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India is a country with a population of over 1.3 billion people, and a land area of about 3.3 million square kilometers. It is also a country that has very few skyscrapers, compared to other major cities in the world. Why is that? In this video, we will explore the reasons why India resists building skyscrapers, and how it affects its urban development and culture. You will be surprised by what you will find out. #brightside #brightsideglobal TIMESTAMPS: 0:01 The first of its kind 02:05 Why India doesn't build many skyscrapers 07:18 A place in India where cars roll up a hill 15:47 $20,000 train ride in India This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.
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00:00It all started with the home insurance building that was built in 1885 in Chicago.
00:06Just a 10-story building, but it was a revolution at the time.
00:10And that was the beginning of the era of skyscrapers.
00:14It was constructed using a revolutionary method.
00:17The building had an inner skeleton made of steel,
00:20which allowed the walls to be thinner and the whole structure being higher than ever.
00:25It stood until 1931 when it was demolished to build the Bank of America that stands even today.
00:32That very same year, the construction of the Empire State Building in New York was completed.
00:38The Empire State is as tall as 10 home insurance buildings on top of one another.
00:44That's the construction progress humanity made in just 46 years.
00:48The Empire State became the tallest construction in the world and held that status for 39 years.
00:58Now, a bit more than a half century later,
01:01the Empire State Building is ranked 53 on the list of the tallest constructions.
01:06Humanity has climbed way higher.
01:10The tallest building in the world today is Burj Khalifa,
01:13located in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
01:16It's 2,717 feet tall,
01:20more than two Empire State Buildings on top of one another.
01:26Even though skyscrapers started out in the United States,
01:29they became tremendously popular in Asia.
01:32Just to put it in perspective,
01:35around 80% of the skyscrapers that exist in the world are in Asia.
01:39And in total, the continent has over 7,500 skyscrapers.
01:44The country with the most skyscrapers is China,
01:48having almost 3,000 of them.
01:50Why do they like skyscrapers so much?
01:53Well, Asia has the largest population in the world and their economy is booming.
01:58So, growing high is a perfect solution to fit as many people as possible in its cities.
02:04But, close to China, there's also India,
02:07having almost the same population.
02:09Still, they have 10 times fewer skyscrapers,
02:13with their number being a bit over 200,
02:16and most of them being located in Mumbai.
02:19So, why doesn't India build skyscrapers if it's such a great way to accommodate people?
02:24Turns out, the country strictly regulates the construction,
02:28saying that it's due to health and safety.
02:34You see, there's quite a popular urban theory
02:37that big structures that accommodate a lot of people
02:39lead to higher population density,
02:41more anonymity in the city,
02:43and lower safety in the territory.
02:47So, India is trying to avoid it by building low.
02:52Problem is, that when a city can't accommodate everyone who wants to live there,
02:57the cities start growing horizontally.
02:59One more thing is that the land and the apartments are very expensive due to their scarcity,
03:04so very few people can afford it.
03:07This way, India has started to loosen the restrictions recently,
03:11and is now slowly allowing to build a bit higher.
03:1434 skyscrapers are now under construction.
03:19Do you know what other place in the world refuses to build skyscrapers to?
03:23Europe.
03:24New York alone has more skyscrapers than all of Europe combined.
03:30There are just 250 skyscrapers in Europe,
03:34and half of them are in just three cities.
03:36Europe has a whole different reason to resist tall buildings.
03:41The history of skyscrapers goes back to just a bit over 100 years ago,
03:46to the 20th century USA.
03:49USA is quite a young country, and the cities are still being built from scratch.
03:55There is a lot of available land.
03:58When the United States were being built,
04:01many European cities had already been around for dozens of centuries.
04:05There is not much more room for construction,
04:08and no one has any desire to take down the Colosseum and put some fancy skyscraper there instead.
04:14There was also no practical reason for changing things.
04:18The driving force of Asian and American skyscrapers is the booming population of the cities.
04:23Also, Europeans are very protective of their city skylines.
04:28The story comes to Brussels, the capital of Belgium,
04:31which even got the term Brusselsization.
04:35In the 1960s, there were no zoning regulations,
04:39and some buildings in Brussels were demolished
04:41to make room for more modern buildings to develop business districts.
