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View Poll Results: How big/small do the following metros feel?
ATL feels about its size 6 4.65%
ATL feels bigger 20 15.50%
ATL feels smaller 18 13.95%
DFW feels about its size 1 0.78%
DFW feels bigger 32 24.81%
DFW feels smaller 9 6.98%
Houston feels about its size 6 4.65%
Houston feels bigger 31 24.03%
Houston feels smaller 6 4.65%
Voters: 129. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 04-24-2011, 10:52 AM
 
Location: Atlanta
2,848 posts, read 6,408,789 times
Reputation: 1743

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Quote:
Originally Posted by grindin View Post
Texas, like Florida is going to be debated by people on it's 'Southerness'. People have made arguments for both sides until their fingers fell off and guess what? People are still going to stubbornly hold on to their opinions no matter what, and it's going where? Nowhere!

I personally think that most of Texas, especially East of I-35 as the South, but there are other regions of the state that are not 'Southern' to me at all. Like Missouri or Oklahoma, it's a state where several regions overlap. El Paso has little in common with Beaumont. Marshall has little in common with Van Horn. Lubbock and McAllen may as well be in different states. I could go on. I don't think of the Trans-Pecos or South Texas as the 'South' at all. There are those who will feel otherwise, oh well.

But since this thread isn't about that, it's time for another You-Tube-ifesto! I see the northeast portion of the SHTR has finally opened.


YouTube - Sam Houston Toll Road ( East Beltway 8 )





YouTube - Houston Intercontinental Airport Terminal Drivethrough


YouTube - Fort Bend / WestPark Toll Road Houston,TX



YouTube - Driving under the Atlanta Airport Runways


YouTube - Atlanta Airport Driving, Pt. 3


YouTube - Downtown Fort Worth, TX At Night





YouTube - Driving into Dallas Fort Worth Airport




Judging by the videos as well as by my road atlas both Houston and Dallas have much better freeway systems than Atlanta (by better I mean more large freeways covering more of the city). However, what really makes Atlanta feel urban to me is the lack of need for an automobile in much of it. The most impressive video to me was the downtown Fort Worth at night. It looks like it's got a pretty decent nightlife in a compact walkable area. If feels weird to a lifetime Georgian seeing those wide open expansive spaces in some parts afforded by the flat land and much fewer tall trees. I saw the same in Colorado. In Georgia you don't get those kinds of views much.

Out there on the Sam Houston I get a feeling of being way out.

Once again I feel most like I'm in an urban environment when I'm in places that if my car were snatched away I know I still could get around pretty well. Like these parts of Atlanta.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport

YouTube - COLLEGE PARK STATION TO HARTSFIELD

This businessman used Marta throughout his trip including travel to a meeting at Dunwoody suburb on the other far end of town from the airport.

YouTube - MARTA Rail ~ Atlanta, Georgia (HD Option!)

Buckhead

YouTube - Between Two MARTA Stations!

Downtown

YouTube - Atlanta


YouTube - Sights of Atlanta

Atlantic Station Midtown


YouTube - Christmas 2010 Atlantic Station

 
Old 04-24-2011, 07:44 PM
 
4,775 posts, read 8,787,009 times
Reputation: 3101
My favorite quote from youtube comment section comes from
FreewayBrent....

Very cool. I happen to like Fort Worth more than Dallas; not quite sure what it is, but Fort Worth seems to be more "human" at scale. I like their downtown better too; the buildings aren't as impressive, but it feels more walkable, and especially at night, there's plenty going on for a fun night on the town. Next time, you should film The Stockyards; one of my favorite nightlife districts in the country!
 
Old 04-24-2011, 11:44 PM
 
Location: America
5,092 posts, read 8,800,933 times
Reputation: 1970
Understandable, galounger, but I don't understand why people seem to think that everyone in the Dallas and Houston areas are driving all over the city. There are plenty of people there living in walkable areas and getting along just fine without a vehicle.

As I've state before, Atlanta's linear setup pretty much made it easy for rail to connect the major parts of the city. Transit authorities have many more opstacles with Dallas and Houston's "wheel" setup.
 
Old 04-25-2011, 07:13 AM
 
Location: Atlanta
2,848 posts, read 6,408,789 times
Reputation: 1743
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlGreen View Post
Understandable, galounger, but I don't understand why people seem to think that everyone in the Dallas and Houston areas are driving all over the city. There are plenty of people there living in walkable areas and getting along just fine without a vehicle.

