Why isn't Madison more urban? (condos, construction, college)
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Recently I've been looking into Richmond, VA more and I'm really surprised at just how urban it is.
Then I realized Madison, WI is of similar size.
Why do you think Richmond seems more urban, yet has a smaller population (214k vs 246k) than Madison?
The seem similar on paper:
- Desirable areas.
- Big student population in both.
- City area is close to being the same size in both.
- Both are near important cities: Madison is near Milwaukee & Minneapolis, Richmond's near Norfolk & DC.
Would you say it's because Madison's metro is smaller? Or because it's not part of the Northeast?
Madison and Richmond (city proper) have about the same population density. Madison residents have a higher percentage of college degrees. Madison is growing at a healthy rate, and has never been a very large city. SO, why this random comparison? Would you think that a city in the heavily populated NE might have a larger metro?
Madison and Richmond (city proper) have about the same population density. Madison residents have a higher percentage of college degrees. Madison is growing at a healthy rate, and has never been a very large city. SO, why this random comparison? Would you think that a city in the heavily populated NE might have a larger metro?
You're basically making my point. Madison is already larger when you're talking about the city population. Why isn't Madison more urban than it is? 17% growth rate (since 2000 according to CD) probably puts it near the top.
Odd comparison. Madison has height restrictions in place preventing the rise of skyscrapers, which can give a sense of urbanity, and it is half the metro population of Richmond. There are several examples in this country in which population of the city proper isn't a direct reflection of the metro area, so a city-to-city population comparison will not always be meaningful.
Incidentally, Richmond isn't a city in the Northeast, so I'm not sure why it would matter that Madison isn't a city in the Northeast.
Odd comparison. Madison has height restrictions in place preventing the rise of skyscrapers, which can give a sense of urbanity, and it is half the metro population of Richmond. There are several examples in this country in which population of the city proper isn't a direct reflection of the metro area, so a city-to-city population comparison will not always be meaningful.
Incidentally, Richmond isn't a city in the Northeast, so I'm not sure why it would matter that Madison isn't a city in the Northeast.
Thanks for a real answer. Didn't know that about the height restrictions.
The Northeastern bit was they tend to be super dense (Richmond's southern with a Mid-Atlantic influence) while Midwestern cities have room to sprawl. Thought that might have been a possible reason.
You'd think a city growing as quickly as Madison is growing would be putting up buildings left and right.
So what are some of the cities that don't meet population expectations and what are a some that exceed expectations?
Quote:
Originally Posted by NowInWI
Milwaukee (city proper) is more than twice the size of Norfolk, and of an extremely higher population density. Norfolk has a larger MSA...
Obviously it's not a perfect match, but it's close (1.55 million metro to 1.7 million). It's certainly a closer comparison than say Chicago.
Last edited by Port Pitt Ash; 06-28-2015 at 08:40 AM..
Thanks for a real answer. Didn't know that about the height restrictions.
The Northeastern bit was they tend to be super dense (Richmond's southern with a Mid-Atlantic influence) while Midwestern cities have room to sprawl. Thought that might have been a possible reason.
You'd think a city growing as quickly as Madison is growing would be putting up buildings left and right.
So what are some of the cities that don't meet population expectations and what are a some that exceed expectations?
Obviously it's not a perfect match, but it's close (1.55 million metro to 1.7 million). It's certainly a closer comparison than say Chicago.
Madison is putting up buildings left and right: 10-12 story condos everywhere. It's actually taking away some of the city's charm, but Madison definitely has a lot of construction on going.
As for population expectations: some quick examples I can think of would include Indianapolis vs. Boston, or Columbus vs. Atlanta. The latters are all more urban than the formers despite the differences in just city populations.
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