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Those neighborhoods honestly look no different than some much smaller cities that are even smaller than Portland.
Portland has had a lot of detractors on its strict planning also.So while it has been lauded,it also has been controversial.
He was just posting somewhat random streetviews of Portland outside of the downtown core to demonstrate how walkable and accessible Portland's streetscape is. Several of those corridors are many miles long, they offer a ton of great amenities, and generally have a very cohesive feel. I'll take the urban form of Hawthorne/Belmont over Buckhead anyday. Buckhead, despite the tall buildings and more of a big-city look, is actually fairly auto-oriented and is not a great urban landscape at street level.
You could say the same thing about neighborhoods like Virginia Highlands or Little Five Points in some ways though. Neither of them look that special on Google Street Views(which is honestly a poor substitute for an actual visit) but they're cool neighborhood hubs. The Eastside of Portland is basically a lot of old streetcar suburb neighborhoods, the nice thing about it is that going east across the river from downtown there are few dead zones or areas--there's consistent street level retail on Hawthorne and Division and East Burnside for miles, plus streets like Alberta, Mississippi, Williams, Fremont, Clinton, and MLK/Grand that all have burgeoning commercial areas with restaurants, shopping, bars, and increasingly denser urban infill(a lot of which is pretty recent)--and then you have a lot of other older neighborhoods further out that have been coming back lately like Kenton, Sellwood, Montavilla, or St. Johns. It's not going to amaze anyone expecting New York-levels of urbanity, but there's a lot going on and it's in a fairly compact area--with no huge gaps until you get much further out.
Portland had a few mistakes--they lost Columbia Sportswear to the suburbs due to some strict planning guidelines, but more so it's been the urban growth boundary of the three counties that make up TriMet that's been most criticized. Though it's mostly a bunch of old coots upset that we can't pave over more of our surrounding farmland with generic subdivisions. On the bright spot, unlike some other western metros, there's isn't any overbuilt suburban ghost-towns of housing on our periphery that were built. It's considered "controversial" by people who would rather see the Portland metro be a sprawling mass from the coast range to the Cascades with no planning regulations a la Houston. The UGBs have been around in the Northwest since the 1970s however, they're nothing new.
Va-Hi is a nice neighborhood. Is it special?No.The only "special" neighborhoods in Atlanta (in my opinion) are Grant Park,West End,Inman and Candler Parks,Collier Heights and Sweet Auburn historic District.Other than than that,there is nothing .Other than that they are just nice desirable areas.
Truth is ,cities in a particular country have similar growth and architectural patterns by region and country. There's just not going to be much originality.Not many cities like Savannah,Sante Fe, or St.Augustine exist.
So its about the context of the how the built environment coexist with the natural environment.Its not something that can be quantified by fact.Only ones opinion.Some opinions are more popular than others.
Its been said several times(as it is a true fact),that cities like Houston and Atlanta have no real natural borders.You cannot stop building.You CAN control it within your borders,but out of that you just can't stop it.
Portland having natural borders can more easily do that.However it is inevitable that it will be an issue.It may even limit Portland from becoming a major league city in the future.
He was just posting somewhat random streetviews of Portland outside of the downtown core to demonstrate how walkable and accessible Portland's streetscape is. Several of those corridors are many miles long, they offer a ton of great amenities, and generally have a very cohesive feel. I'll take the urban form of Hawthorne/Belmont over Buckhead anyday. Buckhead, despite the tall buildings and more of a big-city look, is actually fairly auto-oriented and is not a great urban landscape at street level.
To each their own. I'm not a Buckhead fan either for what type of place it is ,but its not because of how its built,just not my type of scene.However It feels more "big city" and cosmopolitan which is exactly what it is suppose to be.
I never said you could not get ANY of those things elsewhere.As sure as you can breathe, almost anywhere you can find air.
The point,like air,certain things are stronger in many places than others.The climate is just better in certain environments areas to breathe.You gotta go where the air is better for you.Some people need less air than others.
So while Portland may hold some semblance of urbanity,it however falls short of cities that offer much more with more accessibility.
If you had cared to read the previous response to my post you would have noticed that a poster made the claim that "outside of 285 there is nothing of interest".I listed those 7 wonders as evidence of things to do.
