I am aware of all those things, but I still think that it is a good idea to put some solid numbers down, so that we at least have a common starting point.
In other words, when comparing two city's skylines, we can start by specifying that City A's skyline is 14% 'taller' than City B's skyline, while City A is 21% greater in 'scale' than City B. Given those numbers, we could state that City B's superior setting and more interesting spacing make up for the difference.
It's a lot like arguing over who is the greater baseball player. You can argue about who is faster, more graceful or has a keener batting eye all you want, but a knowledge of the actual statistics (preferably adjusted for park, era, etc.) makes for a more defensable position.
Bill