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Perhaps this comparison has been done before- if so, forgive.
For Boston include the Financial District, Chinatown, North End, West End, South End, and all of Back Bay
For San Francisco include the Financial District, Tenderloin, Chinatown, Nob Hill, and South of Market
Compare the two districts (not entire cities, but merely the aforementioned 2 districts of the respective cities) on mixed use development, cohesiveness, evenness of street level vibrance/pedestrian activity, ease of transportation between subsections of the regions, and general aesthetic qualities
I simply picked the greater downtown region of Boston largely because of liking the layout and vibe of Back Bay. I also find that the mini-parks interspersed through Back Bay and downtown Boston make it a bit more comfortable than downtown SF.
SF is a bit busier and exciting, diverse, gritty... I like Boston's old charm, architecture and streets better though. One things for sure, this makes far more sense than the SF vs NYC thread going on...
Perhaps this comparison has been done before- if so, forgive.
For Boston include the Financial District, Chinatown, North End, West End, South End, and all of Back Bay
For San Francisco include the Financial District, Tenderloin, Chinatown, Nob Hill, and South of Market
Compare the two districts (not entire cities, but merely the aforementioned 2 districts of the respective cities) on mixed use development, cohesiveness, evenness of street level vibrance/pedestrian activity, ease of transportation between subsections of the regions, and general aesthetic qualities
I'd say Boston, but both SF and Boston have amazing downtown areas.
Greater DT Boston might include parts of the south end, cambridge, sommerville and the south boston waterfront. San Francisco's tenderloin is really a dumpy, high crime area, and chinatown is filled with giftshops. Boston is much bigger and has far better public transportation over its greater DT.
SF is a bit busier and exciting, diverse, gritty... I like Boston's old charm, architecture and streets better though. One things for sure, this makes far more sense than the SF vs NYC thread going on...
Boston (entire city proper) is more diverse! (I wouldn't know the numbers for the areas defined in OP, however. The South End, Chinatown, the West End, and DTX are pretty diverse, but the North End, Beacon Hill, and Back Bay are less diverse...maybe the 5 neighborhoods in SF are more diverse than those given for Boston...)
Boston can also be very gritty (perhaps moreso outside of the area defined in the OP, but Chinatown & DTX & that area is gritty enough), but I'm not sure if it's grittier overall...
Boston (entire city proper) is more diverse! (I wouldn't know the numbers for the areas defined in OP, however. The South End, Chinatown, the West End, and DTX are pretty diverse, but the North End, Beacon Hill, and Back Bay are less diverse...maybe the 5 neighborhoods in SF are more diverse than those given for Boston...)
Boston can also be very gritty (perhaps moreso outside of the area defined in the OP, but Chinatown & DTX & that area is gritty enough), but I'm not sure if it's grittier overall...
def not in scenario OP proposed, esp b/c tenderloin, soma and chinatown are included for SF
Two great cities, and a reasonable person could go with either city. I honestly can't decide. If I had to decide, I would go with Boston, maybe, by a tiny whisker, because of the stronger historical stock and transit infrastructure.
It's a tie with maybe SF winning in urbanity while Boston wins in the historical charm dept. One thing I honestly didn't like about SF was the hillyness of some of the streets. I can't imagine living on a street with a 45 degree incline to it.
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(I wouldn't know the numbers for the areas defined in OP, however. The South End, Chinatown, the West End, and DTX are pretty diverse, but the North End, Beacon Hill, and Back Bay are less diverse...maybe the 5 neighborhoods in SF are more diverse than those given for Boston...)