

[@ThsMe-eb9mr]

This channel is so amazing, actually showing cities that look good and why

[@carolus5409]

the principle of order in diversity, symmetry, green spaces and high density is the key to ensure a beautiful city, also the urban layout is a plus. Dutch cities look so beautiful just for practising those principles

[@the_aesthetic_city]

100%!

[@benoitm2810]

One of the keys is dimension stone. We say "pierre de taille" in French. It means carved/sculpted stone.

[@marcelmoulin3335]

Yes and... no. I delight in the many wonderful Dutch city centres that exude ambiance. The Dutch, however, destroyed so many old buildings in the last 40 years (particularly in the '60s and '70s). We see now that buildings erected in the last 30 years are going the way of the wrecking ball. I would prefer to see new development that is not just steel and glass-- inside city centres and outside of city centres.

[@woosix7735]

HUGE GOLDEN STATUES 💯💯 Seriously though, these things exist!

[@howelltaylor6774]

If "Aesthetic City" could be accomplished it would be a life well spent and a blessing to all humanity for hundreds of years to come. Those that have ruined many our beautiful cities must be stoped and rejected. That goes for tearing down old monuments as well. This is a great Channel with a great cause.

[@idab9958]

I have seen those hideous towers at 2:34 from my window every day for years, yet I still marvel at the fact that some architect really thought it was a good idea to build two gigantic termite nests in the middle of a city inhabited by humans.

[@pongop]

I understand! I often drive on the ugly stroads shown at 4:05 to 4:13.

[@SouvenTudu1]

😂

[@markholland7322]

And why not mention the investors who want to have as much return and always blame the architect as if that is some autonomous artist ? A bit like blamimg the nursery for growing the trees that create the leafs in autumn. Architecture is designing what the client wants to built.

[@lugi25]

True, those are hella ugly. Like just build art nouveau or art deco/streamline moderne buildings.

[@balsarmy]

I think the word that explains it best is "home". You need to feel that buildings and details of the city are made for you, that they are friendly and someone really designed them for you to see and enjoy. Open spaces mean it was made for crowds, not for you as a person. Actually business center can be minimalistic. Minimalism has its aestetics that goes from Wall street minimalism, clean costumes and effective work without distraction. But it is not right to put minimalism everywhere.

[@TheImmortalArt]

Great video Aesthetic City! You should write a book about these things. (:

[@the_aesthetic_city]

I should!!

[@TheImmortalArt]

@@the_aesthetic_city I’m glad you thinking about it … d:

[@bobtaylor170]

This is one of my three or four indispensable KZbin channels.

[@Zenas521]

@@the_aesthetic_city Make that a text book for school and a coffee table book for home.

[@BuildNewTowns]

@@bobtaylor170 What other top KZbin channels do you like?

[@Gelatinocyte2]

2:14 perpetual shadows are pretty desirable for tropical/equatorial cities like Metro Manila for example (you have no idea how hot the sun gets here, even in the cooler seasons). For areas without tall buildings, let alone a dense number of them, this is where trees come in handy.

[@the_aesthetic_city]

Agree - it depends on the climate! In hot climates, you’ll see narrow streets with lots of shadow, like Italian / Moroccan towns. Thanks for the comment!

[@taal223]

Trees also drastically reduce the average temperatures in cities.

[@taal223]

Actually, pretty much all of these ideas would reduce pollution and heat retention as a side-effect.

[@jelsner5077]

You're fast becoming my favorite channel.

[@tanjavanderknoop8497]

Nice that you mention green. It needs to be of good quallity, well maintained but than it really adds to liveable cities.

[@streetscaping]

A transformation in architectural education is essential. Architects aren't being taught to design beautifully, not only that, they are being brainwashed into criticising those who aspire to build new traditional architecture.

[@the_aesthetic_city]

Fully agree!

[@mrman5066]

I'm excited that more experienced people are talking about this! I've been thinking about this for a while. I'm going into.college now, but if I ever do architecture it won't simply be from a degree because from what it seems like right now it's all corrupt. So I'm going into civil engineering and then maybe I can learn architecture myself

[@Emppu_T.]

It sounds very communistic

[@mrman5066]

@@Emppu_T. tradition is transcendent above both communism and capitalism.

[@andrewdebner7057]

As an architect, you don't need to convince us! Convince our clients!

[@Standard_Issue_Pedestrian]

This video is such a great condensed version of all the things that excite me about urbanism. And you touched on it briefly at 10:15, but it'd be great to see more examples of 'beautiful, classic architecture' outside of Europe. Love the channel!

