Asian cities overtaking "impossible" London and "terrible" New York in urban design, says Winy Maas
"Monster cities" in Asia including Seoul, Taipei and Jakarta are racing ahead of western counterparts in terms of architectural vision and urban design quality, according to architect Winy Maas of MVRDV.
Maas said that the dynamic mayors of Asian cities were driving dramatic improvements to transport, housing and public space in their cities to cope with rapid urbanisation and rising expectations, and to attract businesses.
"These cities with their action-orientated policies are exemplary in how to tackle the big problems facing cities today," said Maas, who added that their approaches to urban improvements could act as role models for cities elsewhere ? including in the west.
"They can be inspirational for cities in the Americas or in Africa, and maybe also in London." Maas added that Asian cities would soon "leapfrog" their western counterparts in terms of urban quality: "Because of their density and the size, and how they are tackling that, there's a learning curve that you can see."
One of MVRDV's many projects in Asia is a sunken lagoon park in the Taiwanese city Tainan
The architect was scathing about what he saw as London's inability, or unwillingness, to transform itself through design.
"London is an impossible city," he said. "On the one hand it's one of the nicest cities in social terms, and in terms of what you can do. But on the other hand it's one of the most ineffective cities to produce a reorg...
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