Why do Leeds' Skyscrapers Look So Bad? 

Thanks!

I saw your last comment, as I was finishing this video. Thought I would leave the leeds video as a surprise

Glad you enjoyed it

Yes, I agree with you. Clustering creates a more impressive and cohesive skyline. Most of these buildings are pretty bland and if you scatter them everywhere you are spreading the misery.

Thanks!

@samdaniels2 I actually thought they was rebuilding the tetley factories unil someone told me they’re are flats i was just speechless I can’t believe someone imagined to build them and thought ‘yeah these look great’ 🤦

@@user-xe2ct7ot4u I know, mate. What’s worse about the sterlet site, is that originally it was planned to have 4 soaring modern glass towers. But no, LCC have decided in their infinite wisdom, to build (another) bland, brick eyesore. Because if there’s anything Leeds needs, it’s more bland monolithic brick shithouses.

@@samdaniels2wait until you see the transformer’ getting built now. It’s was originally gona be the ‘clamp’ a lovely glass building that’s looked very modern and almost futuristic. But no we gone from having the ‘clamp’ to getting the ‘tramp’ 😞

@@user-xe2ct7ot4u Oh god, I think I know the one you’re on about. If you fancy making yourself depressed, look at the early noughties plans for: “the Kite”, “Criterion Place” and the “Lumiere”. Leeds. The city that had so much potential thrown away by a council of clowns for no other reason that apathy.

I agree I like that leeds aren’t scared to build tall

Yah, but lot's a Kariens today claim they know what 'true' beauty is - while they remain dateless...

Agreed, i mean if you shoot the Shard on an overcast, grey day it's not going to look particularly good. I think Leed's only real issue is being in Yorkshire, where it gets more than its share of grey days. Only issue I have with skyscrapers in Leeds is how many are currently going up at once. Been a while since i looked up in the center without seeing multiple cranes all around me.

Chuckle... Leeds has few 'skyscrapers'. @@SimonS188

@@billhosko7723Leeds as no skyscrapers just high rises it as to be 150m+ to be considered a skyscraper leeds just as Poundland developers making cheap tacky buildings and this is someone who as a view of the west side what is just a random mess of brick

They reduced springwell garden 2 from 145m to 95m probably making the now might aswell call just block of flats broader maybe 🤢

Glad you enjoyed it

Doesn’t help councillors taking brown envolopes of developers on the old international pool site the old police station is getting rebricked well this shouldn’t happen it should be knocked down and turned to greenery as too many awful looking buildings are been built their it’s gona look so crammed although I do like the hexagon tower going in their gone are the days skyscrapers like the kite was going in their and luminere just further up we need these councillors out before the skyline is completely ruined and encourage renaker over to save it

Making excuses for thoughtless 'planners' and 'designers' who think they know better. Leeds, HAS squandered a massive opportunity, repeatedly.

Why is it than whenever Leeds is mentioned someone pipes up about Manchester. It’s such a boring yet continuing comparison. So much for northern solidarity.

@@aljyncoI’m from leeds and absolutely love Manchesters skyline Iv stopped shopping in leeds and take the family to a far superior city than leeds and that’s Manchester and tbh I can’t take Leeds serious as a city anymore it’s just a big town for hen nights stag does etc competing with Blackpool I’d say tbh Manchester is everything shopping (better than leeds does it) fantastic food (way better than leeds plenty of local street food aswell) and entertainment (Leeds got zero in that department going back to just catering to out of Towners getting married) and Manchester as a fully functional transport system (Leeds just doesn’t have this at all) when we was getting luminere and criterion and the kite and spiral we all laughed at Manchester so they have every right to look down at us over the pennines they’ve surpassed us so much they are competing with London and unofficial (I think will become official soon) the second city as everyone go there now just sitting in the beetham tower overlooking deansgate In awe of the south tower seeing more world class skyscrapers going up is breath taking until you seen you just don’t know how good it is it feels like a major world city now that’s the difference good luck to Manchester whilst we watch the transformer get built whilst Manchester gets their new 265m tower 😞

@@user-xe2ct7ot4u I lived in Manchester for 3 years but grew up in Leeds. Manchester is bigger and has to be when you consider the population of greater Manchester; it is the central hub for over 2 Million people. Leeds caters to just shy of half of this population size from the greater Leeds area. So, less people = less need for a more expansive centre. That said, I still feel Manchester is completely inadequate for the title of a big city; and the narrative that it compares to London is even more laughable. It certainly has its strong points, like as you said it’s transport system is good and Leeds unfortunately must improve in this area. But, the town planning of the place is just plain awful. Walking around Manchester is like being cattle hearded round horribly narrow streets all while trying not to get flattened by trams. As for your point regarding restaurants, shops and bars etc of course Manchester has a great selection and the trafford centre, but again its often hard to enjoy these perks without being trampled and without everyone of your senses being assaulted. I would also argue that Leeds also has a great selection of restaurants, bars & shops; less than Manchester but the strength here is that in Leeds you can actually ENJOY being in the city centre and going out. It has an excellent night life scene and a wonderful array of pubs/bars/clubs all within easy distance of one another. It’s just nice to to walk freely in Leeds without being tailgated like you would in Manchester. If Manchester would like to actually compete with London it needs a MASSIVE facelift; one i imagine would take so much demolition and re-development it would take decades. Instead, more and more development will continue all while the narrow, suffocating foot print of the centre will never change and therefore it will most likely continue to have horrible foot traffic that will become more and more unbearable as the population continues to increase. Simply put, Manchester has all the conveniences of a bigger city but none of the joy (whilst London has both convenience and joy). Just because Manchester now has large towers that locals can’t afford, does not grant it big city status.

