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Charlotte is what it is. The most urban-centric city in *North Carolina*. There isn't any valid comparison with Asia or Europe. It can't even compare with Boston. It's Charlotte.
Charlotte isn't very urban centric. No city that sprawls over close to 300 sq/miles with a population of only 800K or so could be considered as such on any scale.
Don't mistake a central business district of monolithic skyscrapers, with little life at their base as something urban. Downtown Charlotte has a surprisingly small stroll district and for most anyone living there, there is also a need to use a vehicle to access the items needed for day to day living.
The most urban centric places in NC would be Chapel Hill/Carrboro & Asheville. I'd also say that any wanting to see how a place should be made urban should head to Greenville, SC. They have done a remarkable job with a fraction of the resources spent in downtown Charlotte.
Charlotte is what it is. The most urban-centric city in *North Carolina*. There isn't any valid comparison with Asia or Europe. It can't even compare with Boston. It's Charlotte.
Sure.
But it can get better.
When I first moved to Hong Kong in 1980, they were building the MTR, and no stations were yet open.
Now it has the finest public transport system in the world.
Guess what: that has helped to bring prosperity, and HK now has the highest property prices on the planet. One reason that they may be sustainable, is because HK people "waste" very little money on cars and on transport, so they have more money to spend on housing, and the "wealth effect" pushes up property prices.
And just because dilworth was a suburb in 1927 doesn't mean it's a suburb today. Because it is not. I doubt you can find anyone to agree with your draconian definition of suburb.[/QUOTE]
Charlotte isn't very urban centric. No city that sprawls over close to 300 sq/miles with a population of only 800K or so could be considered as such on any scale.
Don't mistake a central business district of monolithic skyscrapers, with little life at their base as something urban. Downtown Charlotte has a surprisingly small stroll district and for most anyone living there, there is also a need to use a vehicle to access the items needed for day to day living.
The most urban centric places in NC would be Chapel Hill/Carrboro & Asheville. I'd also say that any wanting to see how a place should be made urban should head to Greenville, SC. They have done a remarkable job with a fraction of the resources spent in downtown Charlotte.
Very true.
But CLT can do a "better job" (IMHO) of densifying around the mass transit that it has done to date. In fact, I see evidence that this densifying is happening. Slowly, perhaps, given the state of the economy. But I would expect this densification to pick up, if the city returns to prosperity.
Density is better than sprawl (again, IMHO) because it requires less spending on infrastructure, and "despoils" less of the landscape.
Head to Greenville?
I was there two years ago, and I mostly liked what I saw. But CLT has better air links, and also has a thriving financial sector, which are two big advantages. Greenville also does not (yet) score very well in that Transit poll cited above.
My plan is to visit Charlotte, Greenville, and Asheville sometime during the next few months, and I will then plan to "pick a city" to live in. Starting this thread is part, and exploring the ideas posted here, is a valuable part of the search process.
And I certainly hope that others who see this thread later will also gain some benefit from reading the ideas and opinions that they find here.
just a disclaimer and FYI... some of us here actually live and work in these areas, but most of the posters on this board clank away from their suburban bunkers. Often times not even in Mecklenburg County, much less the city.
So before you take anyone's word for gospel, just assume that no one here is speaking from experience. It's usually a safe assumption.
Of course anyone should assume that personal anecdotes given for the purpose of elevating their argument above the others should also be taken with the same regard that you suggest.
However is you wish to do a comparison of history of residences, work places, or anything else having to do with Charlotte/Mecklenburg, I will be glad to engage you in the matter.
The entirity of the central business district of Charlotte plus the intown neighborhoods feels larger to me than Asheville or Chapel Hill.
There are too many threads on the Asheville forum about how hard it is to land a good paying job. That's definately a city where you should be prepared to own a car so that you can drive to whomever will employ you.
Charlotte has enough bus lines to cover a "significant" economic base, and you may be able to maintain a carless life, if (as the OP wants) it's what you're committed to doing.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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There are only 2 areas outside of Charlotte, that I'm aware of, with bus systems. One is Gastonia & the other is the Concord/Kannapolis bus system. There are limited bus ties to Charlotte, but you'd have a problem if you wanted to attend an event in Charlotte at night. If you don't want a car, stick with Charlotte.
Fortunately, for me - I do not need a job. I am self-employed, and can live wherever I like.
Bout of course, jobs are important, since they will drive the prosperity of a region. And I think transport has a big role to play too. In my opinion, my home town of Detroit was destroyed by two things: a decline in the auto industry, and very poor transportation decisions. (Racial problems may also have played a role, but I think it comes in behind these other two.)
If the transport system was better (ie, if freeways had not totally destroyed the urban fabric of the city), then other industries may have grown up, and stayed in Detroit. Instead, those sorts of jobs fled to the suburbs when the city was disfigured by its highway building.
Who wants to live near a (dangerous) eyesore like this, which is constantly belching out noxious fumes?
The title of this thread is "Is it possible?" Yes it is. Two of my tenants don't have cars because their jobs are only a few miles away, and they can walk to a shopping center near the properties on the weekend for foodstuffs.
Ultimately it's a matter of how much inconvenience are you willing to endure either for philisophical reasons, or to save money.
Shoot, a person that is in healthy condition to walk, could if necessary hike several miles every day to reach an employer even if there was no transit or bike lanes at all.
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