[@LordManer]

Architects need to see this

[@alexanderballard6062]

Thanks!

[@JonZiegler6]

Another great thing about mixed use is that it gives opportunity for small businesses. The rent for these spaces in my building for the commercial spaces is low enough that 1 year of rent is about 6 months of average salary. Knowing you can try a new business without a high capital expenditure is huge. It also means a greater diversity of businesses and not just chain stores

[@odd-ysseusdoesstuff6347]

Many homes here in the Philippines follow the American Sprawl since the 90s, with gated communties that are guarded and are only for housing, with no room for businesses or offices. Because of this, people had to commute via car, and most homes are empty by midday. This is one of the reasons why there is a higher level of crime in subdivisions rather than the houses outside it. It is because there are less people in subdivisions to keep an eye on the surroundings. One perk of mixed use is that there are more people around. And if you made friends in that mixed used neighbourhood, the less thieves or criminals enter houses and cause nuisance!

[@feyenoordsongs3882]

Build beautiful again!

[@BuildNewTowns]

👏 Yes!

[@Natlar]

It is always a joy to see you have new videos

[@the_aesthetic_city]

Thanks so much! That is always so great to hear :)

[@kenntonmoran]

I'm really into urbanism and all of your videos make me feel like in the future I could implement a lot of your points in my community. This one is simply perfect. Greetings from Guatemala.

[@ShoelessMeg]

Under #6 I would add whimsy. Turning a corner and coming across a mural, painted transformer box, or painted piano can be an unexpected delight that creates a draw to go wander around an area.

[@bomcabedal]

I think you overlooked a critical element: colour. A variety of coloring, even subtle, helps hugely to make a city approachable. This is why modernist but also neo-neoclassicist architecture can feel so sterile when it's all in the same hue. Conversely, a couple of years ago the mayor of Tirana, the Albanian capital, initiated a campaign to paint the formerly drab housing estates in the city in bright colours, and it made a huge difference.

[@eazydee5757]

In Alexandria’s Old Town in Virginia, the city pedestrianized an area of King Street close to the waterfront, and it’s actually a pretty nice place to be, perhaps even more nicer than it would have been when it had cars running through it. The combination of nice historic architecture with pedestrian spaces is a thing that is pretty rare for most American cities. I would like to see the same in nearby places such as Annapolis and Baltimore’s Fells Point neighborhood in Maryland, where there’s lots of nice historic architecture, but little to no pedestrianized streets.

[@machtmann2881]

Having grown up not too far from Old Town, it is always viewed as a tourist destination by locals and living there is only for wealthier residents. It does not have to be that way but it is too rare not to be at this point.

[@JonZiegler6]

I think what they did in Rosslyn is a much better example of cresting an area that people can live, work and have fun in one space. Also, I don't think you need to pedestrianize Fells Point, I mean, it's quite walkable, better would be proper public transport (trams). The great thing about trams is basically by default, you remove cars either by eliminating parking, making those streets less desirable for cars, or making streets 1 way or prohibited for cars. There are 0 pedestrian streets in my neighborhood of Vinohrady, and it excels in all the points mentioned in this video...

[@arkalonn]

babe wake up, new aesthetic city upload‼️

[@the_aesthetic_city]

🔥🚨

[@Frostbiker]

Meme comments are as bland as modernist architecture.

[@arkalonn]

@@Frostbiker what did I do

[@SouvenTudu1]

😂

[@SouvenTudu1]

​@@the_aesthetic_city😂

[@patriot9487]

I'm early. Keep it up! Your video's are all great.

[@the_aesthetic_city]

Thank you!

[@lmlm_]

Sir, what does “I’m early” mean?

[@Tiogar60]

I'm easily getting addicted to this channel. Keep it up!

[@johnnycomelately6341]

Never stop on this quest of yours, it is so valuable.

[@the_aesthetic_city]

Thank you!! I will never stop this quest. Never

[@marcelb-xc3wb]

I'm quite interested in promoting livable, walkable cities, and this video offered a good framework for thinking about them. Thank you!

[@sprezzatura8755]

It's worth mentioning that human beings behave better in beautiful surroundings.

[@markholland7322]

And thats why there is no crime in historic Amsterdam .... 😂

[@Alanboss777]

​@@markholland7322 is there?

