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So NYC clearly has the Urban scale of the largest two European metros, Paris and London; but I'm wondering that is there any metro in the US (and perhaps Canada) that has the urban scale of Madrid or Berlin...i.e. just as many square miles (preferably contiguous of walkable/transport-friendly areas with mixed uses development); I'd imagine that Chicago,Toronto,San Francisco and Montreal might be in the discussion, but I'd still imagine that none of these cities have as much contiguous area that's walkable,transport-friendly and mixed-use.
Based on what I've experienced, though NYC can certainly match and surpass any large European city on urban scale/contigous density/pedestrian-friendliness, I'd imagine it'd be tough for any other US/Canadian city to match the urban scale of large European cities (e.g. Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Milan); of course we're excluding the European megacities Paris and London in this comparison.
Would love for anyone else who's visited/lived in large European and American/Canadian cities to chime in!
I would say Mexico City, probably. Yeah, it's sprawly but there's still a very big, walkable core.
Chicago, Toronto, SF, Philly, Boston, DC, and Montreal are not THAT far behind, but I would still put them a bit behind Madrid and Berlin.
I would also put Madrid a tiny bit ahead of Berlin.
I figure that's a fair comparison. How does Mexico City's scope of walkable areas compare to NYC's? I think another poster posted a density distribution of NYC Boroughs and it showed that even in Queens >30% of the population lived at densities of >62,000 ppsm, and that's certainly believable when you look at the walkability of many Queens neighborhoods...so NYC is pretty walkable throughout- even more than 10 miles away from midtown...how does Mexico City compare in that regard?
I figure that's a fair comparison. How does Mexico City's scope of walkable areas compare to NYC's? I think another poster posted a density distribution of NYC Boroughs and it showed that even in Queens >30% of the population lived at densities of >62,000 ppsm, and that's certainly believable when you look at the walkability of many Queens neighborhoods...so NYC is pretty walkable throughout- even more than 10 miles away from midtown...how does Mexico City compare in that regard?
Wow! Thanks so much for the link! Some really great visuals there.. It's peak doesn't too TOO far off NYC's and it does continue out quite far. I'm interested more in the streetscape though- does the streetscape and transportation infrastructure around 8-12 miles from the CBD lends itself to walking/being about at all hours of the night to the extent of the inner/middle parts of NYC's outer boroughs (excluding Staten Island)?
Wow! Thanks so much for the link! Some really great visuals there.. It's peak doesn't too TOO far off NYC's and it does continue out quite far. I'm interested more in the streetscape though- does the streetscape and transportation infrastructure around 8-12 miles from the CBD lends itself to walking/being about at all hours of the night to the extent of the inner/middle parts of NYC's outer boroughs (excluding Staten Island)?
I would say no. Mexico City is dense, and consistently urban, but not very pedestrian friendly outside the core. It's a huge, dense city, like a NYC or Sao Paulo, but more like a Madrid-sized urban core, and then just a mess of highways/slums/middle-upper class areas.
It's kind of a denser, multinodal LA-type city, so the core is small relative to overall city size. And even the core is kind of auto-oriented and pedestrian hostile, except for the oldest part (the historical center).
I'd say Philly comes the closest to a mid-density European city overall in terms of sheer size, dense development, and mixed-use status. Admittedly it's marred by blight in North and West Philadelphia in ways no European city is. But it's one of the few American cities which only has a handful of detached single-family housing neighborhoods. It probably has less of them (adjusting for city size) than NYC even.
Madrid completely stole my heart and I've never loved anything in my life as much as that city. I've been searching for anything even close and nothing. No luck. I haven't made my way to Montreal yet. But if it means anything, my favorite American city is Chicago and my favorite global city is Madrid. So maybe they're similar enough? Not sure.
^Barcelona looks even more beautiful to me, but I've always wanted to see both cities for sure!
I studied abroad in Madrid. Yes, actually studied. I speak Spanish fluently and befriended many Madrilenos. I went to strictly Spanish-speaking establishments and hung out where Madrilenos do. I avoided the tourist spots and truly immersed myself in the culture. I tried to do so in Barcelona too. But Barcelona is a more superficial beautiful. People and tourists fall in love easy because it is beautiful. However, for a living city, Madrid is more appealing to most. It doesn't have the beauty that attracts tourists to it. There's a few tourists locations, but not the whole city like Barcelona. But once you truly meet Madrid and its people, there's no pulling you away. It's been over 2 years and every single day I wish I was back. The Metro system is extremely modern and the cleanest I've ever ridden. Extremely friendly and outgoing people. Extremely accepting and liberal. And there is NOTHING like Madrid street life that I've ever experienced. At any time of day the streets are full of people. Wednesday at 10pm will be like most cities peak pedestrian traffic hour. And on a weekend night as the Madrilenos have "la marcha" while they "botellon" in the streets, I've never seen a city so alive and I've been to 19 countries. Only cities that come close are Barcelona and Tel Aviv.
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