This photo could’ve been taken in Singapore, Dubai, Shanghai, Bangkok, Mumbai, Abu Dhabi, Manila, Seoul or Saigon. Clusters of titanic, impersonal super-structures have defined the look of expanding cities everywhere, but especially in Asia and the Middle East. If you ask me they deliver a gloomy, soul-less vibe.
In fact this photo was snapped in NYC — from a building on 10th Avenue and 41st Street, looking south. Much of the western region of Manhattan in the 30s and 40s from 9th Avenue to the Hudson looks like this. Good for “growth” and taxes, but it feels depressing and impersonal.