[@fueyo2229]

​​@@markholland7322 Definitely less than any US city. We forget in Europe that the worst areas in Europe (Moldavia) have half the crime rate than the US median crime rate. No one said beautifulness is the only factor.

[@s.tunafish]

Its always so great to see you videos. It gives me hope for the future and especially for myself, because I want to study architecture in the future (probably 2 years from now). So thank you very much :)

[@squeeler1598]

Im in my second year of studying social geography and urban planning (sociale geografie en plannologie) and ive honestly learned more from this video about how to make cities a more liveable place than during my months of studying. This was what i hoped to learn about. You make amazing stuff, keep it up!

[@JuanPerez-qd1ir]

The height of a building is also determined by the climate, in tropical hot places we need shade through the day, specially at noon, so taller buildings are needed to provide shade and lower the temperature, 10 - 12 stories are great

[@Beautiful_Doors_of_Sweden]

Hm interesting. But what about Greece, Italy and such countries. They hade lower buildings. And why not just plant trees?

[@JuanPerez-qd1ir]

Those countries are not hot, i’m talking tropical, near the equator, full sunlight and hot all year around countries.

[@Beautiful_Doors_of_Sweden]

@@JuanPerez-qd1ir Oh ok :) but what about Thailand then. And trees must help a lot too, less cars and other stuff. Why is higher buildings needed. Just for the shadows?

[@JuanPerez-qd1ir]

Thailand is one of them, trees are great to provide shade specially if they are very tall, short trees not that much because the surrounding areas are exposed to sun making the shaded area hot still, but tall buildings give the best shade, the area of the shade is a lot bigger therefore gives more comfort and cools the street even more

[@davidmorris8319]

​@JuanPerez-qd1ir there is a stark difference between shade from trees and buildings though. Buildings radiate heat, while plants absorb them. Shade from trees is always cooler than shade from buildings.

[@GiselleBel]

What an absolutely brilliant video! It delights my heart and my soul. Just imagine the reduction in stress when our built environment is pleasing and agreeable (I loathe glass boxes).

[@carlitoxb110]

I don't understand the hate for the skyscraper, I think it has a place and a function on making a city look stunning

[@benclark1482]

This channel gives me hope

[@damiano_ferraro]

Please don't stop, keep up the good work!

[@the_aesthetic_city]

Thank you, I will soldier on 🙏🏼

[@ephix238]

you are doing gods work, this is the most objectively correct channel about building socially i have seen yet, thank you.

[@mhug162]

Crazy how accustomed we've become to bad city design. This is a must share!

[@AstridRohan]

This channel encompasses ideas I've had for a while but couldn't put a voice to. Modern cities are overtly hostile. When you walk down the sidewalk headed anywhere, on both sides of you are walls of featureless concrete with no embellishment, and what scant few alcoves there are are perfect hiding spots for criminal activity to take place. I actually think the hostility of modern buildings is partly why suburbs are so attractive. What do you see in American suburbs? Restaurants, bookstores, trees, parks. All the visual warmth you don't get from the core of cities.

[@alexanderrotmensz]

This video is incredible. You covered so much quite effortlessly. Keep it coming!

[@the_aesthetic_city]

Thank you!!

[@halnineooo136]

Ce serait génial s'il était possible de monter des projets en crowdfunding pour construire des petites villes complètes ! Il faudrait commencer par trouver des élus locaux interressés par de tels projets qui peuvent initier une modification conséquente des règlements locaux d'urbanisme

[@Game_Hero]

Pour les avoir, il faut voter pour eux

[@halnineooo136]

@@Game_Hero Ce n'est pas faux mais c'est peut-être plus simple de commencer avec ceux qui sont déjà là

[@CalebThornhill]

Once again, outstanding content! The good, the true, and the beautiful materialized in a wonderful channel full of edifying content

[@luxushauseragency]

It's music to our ears! Well done.

[@pastapleton9844]

Great video. Let's hope that we can get back to making cities like this the norm again some day. Keep up the great work

[@RROO-qy8je]

0:55 Actually thats very true. Sure Skyscrapers can house more people but a ton of space is wasted since you cant have Skyscrapers too close to each other because sunlight wont reach the lower windows. Cities should have buildings that are tall enough to house as many people but short enough to let sunlight reach the ground floor windows.

[@jonathanjones3126]

I could handle 100 story mega towers as long as their is plenty of green space around the building and easy access to good mass transit and basic services.

