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btw, i ask this question to all the architecture (and not tall shiny shapes) fans on this forum: what city is the capital and center of world architecture right now?
i'd say without question tokyo.
and i'd throw in as close competitors, in no order, rotterdam, london, new york (although nothing ever seems to be more than a great proposal), germany (hamburg taking most of the spotlight), all over spain, maybe even paris (i'm not certain, but it seems like they might have nyc's problem as all the great stuff i read in magazines seems to end up cancelled) and copenhagen of late.
i'd also mention beijing for it's recent large scale project, but china's problem as with most of the mid-east (dubai), is that they're so in love with the skyscraper and all its tired variations. look at all the posts from muppet; the skyscraper infestation in china seems almost as bad as here in the usa... though which is worse? china seems obsessed with height, but the designs tend to be less offensive and mostly glass. the usa's designs are generally horrible, but our economy is luckily preventing further damage, so the end is in sight; we also seem to be re-visiting the idea of urbanism and human scale. the only real exception here is nyc, although the typical tall tower seems prevalent still.
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i'd want to add my two cents. i may not yet be an old fart, but i'm cynical and did my undergrad in history and psychology. architecture isn't the problem. the ability of hype and clever PR to transcend actual talent is a big problem. i find starchitecture to be a negative manipulation of PR, celeb culture, and patron largess. now, the vast majority of the projects posted here are indeed worthy. but the gehrys, libeskinds, and hadids of the world just annoy the HELL out of me. CATIA programs and remixing old googie designs are eye-catching and can get the public's attention. but they're better suited to stage sets than actual buildings.
as for the cities... it's not an easy answer. tokyo does indeed stand out. it could be their large number of well-trained architects and less attachment to historicism. but 'good' architecture is rare in every city. the vast majority of everything built, is built to a cost.
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