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I do think it is a stretch to call all of those nodes urban. But the ones closest to the city center certainly seem relatively urban, especially when considering the competition in this thread.
Also thanks for providing a link to a place that is built to the standards of what you require for "urban" neighborhoods, but is far, far from urban.
That wouldn't be close to urban compared to any urban neighborhoods in NYC, DC, Philly, Bos, SF, or Chicago for instance, but is far more urban than any single family home neighborhoods in other cities. The houses are all tightly packed and the homes don't have yards. The green space is restricted to street tree's or bushes in front of the house's and the garages are in alleys behind the homes. Those are the basics for urbanity at first glance in any neighborhood. The next level would be shopping, transit, population density etc. This is how an urban analysis is done. You must first begin with a structural building density analysis to see if the neighborhood even qualifies to go to the second set of criteria. Most of the neighborhoods in Seattle I have seen outside of the 1 mile radius from downtown don't pass the first test to even move to the second set of criteria.
If the street doesn't have a streetwall, it unlikely to be urban. Most of Seattle's streets outside of the urban core doesn't have a streetwall therefore it isn't urban. If you do have a streetwall, you're likely to be urban, however, you then must consider things like ground level retail, transit, residential density, etc.
The problem with cities like Philly is, while it has a ton of rowhouses and those rowhouses generally create a streetwall and they are urban, they still create deadspots due to lack of destination except for people living there.
You're not going to see me walking through a rowhouse neighborhood if it lacks retail and entertainment.
If the street doesn't have a streetwall, it unlikely to be urban. Most of Seattle's streets outside of the urban core doesn't have a streetwall therefore it isn't urban. If you do have a streetwall, you're likely to be urban, however, you then must consider things like ground level retail, transit, residential density, etc.
The problem with cities like Philly is, while it has a ton of rowhouses and those rowhouses generally create a streetwall and they are urban, they still create deadspots due to lack of destination except for people living there.
You're not going to see me walking through a rowhouse neighborhood if it lacks retail and entertainment.
Never heard that having a street wall was a requirement for being urban lol. Ya know cities like Vancouver discourage street walls by building tall skinny towers on large lots to create dense urban cores with lots of open space. Maybe you shold look up Urban on wikipedia and see where it says you have to have a street wall lol.
To see wich cities are most urban why not measure bult enviroment. Like Population density, Retail density, office space density and hotel room density. Measuring built enviroment Seattle is truly most urban . Pittsburgh's low density is not urban Isn't the grocery store just across the river from downtown Pittburgh a suburban style grocery store witha parking lot lol. All the new developments in Seattle are urban and dense . The Shopping centers have appartments built above them. And parking underground or in a parking garage.
If the street doesn't have a streetwall, it unlikely to be urban. Most of Seattle's streets outside of the urban core doesn't have a streetwall therefore it isn't urban. If you do have a streetwall, you're likely to be urban, however, you then must consider things like ground level retail, transit, residential density, etc.
The problem with cities like Philly is, while it has a ton of rowhouses and those rowhouses generally create a streetwall and they are urban, they still create deadspots due to lack of destination except for people living there.
You're not going to see me walking through a rowhouse neighborhood if it lacks retail and entertainment.
That's a very interesting point you hit on about row-houses lacking retail except at their corner's on the end of the street. It's the argument I am usually making in regard to where cities are headed based on their development style. Cities that are building apartment buildings with ground floor retail across their city have a substantial urbanity advantage moving forward because of the built in advantage of having street level retail with apartments above. I look at things long term as a planner so I look at neighborhoods for what their potential is versus what I see now. Planners unfortunately don't enjoy the moment much because we are always thinking about what is coming next to keep improving.
Make no mistake, cities with the available infill land to build apartment and condo towers well beyond their downtowns have the most potential moving forward. Downtown's in all major cities have a ceiling when it comes to moving the scale in urbanity for the city as a whole. Manhattan is what it is because of the expansion of apartment and condo buildings across the whole island. They give each neighborhood tons of new options for retail unlike row houses or single family homes. The more open land with apartment/condo infill potential, the better. Established row-house or single family home neighborhoods are charming and necessary, however, they will not give you the commercial bustling neighborhoods you find in the most intense urban neighborhoods which is what the discussion is really about.
Never heard that having a street wall was a requirement for being urban lol. Ya know cities like Vancouver discourage street walls by building tall skinny towers on large lots to create dense urban cores with lots of open space. Maybe you shold look up Urban on wikipedia and see where it says you have to have a street wall lol.
This may be a dumb question, but. . . what is a streetwall?
A well-defined street wall is considered essential for walkable neighborhoods because it forms a protected and uninterrupted pedestrian zone. The Washington DC planning department, for instance, recommends "a continuous and active street wall of development” to improve walkability
That's why streetwalls are almost the #1 requirement for an urban neighborhood or environment.
This may be a dumb question, but. . . what is a streetwall?
It's when the walls of a buildings are connected to the walls of its neighboring buildings which, if consistent with all the buildings on the block, forms a sort of "wall" of building structures with the only interruptions to the wall being alleys and intersecting streets. This is seen in Manhattan & Brooklyn, Chicago's Loop, Boston, Philly, and San Francisco to name a few. It's the traditional way to maximize land use and promote density.
Streetwalls in Seattle exist only in downtown, Belltown, Pioneer Square, South Lake Union, Broadway street in Cap Hill, University Way and Brooklyn Ave in U-District, and the shopping districts in Ballard, Fremont, Roosevelt, and Wallingford.
However, nearly all new developments in Seattle are mixed use office/residential built over retail, and "street wall" forming developments.
It's when the walls of a buildings are connected to the walls of its neighboring buildings which, if consistent with all the buildings on the block, forms a sort of "wall" of building structures with the only interruptions to the wall being alleys and intersecting streets. This is seen in Manhattan & Brooklyn, Chicago's Loop, Boston, Philly, and San Francisco to name a few. It's the traditional way to maximize land use and promote density.
Streetwalls in Seattle exist only in downtown, Belltown, Pioneer Square, South Lake Union, Broadway street in Cap Hill, University Way and Brooklyn Ave in U-District, and the shopping districts in Ballard, Fremont, Roosevelt, and Wallingford.
However, nearly all new developments in Seattle are mixed use office/residential built over retail, and "street wall" forming developments.
So by that definition, are Lower Queen Anne and the Pike/Pine/12th corridor in Capitol Hill not urban? What about Columbia City? Belmont in Capitol Hill? West Seattle Junction? The main shopping corridor in Upper Queen Anne? The area around 85th and Greenwood? I'm not sure if those areas fit exactly the definition of streetwall but you'd be hard-pressed to say they're not urban.
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