[@RROO-qy8je]

@@jonathanjones3126 Thats a very dumb statement. Just because there is green space doesnt mean the whole idea is climate friendly. Glass skyscrapers are bad for birds and they even melt cars in the summer. If you wanna be enviromentally friendly then go all the way. The most enviromentally friendly way to build is out of natural materials and like you said adding green spaces aswell. Is it more expensive and harder to build? Yes. Is it the best build technique for the enviroment? Also Yes. We sadly cant have both. You can build as many skyscrapers with plants on them as you want. But there still will be a better alternative for the enviroment than that.

[@jonathanjones3126]

@RROO-qy8je where did I say I would want a wall of glass. Those natural materials don't last. My goal would be buildings that are designed and built to last 100 plus years with very little maintenance needs. Also build the towers so that they are sound proofed and have excellent thermal insulation and are designed for humans to live in. I would want to use as little space to house humans to maximize space for wild nature outside the city. I would also want at least a mile of trees and grass and play areas surrounding each building. Some people think they can force people to live like cave people to "save" the environment, people aren't going to do that. Build in a way to stop sprawl and loss of farms and wild habitat.

[@RROO-qy8je]

@@jonathanjones3126 Do you seriously associate natural materials with caves? Also how come all the 1000 year old buildings are All made of natural materials? Skyscrapers with green spaces in between is very wasteful because its not like those green spaces are actual forests that support any biodiversity. Its just dead space with a few trees plopped onto it. If we make all our cities sprawled like this we would eventually have no more space left on this planet. We need a balance. Dense cities sepparated from big open nature filled with wildlife. Nature cant live along humans. Now when i say dense cities i dont mean Kowloon walled city type cities. Like i said before we need a balance in everything. Just dense enough to maximize the use of space but not too dense where its basically a slum.

[@jonathanjones3126]

@RROO-qy8je matierals like Adobe weather badly in wet environments. You don't find old Adobe buildings that where left unattended where rain could get them. Yes you find old ones under cliffs and in caves but nowhere else. Parks and green spaces aren't dead, they are safe spaces where humans can enjoy themselves. If you want large forests and other wild areas you need to stop suburban sprawl, medium to low density buildings won't help in the long term. You can build large dense areas that are nice to live in, it cost more money but is very doable.

[@catchcato]

Bring back classic buildings!

[@johnross278]

Only thing I can say to you is: THANK YOU! Keep up the wonderful revolution.

[@danziger9996]

One of my favourite KZbin channels! Keep up the good work!

[@fasdaVT]

with how hot this summer's been constant shade sounds great.

[@MM-NolascoPH]

Thank you so much for creating these videos. If I have a big excess money and power and company to make another new city, I would go back and learn a lot from your videos. Thank you so much!

[@kimjunjae]

Could you make a video showing some of the new styles you mentioned ? I'm very curious to see what they could look like

[@the_aesthetic_city]

Sounds like a good new video topic!

[@benandolga]

It is weird that in California the place where is a lot talking about global warming , ecology etc hate trees a lot especially owners of apartments! They constantly uproot trees and remove shade when it is hot here

[@Earth098]

Excellent content! Keep up the awareness!!

[@kikirowy]

Fantastic video, I agree on basically every idea you pointed out because for me it's just so logical. But I know there a lot of people who don't even think about how their cities are planned and constructed and they don't think how they should demand these changes from their local goverments/municipalities. I really think this video is super educational and informative (alongside all your other stuff) and should be played in elementary schools at least throughout Europe and USA 👌

[@gugapereira00]

Very good! Let's make our cities beautiful again!

[@sgtkasi]

Basically, if we want good, beautiful, liveable cities again, we've gotta remove the cars.

[@Beautiful_Doors_of_Sweden]

well at least to some degree yes.

[@rosverlegaspo6752]

The topic of this video reminds me of the channel Not Just Bikes. It does seem to be that beautiful towns and cities are places designed for people. People enjoys beautiful stuff so places for them to enjoy are made beautiful too. And when those place for people to injoy includes the streets and outdoors, then they are made to be beautiful too. A place designed for people are beautiful places. That leads to what I believe is the biggest reason why cities are ugly, and specifically lacks personality and the human quality, is because they are designed for cars. Parking lots are the quintessential example and probably the most inhuman location ever. It is so unwelcoming and devoid of life. Practically a desert of bland concrete. Why? Because they are for cars. Cars don't care about beauty. Cars have no life. Places designed for cars don't need to be beautiful. A city for cars is a city without life and beauty.