04:47Uncontrollable construction started,
04:49and modern buildings were built in random places around Brussels.
04:53They had no cultural or historical value,
04:56and they didn't fit in the city architecture at all,
04:59messing up the city's image.
05:00Many architects and people protested,
05:03and new laws were introduced,
05:05restricting the demolition of buildings of historical importance
05:08and taking construction under control.
05:10Other European countries learned from Belgium's mistakes.
05:14Populations across Europe still dislike modern structures.
05:18Many cities adopted zoning regulations,
05:20and building a fancy glass skyscraper in Europe isn't that easy.
05:25Still, cities with big financial centers like London, Frankfurt, or Istanbul require commercial space.
05:32So, in some cities, there are several skyscrapers somewhere outside the historic centers,
05:38forming separate skyscraper districts.
05:42Rome, the capital of Italy, and one of the oldest cities in the world,
05:47rejected skyscrapers completely,
05:49stating that no high-rise will ever appear there.
05:54Also, have you noticed that most skyscrapers are made of glass?
05:59Turns out, the choice is not random at all,
06:02and there are several reasons to favor glass in their construction.
06:05The first one is that glass can be pressed in every shape possible,
06:10so the skyscraper can no longer be just a plain, boring, vertical tower as before.
06:14But all of these fancy designs we have around the world now.
06:19The second reason is that glass is a very thin material.
06:23The walls are thinner, and the floors are bigger,
06:25providing more inner space, unlike in the pre-home insurance building times.
06:31Glass is also transparent.
06:34Glass reduces the need for electrical lighting inside the building,
06:37so it's also very cost-effective.
06:41Even more, glass is temperature and therefore weather-resistant.
06:45And finally, it just looks posh, fancy, and modern.
06:51So, theoretically, skyscrapers maximize urban space,
06:56accommodate more people, and reduce energy use.
07:00In practice, everything is a bit less efficient.
07:05Skyscrapers have more space between them than lower buildings,
07:08so that already means more land used than we imagined.
07:13Also, around 40% of a skyscraper's floor space isn't...
07:19You're driving along a deserted road.
07:21There are lifeless fields on the sides and high mountains in front.
07:26You stop near a yellow sign.
07:28It says, the phenomenon that defies gravity.
07:32You go a little further, drive uphill, and stop the car.
07:36A strange anomaly occurs right there.
07:40You release the gas pedal, turn off the engine,
07:43and take your hands off the steering wheel.
07:45Your car is moving up.
07:48You get out of the vehicle and see it from the side.
07:51The road rises, and the car rolls further as if the road goes down.
07:56You can put a bowling ball, and it will also move against the laws of physics.
08:01This place is called Magnetic Hill.
08:04It's located 18 miles from the Indian city of Leh.
08:08Every year, thousands of tourists come here to enjoy the picturesque mountain landscape
08:13and see the unusual phenomenon with their own eyes.
08:17There are many legends around this place.
08:19Locals believe this road leads to the sky.
08:22It draws good people up, and the bad ones get confused and can't find a way to reach the sky.
08:29Scientists have a different possible explanation.
08:32This hill has a strong magnetic force coming out deep from the ground.
08:36It's so powerful that planes flying over this place encounter interference with their navigational devices.
08:43Also, many travelers from all over the world reported GPS and compass failures.
08:49There may be a source of magnetic force here, but this theory has never been proven.
08:55Magnetic Hill is a powerful optical illusion.
08:58You think the road's going up, but it's going down.
09:01The shape of the surrounding landscape and the mountain horizon change the perception of the road and create an optical
09:07illusion.
09:09To see the next natural optical illusion, you need to get on a ship and go far away from the
09:15shore.
09:15You're in the middle of the sea.
09:17The sky and sea are divided by a straight line of water.
09:21There are no clouds, and the sun goes down.
09:24You're watching a beautiful sunset and see a bright green flash.
09:28It seems as if the sun has turned green, but the effect disappears after two seconds, and you see the
09:35orange-red light again.
09:37You can also observe the green flash at sunrise.
09:40This natural phenomenon happens when light passes through the atmosphere at a certain angle.
