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Dallas has air conditioning and more jobs and job growth. Portland's slightly prettier, but higher cost, worse job marker, higher COL, and all those homeless/transients. The PNW has those long winter bluesy months of low sunshine that affects many people with depression. People in Dallas are more direct in communication, while PDX has a weird passive vibe to it. Seems like there's more mental illness and 'withdrawn'-ness (can't find the right word at the moment) there. Those from Dallas tend to cut loose and party more.
For starters, imagine those highrise apartments without garage podiums, because there's way less parking and most of what does exist is underground.
Also, if you're comparing Dallas with the top cities (not Portland as much) then density plays a big part. With housing, 400 units on 1/3 acre is much denser than 400 units on a full acre.
That really doesn't feel like you're answering my question... just giving out an example of your own opinion of what "urban" is.
Downtown Dallas sucks and is the result of the Baby Boomer generation moving away from the center of the city. But Uptown on the other hand has been focusing more on building denser without having surface lots.
Here's the area around American Airlines Center back in 2004:
Now here's the same area 10 years later:
I guess what I'm saying is, "urban" to me is simply having a dense, walkable, more pedestrian friendly neighborhood that focuses on density and well planned mass transit. All of the major cities in Texas have been focusing more on that in recent year, with Dallas, Houston, and Austin being the best examples.
There is no set template on a certain number of units on an acre to be considered "urban". Just sayin'.
That area is much less urban on the ground than at a 10 degree angle from a distance. Lots of parking garages, not very dense. Many buildings have setbacks. Many even have driveways to their front doors, which screams "suburban."
That area is much less urban on the ground than at a 10 degree angle from a distance. Lots of parking garages, not very dense. Many buildings have setbacks. Many even have driveways to their front doors, which screams "suburban."
Exactly.
OP: you had better take a really good look at what you're walking away from and what you're walking into. Not that I care. One less person in the PNW and one more person in the Texas heartland. YEEEEEE HAW!
That area is much less urban on the ground than at a 10 degree angle from a distance. Lots of parking garages, not very dense. Many buildings have setbacks. Many even have driveways to their front doors, which screams "suburban."
Still seems like you're only thinking there is one specific outlook on "urban". Remember, Dallas is much larger than Portland. Sprawl or not, there will be more cars, so you'll see more garages built on large garage decks or ones attached. It's not just Dallas, but many other cities as well. And what do you mean by "setbacks"?
The ones with the driveways you're talking about are much older buildings that were built before the New Urbanism movement.
One thing I love a bout Dallas is how distributed things are. Back in Seoul, everything of interest seems to be in the city limits of Seoul (or neighboring Incheon). Great for tourists but not so much for the majority of the people who live in the Seoul urban area.
Still seems like you're only thinking there is one specific outlook on "urban". Remember, Dallas is much larger than Portland. Sprawl or not, there will be more cars, so you'll see more garages built on large garage decks or ones attached. It's not just Dallas, but many other cities as well. And what do you mean by "setbacks"?
The ones with the driveways you're talking about are much older buildings that were built before the New Urbanism movement.
Regarding cars, I mean per unit. In a more urban neighborhood, new apartments tend to have fewer spaces than housing units, and some new buildings (as well as old ones) don't have parking at all. Uptown isn't like that...tons of parking everywhere.
Parking doesn't have to be attached garages. In a more urban area, it's generally underground. This allows something else to go on that extra land.
A "setback" is when the building doesn't extend to the street, but instead is set back behind greenery, parking, whatever. It's not necessarily bad (if greenery) but it's not urban. This includes some newer buildings in Uptown, even while many have no setbacks.
As for driveways to front doors, I'm counting several in newer Uptown buildings...Crescent condos (ok, not that new), the Capital Bank HQ, the Ritz Carlton, the Rolex building, 2525 McKinnon...you get the picture. Even Museum Tower, which some would call part of Downtown proper, has a driveway and some surface parking.
Density isn't the whole story with urbanity, but it matters a lot in my definition. Uptown has some good elements but it has nothing on Portland.
Regarding cars, I mean per unit. In a more urban neighborhood, new apartments tend to have fewer spaces than housing units, and some new buildings (as well as old ones) don't have parking at all. Uptown isn't like that...tons of parking everywhere.
Parking doesn't have to be attached garages. In a more urban area, it's generally underground. This allows something else to go on that extra land.
A "setback" is when the building doesn't extend to the street, but instead is set back behind greenery, parking, whatever. It's not necessarily bad (if greenery) but it's not urban. This includes some newer buildings in Uptown, even while many have no setbacks.
As for driveways to front doors, I'm counting several in newer Uptown buildings...Crescent condos (ok, not that new), the Capital Bank HQ, the Ritz Carlton, the Rolex building, 2525 McKinnon...you get the picture. Even Museum Tower, which some would call part of Downtown proper, has a driveway and some surface parking.
Density isn't the whole story with urbanity, but it matters a lot in my definition. Uptown has some good elements but it has nothing on Portland.
I think you're seeing it as "nothing on Portland" because they're just two different cities in two vastly different regions and sizes.
Ft. Worth, despite having a few similarities to Portland (small city blocks) is less "urban" in comparison. I don't think Dallas or Houston and Austin really get credit for what they've done in the last decade and a half...
OP: you had better take a really good look at what you're walking away from and what you're walking into. Not that I care. One less person in the PNW and one more person in the Texas heartland. YEEEEEE HAW!
I don't see why. For me, moving from Portland to Dallas would be an upgrade. For others, its the other way around. Sure, its not as pretty or as dense, but its more diverse, more international, and its probably the easiest major city in the US to live in.
I think you're seeing it as "nothing on Portland" because they're just two different cities in two vastly different regions and sizes.
Ft. Worth, despite having a few similarities to Portland (small city blocks) is less "urban" in comparison. I don't think Dallas or Houston and Austin really get credit for what they've done in the last decade and a half...
I'm impressed with the volume of infill in those cities, but it's generally not very good. Stubby towers on giant garages (Austin gets credit for real height relative to its 2m size), Houston's townhouses where the streets are lined with two-car garages, lots of "Dallas doughnuts" where five-story woodframes wrap around above-grade garages, and so on. Setbacks, driveways to port cocheres, and so on.
Urbanity is subjective. But in my view of urbanity, most of what happens in Texas central cities isn't very urban.
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