As I've state before, Atlanta's linear setup pretty much made it easy for rail to connect the major parts of the city. Transit authorities have many more opstacles with Dallas and Houston's "wheel" setup.
I had imagined that there must be a pretty good amount of impressive high density mixed use projects in Houston and Dallas. However, despite both of them having light rail I know it is probably more difficult to connect the hot areas there than it is in Atlanta as you said.

All the area's I showed of Atlanta in my videos are within short walking distance of a Marta station. (Atlantic Station is a short free shuttle ride away from one) and as a matter of fact most are all on the North South Line with the exception of Centennial Park area which is at the Georgia Dome station just a short stop or a few blocks west of the North South line.

Atlanta does benefit greatly from it's linear layout in that regard. I think Houston and Dallas probably are better off traffic wise due to their grid layout and "wheel" development and also because of the State of Texas being even more zealous about building highways than the State of Georgia (hard to imagine) but like you said all those things make it more challenging for them when it comes to public transportation.
 
Old 04-25-2011, 10:10 AM
 
Location: America
5,092 posts, read 8,800,933 times
Reputation: 1970
Atlanta really needs to do something about it's road system. Yes there's MARTA, but most of the 5 million+ people living in the area can get no use out of that rail.
 
Old 04-25-2011, 10:13 AM
 
Location: The City
22,379 posts, read 38,665,395 times
Reputation: 7974
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlGreen View Post
Atlanta really needs to do something about it's road system. Yes there's MARTA, but most of the 5 million+ people living in the area can get no use out of that rail.

Or another alternative is expanding their rail infrastructure; which they are doing. Both are subsidized but building more highways is not always the solution; especially for long term fixes

Better planned developed can go a long way; especially in the long run
 
Old 04-25-2011, 10:25 AM
 
Location: America
5,092 posts, read 8,800,933 times
Reputation: 1970
Quote:
Originally Posted by kidphilly View Post
Or another alternative is expanding their rail infrastructure; which they are doing. Both are subsidized but building more highways is not always the solution; especially for long term fixes

Better planned developed can go a long way; especially in the long run
Expanding rail is great, but simply can't be the only solution for such a fast growing and highly suburban area.
 
Old 04-25-2011, 10:36 AM
 
Location: NY/FL
818 posts, read 1,379,349 times
Reputation: 421
Atlanta really disappoints me
 
Old 04-25-2011, 10:50 AM
 
Location: Up on the moon laughing down on you
18,495 posts, read 32,760,188 times
Reputation: 7752
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlGreen View Post
Expanding rail is great, but simply can't be the only solution for such a fast growing and highly suburban area.
Northeasterners are allergic to roads an think that rail is the panacea to all tranportation ills. I don't think they realize that NY and PA are the only states physically bigger than the major sunbelt metros.

The NE areas have a 100 year head start on population, infrastructure and rail over the Sunbelt. Don't know why they would think that the states and the feds would subsidize effective rail to these areas in a couple of years when it took the NE multiple decades in already established and built out areas to get to where they are now.

Imagine the state of NJ, with half the population and zero rail. Building a transportation system that covers all areas from scratch aint gonna happen over night.

NEerners are too road phobics. ATL must improve their roads in addition to the rail because the road system is already established. There is nothing wrong with improving a system that works. The mantra that we don't need new roads is just stupid. Building roads is not a permanent fix but at least it will help until the rails can catch up.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Infamous Past View Post
Atlanta really disappoints me
lol, it will grow on you.
 
Old 04-25-2011, 10:56 AM
 
14,256 posts, read 26,789,930 times
Reputation: 4560
Quote:
Originally Posted by HtownLove View Post
Northeasterners are allergic to roads an think that rail is the panacea to all tranportation ills. I don't think they realize that NY and PA are the only states physically bigger than the major sunbelt metros.

The NE areas have a 100 year head start on population, infrastructure and rail over the Sunbelt. Don't know why they would think that the states and the feds would subsidize effective rail to these areas in a couple of years when it took the NE multiple decades in already established and built out areas to get to where they are now.

Imagine the state of NJ, with half the population and zero rail. Building a transportation system that covers all areas from scratch aint gonna happen over night.

NEerners are too road phobics. ATL must improve their roads in addition to the rail because the road system is already established. There is nothing wrong with improving a system that works. The mantra that we don't need new roads is just stupid. Building roads is not a permanent fix but at least it will help until the rails can catch up.

lol, it will grow on you.
Pretty much.
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