@@user-xe2ct7ot4u Leeds isn’t going to expand if its residents take their money elsewhere 🤷🏻‍♂️

@@grantmcdonald524 but that’s on the council isn’t it? Not on me.

Nah I haven’t moved. Just trying to cover the architecture of other northern cities alongside Newcastle

Go awaay karein... to Morcombe then. geez

Manchester ain’t got shit on London 🎉 This whole front about Manchester being a big city is laughable; all the convinces of one yet none of the pleasure. At least Leeds folk aren’t so self-aggrandising, we know we’re a small city and that’s ok.

@@aljyncoI thought Leeds was bigger than Manchester? In population? I rather like Manchester’s cockiness. This country could do with more Manchester’s and less of this,false modesty. There is a refreshing honesty about Manchester. “ We love our city, and we couldn’t care less if you like it or not.” God help us if everywhere was like Bradford, where everyone looks like extras in The Hills have eyes. When you visit Manchester, it’s confidence and optimism is contagious.

@@paulwild3676 Manchester is bigger if you consider the wider metropolitan area (greater Manchester vs Greater Leeds area). I lived in Manchester for 3 years so i’m well acquainted with the mancunian mantra; cockiness and confidence which is a facade of insecurity. The place will never quite touch London, and nor is as big as people proclaim it to be. Shouting from the roof tops that it can hold its own in the big city leagues is so inconsistent with the reality of the place. “We do things differently here” - not anymore. The characteristics that once made the place interesting, different, cultured and textured have been eroded. It’s hard to find that gritty northernness amongst sleek skyscraper apartments that locals can’t afford. It is much more honest to be aligned with the actual tangible reality of one’s city, than to run along with narratives that are now so outdated and delusional. The optimism you noted should be channeled into taking back some of that northern authenticity back. Oh, and slating another northern city like Bradford is exactly part of the problem. Manchester is not the sole proprietor of the north and TRUE northern optimism is solidarity with the whole north and everyone of its cities. This Manchester superiority complex is exhausting and completely opposes what we understand the Mancunian attitude to be.

@@aljynco I think it is more to do with everybody else’s passive/aggressive attitude towards Manchester. We hate it, but we begrudgingly use its airport. We don’t like the people but we have to admit they are exceptionally creative and competitive. I find that Northern authenticity you mention boring. I don’t want to be associated with a pair of clogs and a coal mine and thankfully Manchester blows that stereotype out of the water now, or so the people who have relocated there from the South East say. Leeds is a nice city but it is too Yorkshire. Manchester recently, and Liverpool a long time ago, dropped that Northern eeh bah gum, which is still evident in Leeds. I respect your point of view and some of what you say is valid. I wholly agree about the football, music narrative and wish Manchester emphasised more on its amazing libraries, theatres and educational institutions.

@@paulwild3676 passive aggressive? I really don’t think that’s the opinion people express. If anything they’re more direct about the state of the north and how manchester or their own city sits within that discussion. Take the Airport situation; people in Leeds are far more likely to discuss the fact hat LBA is sub par rather than passive aggressively shun Manchester airport. Rather, they use Mcr airport as unfortunately it’s the only big airport in the North. As for this dislike towards Manchester, I’d argue it’s quite the opposite. Most Yorkshire folk are quite content, same with scousers. I find that it’s much more prevalent that mancs (not all) are incredibly sensitive to criticism and they tend to lash out at other northerners and just can’t stop themselves from interjecting about Manchester (yawn). It’s as though you cannot positively mention another northern city without some comment about manchester. What a boring, unproductive, and quite frankly anti-northern attitude it is.

What do you consider the centre? Headingley had plenty of middle class people.

@@rwalton159Headingley is a suburb to me but I am happy for you to think otherwise.

The round one, is probably my favourite tall building in the north

must be an ostrich then... this video is 100%...

Appreciate the response, might be being too judgmental

I would argue the opposite!

Harsh? We are stuck with these buildings for all of our lifetimes. They are so huge, you can't avoid seeing them. Will future generations love and appreciate them like we do with Victorian, Georgian, or Tudor architecture? I think not!

@@ians3586 I'm from Newcastle, and we have similar. Yes they aren't Victorian etc and or horrible, but they are still ok. At least they have been cladded to hide the awful concrete

@@POLITICAL-BIAS. true. They are better than the brutalist concrete monstrosities of the 60's and 70's but they still boring. They're purely functional with little thought for aesthetics or visual interest.