> super dense cities like Tokyo or New York can feel suffocating. A lot of people can't bear it. The lack of green space, and the overcrowding of people and cars increases the stress levels by a lot.
I strongly suspect when people say that, they're thinking of the day time population of the tourist/business districts in those cities. The daytime population of Manhattan is nearly 4 million people, mostly concentrated below 130th street. The density is probably 200k-250k people per square mile. The resident population density is actually only 70,000 people per square mile. I was there after Hurricane Sandy, when the commuters and tourists were gone, and it was empty.
Here is a typical side street in Rogers Park Chicago: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.0103744,-87.6640436,3a,75y,2.... At 30,000 people per square mile, it's about double the average density of Tokyo.
Here's one of the newer business districts in Tokyo: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.6807167,139.7630674,3a,75y,9.... That area probably has way above the average population density of the city.
I strongly suspect when people say that, they're thinking of the day time population of the tourist/business districts in those cities. The daytime population of Manhattan is nearly 4 million people, mostly concentrated below 130th street. The density is probably 200k-250k people per square mile. The resident population density is actually only 70,000 people per square mile. I was there after Hurricane Sandy, when the commuters and tourists were gone, and it was empty.
Here is a typical side street in Rogers Park Chicago: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.0103744,-87.6640436,3a,75y,2.... At 30,000 people per square mile, it's about double the average density of Tokyo.
Here's one of the newer business districts in Tokyo: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.6807167,139.7630674,3a,75y,9.... That area probably has way above the average population density of the city.