[@mintberrycrunch1752]

I love traditional European architecture, and like you said I think that places should use local architecture styles to give a sense of home to its residents. But here in the US, we have very little to no unique architectural style, so how would we densify architecturally without engineering firms deciding to go with badic modernist blocky 5 over 1 apartmemts? I would love if we could just borrow styles from Netherlands, France, etc but there doesnt seem to be much of a push for it here

[@SP95]

To help Americans feeling less remorseful on that topic we have to remind ourselves that the European style itself could be traced back straight to Egypt. Early New York gothic/eclectic skyscrapers the likes of those from Louis Sullivan or the Chrysler building were off a good start when it comes to tall metropolitan areas. Louis Sullivan actually designed his very own style of ornamentation that could not be found back in Europe; it is just a shame that one of his famous student threw a tantrum. Now on the more common 5 stories tall buildings, they still hold some potential as we have entered into the composite facades era, it would just require to remove those ugly panels and replace them with any carved style we'd want. Also, there is an American company called Monumental Labs currently using automation to drastically lower the cost of sculpted stone.

[@fueyo2229]

America does have local styles. Look at how the cities were in the 1900s, Neogothic style from that era could be considered the local American style

[@stefand1614]

Would you consider making a video about what principles a classical apartment is built on. Say, what are the five details you look for in the lay-out of a good designed apartment? The same thing in the lay-out of the residential area. What are the five things/principles that should be considered when building a residential area. I am looking for ideas I can have when trying to assess an apartment or a residential area.

[@markholland7322]

And especially interesting would be what the difference is between a classical designed apartment and a modern designed apartment- is there resl design difference or just a small differences between the fashion of adornment

[@Freedom_iwant]

The channel i needed.

[@cerulmeualbastru]

A superb video that made me question deeper a huge source of dissatisfaction in my life which is the city I live in, unfortunately. Good luck on your journey to enlightening more and more people about these fundamental aspects of a life worth living.

[@SisterSunny]

your videos are always such a joy to watch!

[@the_aesthetic_city]

Thank you!! Happy to hear, doing my best :)

[@jzk2020]

I gotta agree.... Really good video. I'll be following your advice when we build our micro city.

[@hamzaraof]

you can't imagine the eagerness with which I wait for your videos!

[@the_aesthetic_city]

Thank you!! Doing my best 🙏

[@brandonleahy84]

Excited to see my two homes of Boston and Amsterdam featured so prominently in this video! De twee steden zijn erg gezellig.

[@ProLeopardx1]

Malmö is gorgeous in the summer if any of y’all get a chance to go.

[@o2kala649]

In Ontario Canada, the Toronto area is a great example of how unnecessary residential towers are. The skyline is mostly low at 2 storeys with random punctuation of 30 storey towers. Instead of shooting for a prevailing height of 3-7 storeys as this video suggests. The all glass residential towers will have bad future consequences. We recently experienced a huge 100 year rainfall that cut power to the towers. Without elevator people couldn’t go up or down.

[@edim108]

Recently been to Riga and that city is a great example of both great and terrible urban planning. The Old Town and the surrounding Center district with its Art Nouveau buildings are a great example of what good city planning looks like. You just can't help but want to take a stroll and look at all the beauty around you, and maybe step into a local cafe while you're at it. Hell, even a lot of the Soviet Era blocks have charm and character and a lot of them are actually decently planned with mixed zoning and good public transit access. But there is also a lot of bad, souless, terribly designed dead spaces of city blocks where it honestly feels like limbo most of the day bc there's nobody around but a couple passing cars...

[@the_aesthetic_city]

Would love to visit Riga- the Baltics have some beautiful cities. But yes, even the most modernist developments can sometimes do a lot of things right and truly feel nice - especially when they are very green and not too spacious, more ‘cosy’ (hard, but it does exist). If all factors are right but the architecture, there’s still a chance it works. But it gets so much better with nice architecture

[@ncpurge789]

Indonesia should learn from this

[@oscarchew7688]

Cayala is a good reference, a place that is orderly, clean, easy to navigate, safe and with beautiful architecture in the middle of the chaotic city of Guatemala. I really like that place.