09:46The atmosphere bends the shape of the sun's rays and separates them into different colors.
09:52Combinations of these colors look like a green flash.
09:56There are several varieties of green flash, and the rarest one is green ray.
10:01Immediately after the sun sets over the horizon, a green ray of light releases into the sky.
10:06You can observe it when the green flash mixes with foggy air.
10:11The next illusion is located in the swamps.
10:15It's night.
10:16You're driving along a highway between two British cities.
10:19The moon is shining brightly, and you're driving off the road to a swampy area.
10:24Then you get out of the car and look at the dark green waters.
10:29There's no one around except croaking frogs.
10:32At this moment, strange orange lights appear in the air.
10:36It hangs right over the swamp and flies in different directions.
10:40It's like somebody's trying to light your way with a kerosene lamp.
10:44For centuries, people have observed this phenomenon and called it fool's fire or spook lights.
10:52Previously, people thought that somebody who was in trouble lit a torch to call for help.
10:57People walked towards the light and got into swamp traps.
11:00Today, science can explain the nature of phantom lights.
11:06Bioluminescent fungi and algae grow in swampy places and sometimes glow with a blue color.
11:12From a distance, this creates an illusion of little lights.
11:16The wind and water shake the algae, and it seems like the lights are flying.
11:21Also, there is a lot of plant material in the swamps.
11:24Leaves, grass, mud, clay, tree branches.
11:28This stuff decomposes quickly in damp conditions and releases methane.
11:33When methane contacts the air, it ignites and flies over the swamp in the form of a burning ball.
11:40This phenomenon is observed all over the world in swampy areas.
11:44But the most famous flying lights are located in the desert of West Texas.
11:49It's called Marfa Lights.
11:50A lot of people saw lights the size of a basketball flying over the desert.
11:55They have yellow, blue, and red shades.
11:58The lights flicker, merge, divide into two parts, fly high.
12:03You can see them several times a year under different weather conditions.
12:07There's no exact scientific explanation for Marfa lights,
12:10But one of the theories says it's the headlights of cars passing on a neighboring highway.
12:16The heated air and the desolate flat terrain create the effect of flying balloons.
12:21It could also happen when cold air gets over warm air and light passes through them.
12:27Many people think Marfa lights appear for the same reason as the lights in British swamps.
12:33There are huge reserves of oil and natural gas, including methane, in Texas.
12:37It comes out of the ground and fires up.
12:41You arrive in sunny California and stop the car at the foot of the St. Lucia Mountains.
12:47Here, you feel as if someone's watching you, but there's no people around.
12:52You raise your head and look at the mountains.
12:55There are silhouettes of huge people on the peaks.
12:57They are three to four times larger than an ordinary person,
13:01and they seem to be wearing raincoats and hats.
13:04They just look at you, and you feel their heavy gaze.
13:08You sweat and want to run away, but your legs don't listen to you.
13:12After a few seconds, the giants disappear.
13:15You get in the car and drive out of this place as quickly as possible.
13:19This phenomenon is called dark watchers.
13:23People first noticed it more than 300 years ago, but still, no one can explain its nature.
13:28The most common hypothesis says that the clouds create shadows that fall on the rocks.
13:34The human brain draws an image of giants from these shadows.
13:38This may be a mind deception.
13:40For many years, people have been telling each other about the watchers,
13:44so everyone sees what they believe in.
13:47Our next stop is Nashville, Indiana.
13:50There's a hotel here built in the 19th century.
13:53The building is well-preserved to this day and still welcomes guests.
13:57The name of the hotel is The Story Inn.
14:00There are 18 rooms, and each of them has a unique history and is made in a different style.
14:06The hotel preserves the atmosphere of the 19th century,
14:10so you won't find a lot of modern technologies here.
14:13You book a room, go up to the desired floor, and open the door.
14:18The room looks old, but cozy and neat.
14:21You put your things down and notice an old book on the table.
14:24As soon as you open it, your eyes widen.
14:27Each page tells about the paranormal activity that occurs in this hotel.
14:32You read in detail about each specific strange case that happened in hotel rooms.
14:37Behind each door, you can encounter different creepy things.
14:43The book contains dates and a detailed description of each strange case.
