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What would be a reasonable argument for Koreatown, which is full of strip malls and auto-oriented stuff? Because it's dense?
It's sort of an interesting comparison if you think about it. Central LA's auto-commuting share and built environment may lead one to believe it has a lower density than it actually has (it may be the most densely populated place on Earth with such a high auto-commute rate). DC's far lower density may lead one to believe that its non-auto commute share would be lower than it actually is. In reality, the raw number of people commuting to work in DC's core by transit, walking or biking is substantially larger than it is in Central Los Angeles. I guess that can be seen as LA punching well below its weight or DC punching well above its weight (seems to be both).
Which is more urban? Does it really matter? I think the data says a lot about the spatial orientation of the two regions. In DC, it's easy to live your entire life within a 10-15 sq. mile area since the job concentration in Downtown DC is so high. That's why there are so many people who walk to work there. In LA, you may live in a neighborhood that's functionally walkable, but the distance from your home to your job requires you to commute by car or transit. That's probably the big reason why the walking commute % is so low in Central LA.
I don't know if you can say whether one's more urban than the other, but I think you can certainly say there's a lifestyle difference between the two.
Last edited by BajanYankee; 04-23-2015 at 08:01 AM..
It's sort of an interesting comparison if you think about it. Central LA's auto-commuting share and built environment may lead one to believe it has a lower density than it actually has (it may be the most densely populated place on Earth with such a high auto-commute rate). DC's far lower density may lead one to believe that its non-auto commute share would be lower than it actually is. In reality, the raw number of people commuting to work in DC's core by transit, walking or biking is substantially larger than it is in Central Los Angeles. I guess that can be seen as LA punching well below its weight or DC punching well above its weight.
Do you think the commuter share in L.A.'s urban neighborhoods will remain the same with the infrastructure improvements or remain close to the same? As the neighborhoods are upgraded with premium transit and urban amenities, will it matter? The real question is how much does culture play a role? I can tell you in the planning community, there is a pretty standard thinking that many things that may work in some places will not work in other places because of cultural differences.
Do you think the commuter share in L.A.'s urban neighborhoods will remain the same with the infrastructure improvements or remain close to the same? As the neighborhoods are upgraded with premium transit and urban amenities, will it matter? The real question is how much does culture play a role? I can tell you in planning communities, there is a pretty standard thinking that many things that may work in some places will not work in other places because of cultural differences.
I don't think culture plays much of a role in it. 20% of Brooklyn residents drive to work alone each morning. In my neighborhood, it's about 11%. Is increasing the density or building more transit going to reduce that figure from 11% to 5%. Maybe, but I doubt it. My wife has a very unwieldy commute to an outerborough neighborhood that's possible using public transit, but impractical for most people not living in poverty (or super-dedicated to the "green" cause). I have friends who work for sattelite offices of their companies in Jersey, Westchester, Long Island, etc. All of them drive to work.
I guess you could say "just hook those places up with some transit" but it's not that easy. A lot of commutes, especially long commutes, are outright difficult on transit unless there's a high speed train service that goes there. The more dispersed job centers you need to connect to transit, the more expensive and impractial it becomes. And if parking is practical at your end destination, then driving becomes more attractive.
So does anyone have a regular video of Koreatown? And I ask that because the New York Times articles about gentrification and up and coming "nabes" can border on the ridiculous at times. Koreatown has a lower median HHI than the poorest section of Bedford-Stuyvesant, so while I don't doubt there's gentrification going on there, I'd have to say the overall feel of the neighborhood is probably very different from what's reflected in that video.
I don't think culture plays much of a role in it. 20% of Brooklyn residents drive to work alone each morning. In my neighborhood, it's about 11%. Is increasing the density or building more transit going to reduce that figure from 11% to 5%. Maybe, but I doubt it. My wife has a very unwieldy commute to an outerborough neighborhood that's possible using public transit, but impractical for most people not living in poverty (or super-dedicated to the "green" cause). I have friends who work for sattelite offices of their companies in Jersey, Westchester, Long Island, etc. All of them drive to work.
I guess you could say "just hook those places up with some transit" but it's not that easy. A lot of commutes, especially long commutes, are outright difficult on transit unless there's a high speed train service that goes there. The more dispersed job centers you need to connect to transit, the more expensive and impractial it becomes. And if parking is practical at your end destination, then driving becomes more attractive.
I agree with you. The difficulty L.A. is going to have switching to a non-auto lifestyle are the dispersed job centers and the abundance of parking. That is probably what people mean when they say culture though, the culture in cities like L.A. is that parking has been made very cheap and easy over time and because of that, people can drive very easily.
So does anyone have a regular video of Koreatown? And I ask that because the New York Times articles about gentrification and up and coming "nabes" can border on the ridiculous at times. Koreatown has a lower median HHI than the poorest section of Bedford-Stuyvesant, so while I don't doubt there's gentrification going on there, I'd have to say the overall feel of the neighborhood is probably very different from what's reflected in that video.
Speaking of gentrification and a difference in neighborhood feel, have you been back to D.C. recently? Just wondering if you notice any difference in the area right near your house in the MidCity/U Street corridor. Especially the area around the 9:30 club or the area around the CVS on U street?
Speaking of gentrification and a difference in neighborhood feel, have you been back to D.C. recently? Just wondering if you notice any difference in the area right near your house in the MidCity/U Street corridor. Especially the area around the 9:30 club or the area around the CVS on U street?
New condos are going up in that area, but no, it doesn't feel very different. We came to DC for the Cherry Blossom festival.
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