[@skaboodlydoodle]

I'm not an architect, but I am a concept artist. Just from aesthetics alone I think one aspect of beautiful cities and places that not enough people notice or talk about is this: Break up the lines The entire modern world is constructed of rigid straight lines. All modern buildings are literally just a series of boxes. You want to make a place beautiful? Break up the lines. Break up the monotony. Introduce curves and flows and arches and curls. Introduce filigree and embellishment. Also add vertical to the walking space. I always find winding pathways that slope upwards or downwards or short rounded stairways so fun to explore. No it's by no means the most efficient but the whole idea of a pleasant place to live is that it's NOT hyper-fixated on efficiency. You want to make good living spaces? In my opinion the focus should be on making things "Fun" and "Cozy". I actually think radical, abstract building shapes are good, it's just that modernism contorts them into visages that are agressive and offputting.

[@coolsteven2]

Love the video. Talking about gentle density from a US perspective, we literally haven't been allowed to do organic growth in a century through strict zoning that hasn't been updated in decades. Now we have people acting like the apocalypse is coming because a 5-story building is being built near them. These people will crawl through glass to shut down any new construction near them or in their city. I think the skyscrapers are actually a symptom of this strict zoning. Manhattan (I grew up in NYC) has pretty restrictive zoning and rules so there's a lot more pressure to make the limited plots you can build on as productive as possible. (Think of a circus balloon, when you squeeze one end, all the air gets pushed to the other end). Talking about ped & cycling safety, it's the same story as I mentioned above. Private vehicle use has been marketed as better and policies over the decades have insured that it is prioritised above all else. We now have a built environment that makes private vehicle use almost a necessity. So, when proposals come along to give some attention to other neglected road users, people have meltdowns.

[@daved4572]

Your videos are the best. I wish my local area could design with these principles

[@enderofruina2973]

8:47 5: Japan does some spectacular mix use zoning. It's not perfect, but it's definitely a spectacle.

[@thedesignalley4665]

Lovely & very informative!

[@GirdsHerStrength]

We could use some of these ideas in Vancouver and surrounding areas. Especially gentle density. Lately we seem to get a lot of “violent density.”

[@YakoutB-z6l]

for sure make the course.

[@edspace.]

Not to mention there is room in the Modernist form for beautiful designs, Gaudi's famous Sagrada Familia Cathedral for example. Or if on a lower budget there are Albania's Colour Blocks, I remember Michael Palin meeting the planner behind them, since on the one hand they wanted the old "Commie Blocks" renovated as they were not only a depressing eye-sore on the city but also a reminder of Enver Hoxha and his regime, but also they hadn't got the budget to rebuild the neighbourhoods and this one planner was in the meeting and looked through his daughter's colouring book and it came to him, we can't rebuild them but we can paint them. So they bought paint and painted the buildings in unique colours so as to increase the vibrancy, street life and sense of community which had somewhat broken down in the areas, and it worked, as people felt more connection with their home now it had a bright colour.

[@JodeTheGamer]

Extremely important video.

[@jahy-k4464]

Love your videos! i have one question: are you getting some videos from stock footage sites or filming everything yourself? and if so which stock footage site are you using? :)

[@puddinggeek4623]

excellent video as always. Very interesting, keep up the great work.

[@daveweiss5647]

I don't know... huge golden statues would be pretty cool too....lol... GREAT VIDEO THANKS!

[@MsBridgesSocial]

A course? YES!

[@lifefaithworks]

i love this channel 😩

[@Kaede-Sasaki]

What are your thoughts on each megablock (a city block that is 3-4× the size, not the offbrand lego 😋) being a mixed zoned open air mall that opens to the inside, with elevated pedestrian walkways and bridges over other and the ground pedestrian walkways? The same decor would be used to ensure the outside faces arent just concrete block.

[@Kaede-Sasaki]

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[@Kaede-Sasaki]

Disappearance protection

[@pongop]

Shout out to Fresno, California! There's are a few shots of stroads in Fresno. Shaw, Blackstone, and I think the intersection of Shaw and Blackstone.

[@bart_u]

Beauty matters! So let's build beautiful ♥️⛲

[@solarissv777]

If only beautiful could be affordable...

[@bart_u]

@@solarissv777 oh it can be, absolutely.

[@anonymouslyopinionated656]

11:15 - 11:20 I'd really like to see a video on these topics... the extent 'traditional' elements can be adapted to modern, high density/high rise (think developing megopolis, not rich european town), and examples of modern, non-traditional (art-deco doesn't count) beauty that still hits aesthetic and ornamental boxes.

[@chaunsaedyson1928]

I have a genuine question to ask do you talk about attractive cities that don’t have anything to do with Europe or European architecture because I would like to see some more of that content from you if you were able to make it