14:47It looks like a report or an administrator's journal.
14:50These books had already been here when the current hotel owner bought this building.
14:55The owner decided to keep them to attract tourists, and it worked.
14:59Fans of weird things often stay at The Story Inn.
15:03The most popular story among guests and employees is the story of the blue lady.
15:09Many people believe that if you light up a room with blue color, the lady will appear.
15:14She has blue eyes and leaves blue objects in the room.
15:18Sometimes, it appears just like that, in the light of day or at night.
15:23Of course, that's all legends.
15:25But you go to the nearest store and buy a transparent plastic cover for the table lamp.
15:30You come to the room, turn off the light, and wrap the lamp with the cover.
15:34Then, you draw the curtains and click on the switch.
15:38You still don't remember exactly what happened that day at the hotel.
15:42But you'll never forget those blue eyes.
15:46You're standing on the red carpet, waiting for the train to come.
15:50The Mahara Jaws Express is India's most expensive and luxurious train ride.
15:56It's heavy on the wallet, too.
15:58The prices can range from $2,900 to a whopping $23,000.
16:04This multi-award winning train has a bunch of extravagant rooms to pick from.
16:08It also passes through more than 10 different cities in India.
16:12The train finally arrives and you board it.
16:15You're accompanied by many friendly staff members that help you with your luggage.
16:19They show you in and give you a quick tour of the amenities before leading you to your room.
16:24Like every other room, yours has a butler to fulfill any of your requests.
16:29The Deluxe Cabin has a luxury and cozy interior with international safety features.
16:35Among them, there are smoke detectors and security cams.
16:38The suspension system underneath the railroad car smooths all the bumps, letting you relax completely.
16:44You enter a 112-square-foot cabin to take a look.
16:48The first thing you see is a king-sized bed with high-end bedsheets.
16:52It seems to be inviting you to come and take a nap.
16:55You have a closet for all your stuff and a large LCD television with a DVD player.
17:00But don't worry, there's Wi-Fi as well.
17:03There's also a personalized safe to keep your things in documents.
17:08Inside the cabin, there's a bathroom with a shower cubicle and hot and cold running water.
17:13It's equipped with a hairdryer and even has such toiletries as essential oils.
17:18There's probably no need to mention that the bathroom has bath slippers, a bathrobe, and several towels that can always
17:24be washed upon request.
17:25After going around the cabin, you decide to check the other rooms they offer.
17:29However, the train has 20 of these deluxe cabins, 12 of which have twin beds and 8 king-size beds.
17:37There are plenty of staff members for all the passengers so that you won't feel underserved.
17:42You move on to the junior suite and notice that it's bigger than the deluxe suite.
17:46This one is 150 square feet and offers the same luxuries as the previous one.
17:51All these suites come with air conditioning and a direct interphone to contact any staff member.
17:56After you've taken a look around, the butler escorts you to the suite.
18:01He opens the door for you and you immediately feel as if you've set foot in a royal palace.
18:07The suite is way bigger than the other two cabins.
18:10Its size is 220 square feet and it even has a separate living room.
18:15There are four of such rooms on the train and they all come with king-size beds and large panoramic
18:20windows to enjoy amazing views.
18:23You go inside for a room tour.
18:25The cabin has the same features as the others, but the living room has armchairs with side tables to do
18:31some reading or work on your laptop.
18:33The suite also has a mini fridge equipped with complimentary tea, coffee, water, and snacks.
18:39The bathroom has a bathtub to relax or even take a nap in.
18:43You're sold.
18:44You're ready to unpack and dip in that bathtub.
18:47But that's when the butler tells you there's an even bigger cabin.
18:51You stop gawking at the walls and ceiling and follow him to the presidential suite.
18:56There's just one such suite on the train.
18:58The butler opens the door for you.
19:00And wow, this 450 square foot mini palace is the most luxurious train cabin in all of India and one
19:08of the best in Asia.
19:09It has the same features as the other cabins, but you can't take your eyes off that beautifully decorated ceiling.
19:15In spacious design that makes you feel like royalty.
19:18The presidential suite is named Navaratana.
19:22It means nine precious gems.
19:24It has two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a living room.
