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I personally like the architechure. I'm not a fan of west coast architechure personally. No row homes or density on the west coast. Not my cup of tea but to each his own.
No row homes but plenty of density. More than DC. Also agree that most new architecture is pretty crappy, here and in DC.
You personally have terrible taste then. This stuff is going up on the west coast, too, and it's awful there as well. Rowhomes and the like from ages past often look great--the new stuff being put up is crap looking and its growing like a goddamn cancer throughout new urban developments.
I also have no idea what part of west coast architecture you're referring to, and I didn't cite any particular west coast architecture. I do like a lot of the neutra houses in LA though.
Yeah most of the new stuff being built in LA is nearly identical to the buildings in the videos - just less brick.
No row homes but plenty of density. More than DC. Also agree that most new architecture is pretty crappy, here and in DC.
I was not speaking about population density. I meant built environment density. Building to street arrangment if you will. L.A. is too spead out for me and does not possess the street wall construction I'm used too. That is the main reason I don't care for L.A. That kind of built environment is only found in this country in the NE and in Europe.
How many people a family decides to pile into their home doesn't effect the feel of the street when you are walking down it. There is something I'm in awe of when walking down streets in the NE and Europe that the Midwest and West coast don't have. Just my opinion.
You personally have terrible taste then. This stuff is going up on the west coast, too, and it's awful there as well. Rowhomes and the like from ages past often look great--the new stuff being put up is crap looking and its growing like a goddamn cancer throughout new urban developments.
I also have no idea what part of west coast architecture you're referring to, and I didn't cite any particular west coast architecture. I do like a lot of the neutra houses in LA though.
I don't care for SW style housing. I'm not a fan of Mexican architechure if that explains it more. I like taller skinny houses that connect or are closer together which you find in the NE. I don't like yards in the front of houses either. I like houses that come right up to the street. I don't like the roof styles over there either. I'm not a fan of the feel of the neighborhoods on the west coast. I like the NE feel. Just my opinion.
Neutra houses look ok but they are not in the city which is a no go for me. Give me urban and we can talk. Brownstones or highrises.
I was not speaking about population density. I meant built environment density. Building to street arrangment if you will. L.A. is too spead out for me and does not possess the street wall construction I'm used too. That is the main reason I don't care for L.A. That kind of built environment is only found in this country in the NE and in Europe.
Well there is a difference between being "spread out" and just being massive. From a tourist standpoint I agree the attractions are spread out, but day-to-day amenities are extremely compact.
I don't get your OCD-ness about streetwalls but to each his own I suppose. I find the streetwall effect in many parts of Los Angeles (including my own street) even if the building doesn't quite touch the one next to it - see Pwright's pics in this thread for some great examples (I think you mentioned they look suburban). I actually find many of DC's rowhouses to look kind of suburban in a cookie cutter sort of way - so again to each his own. To me what is important is the idea that the structures create a "public room" on the street, and I get that in a lot of places in LA, though with a little more "openness" which to me is good considering the stellar climate and abundant sunshine.
I was not speaking about population density. I meant built environment density. Building to street arrangment if you will. L.A. is too spead out for me and does not possess the street wall construction I'm used too. That is the main reason I don't care for L.A. That kind of built environment is only found in this country in the NE and in Europe.
How many people a family decides to pile into their home doesn't effect the feel of the street when you are walking down it. There is something I'm in awe of when walking down streets in the NE and Europe that the Midwest and West coast don't have. Just my opinion.
You know you're greatly generalizing here right? The central core of Los Angeles feels more big city to me than anywhere in DC, DC has great urbanity for sure but it's more in a nice quaint way, it did not feel all that chaotic me.
Well there is a difference between being "spread out" and just being massive. From a tourist standpoint I agree the attractions are spread out, but day-to-day amenities are extremely compact.
I don't get your OCD-ness about streetwalls but to each his own I suppose. I find the streetwall effect in many parts of Los Angeles (including my own street) even if the building doesn't quite touch the one next to it - see Pwright's pics in this thread for some great examples (I think you mentioned they look suburban). I actually find many of DC's rowhouses to look kind of suburban in a cookie cutter sort of way - so again to each his own. To me what is important is the idea that the structures create a "public room" on the street, and I get that in a lot of places in LA, though with a little more "openness" which to me is good considering the stellar climate and abundant sunshine.
It's ok for people to like different things. It's the reason people live in different cities. L.A. is not the NE and never will be. Boston, D.C., NYC, Philly, and Baltimore were built in different times and by different cultures than L.A. wai. I like a European feel. L.A. does not have that. Different strokes right. I like buildings to form walls like Europe. L.A. doesn't have that. It's ok, L.A. has other things that people that live there like. To each his own.
Well there is a difference between being "spread out" and just being massive. From a tourist standpoint I agree the attractions are spread out, but day-to-day amenities are extremely compact.
I don't get your OCD-ness about streetwalls but to each his own I suppose. I find the streetwall effect in many parts of Los Angeles (including my own street) even if the building doesn't quite touch the one next to it - see Pwright's pics in this thread for some great examples (I think you mentioned they look suburban). I actually find many of DC's rowhouses to look kind of suburban in a cookie cutter sort of way - so again to each his own. To me what is important is the idea that the structures create a "public room" on the street, and I get that in a lot of places in LA, though with a little more "openness" which to me is good considering the stellar climate and abundant sunshine.
This is very true, people talk of LA like it's Houston or Phoenix, LA is dense, all around dense even in its suburbs, this density goes on forever, people mistake that for "spread out"
I don't care for SW style housing. I'm not a fan of Mexican architechure if that explains it more. I like taller skinny houses that connect or are closer together which you find in the NE. I don't like yards in the front of houses either. I like houses that come right up to the street. I don't like the roof styles over there either. I'm not a fan of the feel of the neighborhoods on the west coast. I like the NE feel. Just my opinion.
Neutra houses look ok but they are not in the city which is a no go for me. Give me urban and we can talk. Brownstones or highrises.
What do you mean by Mexican architecture? I don't even understand that because the kind of streetwall sort of thing occurs way more in Mexican cities. If you're talking about tacky spanish revival in a latter 20th century subdivision, then yea, sucks, but what are you doing in the suburbs?
If you want urban, you can get it pretty easily in LA and in large chunks. It's a big city.
However, that's besides the point. The architecture in those youtube posts were not brownstones or rowhouses. They were pretty much just garbage, just like the garbage that's being put up in cities all around the US. I have no idea why we're so stupid to put up these things.
You know you're greatly generalizing here right? The central core of Los Angeles feels more big city to me than anywhere in DC, DC has great urbanity for sure but it's more in a nice quaint way, it did not feel all that chaotic me.
That's fine and everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, from an urban form standpoint, D.C. is on a different planet than L.A. when it comes to urban design. Just look at the streets in L.A. to start with if you want to see where you would have to start if you wanted it to be pedestrian friendly. They are way too large to claim it's urban. L.A. is a work in progress, but there are massive things that would have to change for L.A. to ever be considered an urban example.
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