Now yes I know the majesty of the PNW,but if you are not that keen on being in the wilderness other than to look at its beauty occasionally,then who wants to live in a a a barely medium sized city that by all measures is busy and urban but lacks most things that a big city offers.Even in quality and Quanity?I don't.You do.Not a problem.
I realize that the PNW trumps the many places in natural wonders.That's just obvious if you are an outdoors man that is where you should be. I'm not.If most people were,I suppose Portland would be more populated.
Nature is great.Its what sustains us.However,we are not mountain men living in an episode of "Big Valley".We are are nation of convenience and culture.
Wow!!Too bad you have your facts wrong.Maybe that would have been funny. Amicalola Falls has never went dry to my knowledge.
You know what they say:"When you got nothing ,ATTACK!".
Apparently your feelings are hurt.I never once insulted Oregon or people that live in PNW. Your childish remarks just make me more secure in that I'm in the right place.
The Okefenokee swamp is within a 3 hr drive.As well as is Savannah and its Golden Isle.
Vancouver is a nice city and I have nothing bad to say.Once again ,It was not I that implied that there was nothing close by.However there are more accessible places of interest closer to and from Atlanta than what is around Portland.(Outside outdoors things).
You mentioned also about corporations like Nike.Is the Nike brand known like Coke or CNN?How many visitors visit the Nike Museum in Portland?(Don't even know if there is one).
The World of Coke Museum gets over 1 million visits a year.
Atlanta has/is the 4th-6th largest concentration of F500 companies in the U.S.
Did you also know that the New York Stock Exchange is owned by an Atlanta firm?
Don't know if you realize also that Atlanta and Georgia are major players in the entertainment industry.There are MAJOR studios and complex already here and more huge ones are being built as we speak.At one time there is at least a dozen projects being filmed around the region as well as the state.
So just because 2 little small t.v. series are filmed in Portland does not make it easy to get in the industry.
Also you assume to much about what someone knows and does not know.Lewis and Clark and there "Manifest Destiny" was NOT just about Oregon.It was about the nations quest to expand from sea to sea.So while that history involves Oregon,its not specific to Oregon now is it?
Also as far as history goes.History is only relevant to those who make it or control it.Georgia has history from Native Americans mounds that are said to be over 10,0000 years old to American Revolutionary sites and of course much more.
Atlanta and in its vicinity are cultural and historical things like music and foods that define what the world defines us as Americans. Naturally there are things that will be around to explore because of that.
Portland is a nice city,but it just cannot compete in ANY significant way with Atlanta other than it is an outdoors man paradise.Even that can be had in Atlanta.
I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but nothing that occurred around or in Atlanta historically "define what the world defines us as Americans." It factored into the Civil War, but it was a small blip on the radar of the scope of the war. But you're right. Lewis & Clark and the Oregon Trail weren't specific to Oregon. Just like the Civil war wasn't specific to Georgia. Jesus.
And sure, Nike's just a little old local brand. Not much known outside of the northwest at all.
And I'm not an outdoorsman, though sure the northwest is ... as you put it, an "outdoors man paradise". In fact, I'm not a man. I'm a woman - who appreciates seeing beautiful surroundings DAILY.
But bottom line, I just think you're clueless about Portland. So I'll let it go at that.
Wow, you really do not know Portland at all, do you? Downtown + Pearl + Chinatown + Nob Hill + Industrial Southeast is a more cohesive, walkable, bustling core than what Atlanta has (with way more restaurants and bars per capita). And then there are very walkable, long corridors like Hawthorne/Belmont, Division, East Burnside, Alberta, etc. spread throughout the City.
Atlanta certainly surpasses Portland in some regards, but there is a reason Portland is considered a model of urban planning in the US. Your comments show you honestly have no clue and have clearly never set foot in Portland.
By the way, here are a couple of corridors between 3 and 4 miles east of Downtown Portland:
I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but nothing that occurred around or in Atlanta historically "define what the world defines us as Americans." It factored into the Civil War, but it was a small blip on the radar of the scope of the war. But you're right. Lewis & Clark and the Oregon Trail weren't specific to Oregon. Just like the Civil war wasn't specific to Georgia. Jesus.
And sure, Nike's just a little old local brand. Not much known outside of the northwest at all.
And I'm not an outdoorsman, though sure the northwest is ... as you put it, an "outdoors man paradise". In fact, I'm not a man. I'm a woman - who appreciates seeing beautiful surroundings DAILY.