19:28One bedroom has a king-sized bed, and the other has twin beds.
19:32The living room is furnished with a sofa where you can read a book or relax and a table for
19:37writing.
19:37This suite comes with a personal guide and a luxury car that takes you around whenever the train makes a
19:43stop.
19:43You put your bags down and sign up for the presidential suite.
19:47It's the most expensive cabin on the train, $23,000.
19:52The train starts moving after everyone has boarded.
19:55You inform the butler that you don't want to be disturbed and ask him to remind you for breakfast at
20:008 a.m.
20:01For now, you lie down on your bed and look out the window at the magnificent views of India.
20:06It's 8 a.m., and the butler tells you it's time to go to the restaurant.
20:09You leave your cabin, and the staff members greet and welcome you.
20:14You walk over to one of the restaurants called Mayor Mahal, which means peacock.
20:19It's the national bird of India.
20:21You're seated by the window and given a menu.
20:24You can choose between international and Indian cuisine.
20:28The waiters are on standby, ready to offer you their services.
20:32By the way, in case an emergency happens, there's always a team of paramedics prepared to act quickly.
20:37Finally, the Mahara Jaws Express offers four unique journeys to take.
20:42The Indian Panorama, the Indian Splendor Journey, the Heritage of India, and the Treasures of India.
20:51Altogether, the trips can take you to 12 different destinations.
20:54You pick the Indian Panorama, which is a six-night and seven-day-long tour that begins in Delhi and
21:00ends in Mumbai.
21:01After breakfast, you head back to your presidential suite and switch on a movie while eating some yummy snacks.
21:07The train leaves Delhi and arrives in Jaipur several hours later.
21:12After a quick briefing and lunch, everyone heads down to the city to do some sightseeing.
21:16The guide takes you and a bunch of other people to visit the city palace galleries, and later, to have
21:21dinner at the Rambag Palace Hotel.
21:24The next day, you can either opt for another tour or have a spa day at the hotel.
21:29You arrive in Ranthambar and have a tour around the national park.
21:34You come across tigers and other wild animals.
21:37After that, you take other tours, including a trip to deserted city Mughal City of Fatepur, Sakiri.
21:43You head back to the train after a long day and decide to visit the lounge.
21:48The Rajah Club has comfortable seats with an amazing view of the world outside.
21:52You pick a seat, order a drink, and start chatting with other passengers.
21:56You even find a fun board game to unleash your competitive side.
22:00After a while, some people go back to their cabins.
22:03The next day, you wake up in Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal.
22:08It's considered to be one of the wonders of the world.
22:10Your eyes start gleaming at the sight of it.
22:13Everyone gathers around to take pictures with a colossal white marble construction in the background.
22:18After that, you can visit more historic sites or have another spa day at the hotel.
22:23You pick the second option.
22:24It's a one-of-a-kind experience.
22:26You're almost all the way through the trip, but not before you arrive at Orca.
22:30And hop on a tuk-tuk to explore the city.
22:34Then it's day six, and you're in Varanasi and go see the Sarnath Ruins,
22:39followed by a visit to the Silk Weaving Center.
22:42It's quite hot, so you take a boat ride on the magical Ganges River.
22:46You're impressed by the amazing scenery.
22:48And in the evening, you experience an exclusive vegetarian dinner at the Bridgeram Palace.
22:54You head back to the train together with everyone else.
22:56This is the last night you'll spend there before going back home the next day.
23:00You've made lots of friends and seen some of the most unique places in the world.
23:05You take part in a lavish party at the restaurant, where all the guests and staff enjoy themselves.
23:10You wake up the next day in your presidential suite, knowing you'll leave it by 3 p.m.
23:15The train is heading back to Delhi.
23:17You ask your butler to bring in some breakfast since you feel like treating yourself today.
23:21And after packing all your stuff, you head to the restaurant to have some lunch with everyone else.
23:26You arrive in Delhi with all your bags packed and ready to roll.
23:30The train stops and everyone exits.
23:32This magnificent trip has eventually come to its end.
23:36And even though it was a very expensive journey,
23:39deep inside, you know you'll be back to discover more of India.
23:45We'll be right back to you next week.
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