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Can ATL, DFW, and Houston really become urban dense cities? What do these cities lack that other more urban cities have? I believe all 3 cities need more denstiy, however this in itself is one of the last ingredients needed to make a city urban, I believe the main obstacle for these cities is demand for inner city urban living combined with lack of walkable surroundings and street facing store fronts/retail. ATL has done the best with rail, DFW although pretty good coverage just lacks the destinations outside of downtown where you would want to get off the train and just want to walk and see others walking, Houston has good bus service but suffers from the same stigma as Dallas, and on top of all this the weather in all 3 are pretty unbearable during summer. In the end I think the locations of these cities, the lack of "urban living" demand, and ultimately the urban fabric of these cities prevents them from achieving true urban city status. One last thing I would like to add is that these cities were not built for people to walk to and from their homes unless we're talking about the downtown cores which even then is limited, so would most of the retail stores in these cities have to completely redo the design of their stores to a more pedestrian friendly design or is it possible to achieve density and walkability with big box stores and wide streets? I was reading the thread on "Philly vs Chicago, which is more urban" and one poster talked about how his neighborhood in Chicago had houses with front and back yards, grass between the sidewalks and streets with trees planted and streets wide enough for cars to park on both sides of the street and 2 way traffic and still has a density of 18,000 ppsm, so I am guessing that this type of urbanity will be the maximum that the "big 3" of the south will ever be able to achieve outside of their respective downtown cores, does anyone agree or disagree?
Regarding Houston:
If you mean by strictly density numbers, yes. If you mean more along the lines of grid layouts and walkability, only in the inner loop. Too much suburban development to change the city's image from sprawl to urban.
Regarding Houston:
If you mean by strictly density numbers, yes. If you mean more along the lines of grid layouts and walkability, only in the inner loop. Too much suburban development to change the city's image from sprawl to urban.
You'd be surprised. There are parts of the D.C. area that used to be farms some decades ago but are pretty walkable now.
Regarding Houston:
If you mean by strictly density numbers, yes. If you mean more along the lines of grid layouts and walkability, only in the inner loop. Too much suburban development to change the city's image from sprawl to urban.
Well that's the thing, Houston might have the the grid system but does it have the sidewalks, the storefronts, the landscaping, etc. And like Htown mentioned the people in these cities, do they want an urban lifestyle?
You'd be surprised. There are parts of the D.C. area that used to be farms some decades ago but are pretty walkable now.
But will Houston's growth pattern stay the same for many decades? And there is alot of land to convert.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dtownboogie
Well that's the thing, Houston might have the the grid system but does it have the sidewalks, the storefronts, the landscaping, etc. And like Htown mentioned the people in these cities, do they want an urban lifestyle?
Wherever it has a grid system, yes for the most part it has all of that, its just there is so much more suburban development.
You'd be surprised. There are parts of the D.C. area that used to be farms some decades ago but are pretty walkable now.
yes, but Houston is vast and the metro and the city have melded together to form a suburban beast that stretches for 70 Miles in each direction.
even with oil prices reaching for the moon people still don't mind living further and further away (speaking solely about Houston here and basing that on how far the burbs are pushing).
I like the current density of the mentioned cities. A little more density may make them a tad bit more interesting but I choose to live in these cities because I don't want to be in a huge urban jungle. I like big city amenities without all the hassle.
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