Skyscrapers vs. Green Space

Rome, Italy, and New York City are two of the most desirable travel destinations (at least in my mind.) There is a saying that goes, "If the United States is today's Roman Empire, New York City would be Rome itself." Yet in the following pictures, it seems that there are many differences between the ancient capital and the modern-day metropolis.

This is a view of Midtown Manhattan all lit up at dusk.

Here is a view of downtown Manhattan.

Here is another angle of downtown Manhattan with the Brooklyn Bridge in the forefront.

Here is another view of downtown Manhattan across the East River.

These views of Rome can be seen from St. Peter's Basilica.

When I think of a metropolis, I think of urban space with high-rises and skyscrapers dominating the terrain. New York City is the picture-perfect example of my interpretation. When looking at pictures of Rome, I can't help but asking "Where are the skyscrapers?" The tallest building looks to be, at the most, ten stories. The steeples and domes of churches seem to tower over most of the surrounding structures. I can't help but think of how St. Patrick's Cathedral on 5th Avenue is dwarfed by the infinite skyscrapers and note the stark contrast between the cathedral and the churches in the top picture of Rome. Another difference is that Rome seems to have ample green space, trees, and grasses, even along what appears to be the streets. Maybe it's because Manhattan is pressed for space since it's an island, but I can't recall trees in any US city unless they were a part of an urban-area park or in a "square". Another big difference I can't help but noticing is the lack of water in pictures of Rome, and the abundance of it in the images of New York. Once again, it's possible to attribute that to the island geography of Manhattan, but Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Baltimore are all located on the water. I know the Fiume runs through Rome, but the city is essentially land-locked and is pretty far from the coast in comparison to US cities. No wonder the Romans utilized the acqueduct! I wonder if this is because "all roads lead to Rome" and therefore the transport system was on land, in contrast to US cities which depended heavily on water to transport goods. Based on this theory, Eastern seaboard cities could also then attribute trans-Atlantic trade to their coastal locations.