But bottom line, I just think you're clueless about Portland. So I'll let it go at that.
No bubble burst.Still floating high.
Now you are just being obtuse. Im sure you know what I mean by "outdoorsman".
I did say Atlanta and its region
So Coca-Cola is not associated with America?I typed in American Culture in "Google".The first line had a picture sof Coca-Cola.
Or
CNN
Martin Luther King Jr
The Cottin Gin
Gone With The Wind
Quote:
:It is the second favorite book by American readers, just behind the Bible, according to a 2008 Harris Poll.
As of 2010, more than 30 million copies have been printed in the United States and abroad
As far as the Atlanta being a blip on the Civil War it is you who must brush up on your idea of history:
This of The Atlanta Campaign
Quote:
The fall of Atlanta was especially noteworthy for its political ramifications. In the 1864 election, former Union General George B. McClellan, a Democrat, ran against President Lincoln on a peace platform calling for truce with the Confederacy. The capture of Atlanta and Hood's burning of military facilities as he evacuated were extensively covered by Northern newspapers, significantly boosting Northern morale, and Lincoln was reelected by a large margin.
Quote:
The March to the Sea was devastating to Georgia and the Confederacy. Sherman himself estimated that the campaign had inflicted $100 million (about $1.4 billion in 2010 dollars)[12] in destruction, about one fifth of which "inured to our advantage" while the "remainder is simple waste and destruction
Wow, you really do not know Portland at all, do you? Downtown + Pearl + Chinatown + Nob Hill + Industrial Southeast is a more cohesive, walkable, bustling core than what Atlanta has (with way more restaurants and bars per capita). And then there are very walkable, long corridors like Hawthorne/Belmont, Division, East Burnside, Alberta, etc. spread throughout the City.
Atlanta certainly surpasses Portland in some regards, but there is a reason Portland is considered a model of urban planning in the US. Your comments show you honestly have no clue and have clearly never set foot in Portland.
By the way, here are a couple of corridors between 3 and 4 miles east of Downtown Portland:
There are some nice urban areas outside downtown Atlanta ofcourse. Do a 360 look at these. This is about one and a half miles North of the Downtown Center.
One of my favorite neighborhoods is Decatur square. It's about six miles from the center of town but has a subway station right there that can quickly get you to Downtown all the other areas I have pictured on this post and a lot more.
A mile from the heart of Downtown Atlanta headed north barely even gets you out of Downtown. As a matter of fact it lands you near the Civic Center on the border between Downtown and Midtown.
I was agreeing with your post with regarding to the natural aspects and then I got to this part which is completely inaccurate regarding Atlanta.
I don't think you appreciate just how big Atlanta has become in the entertainment sector. Atlanta is a lot more than a few movies and Teen Wolf. It is now the third largest hub for TV and films in the United States behind only LA and New York. Screen Gems Studios already has a sound stage complex here and London's Pinewood Studios (responsible for the 007 films) is opening its first North American complex here. In addition to these, about 3 or 4 other complexes have been proposed and some have made it to the planning phase.
Screen Gems operates at or near capacity nearly all the time here and they have been talking about adding even more stages in the future. At any given time at least a dozen films are being shot here whether on the sound stage or on location.
Here are just a few films that have been shot or are currently filming and who's starring in them: The Change Up - Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds X-Men First Class Anchorman 2 (currently filming) - Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell Solace (currently filming) - Anthony Hopkins, Colin Farrell A Friggin Christmas Miracle (currently Filming) - Lauren Graham, Robin Williams The Good Lie (Currently filming) - Reese Witherspoon The Million Dollar Arm (currently filming) - Jon Hamm The Last of Robin Hood (currently filming) - Kevin Kline, Susan Sarandon, Dakota Fanning The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (currently filming) - Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Phillip Seymour Hoffman
A few of the TV Series filmed in the area (in addition to the usual TBS related stuff - the complete list represents 17 networks): The Walking Dead
Vampire Diaries Teen Wolf Drop Dead Diva Real Housewives of Atlanta VH1's Single Ladies Necessary Roughness Archer
The change up with Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds came out in 2011. How can they still be filming?
A mile from the heart of Downtown Atlanta headed north barely even gets you out of Downtown. As a matter of fact it lands you near the Civic Center on the border between Downtown and Midtown.
I know that area. I think it's still technically in downtown isn't it?
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