Are there any cities that don't really have really bad neighborhoods but lots of marginal, dumpy areas? (section 8, apartments)
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I live in the Phoenix metro area and the one interesting thing about Phoenix is that it doesn't really have a really, really run-down area that alot of Midwestern and Eastern cities do.
But there is a huge amount of really marginal areas that just keep on going for miles and miles. In fact a majority of the city of Phoenix is proper is marginal and run-down, but none of it is anything like a bad part of a Eastern and Midwestern city.
Just like with the violent crime rate in Phoenix. I remember reading some statistics on a per-capita basis and the per-capita rates in the worst areas were better then the whole city in many other large cities but a majority of the city has a moderate violent crime rate and it is very spread-out throughout the city.
I remember reading that the worst zip code in Phoenix has only a 50% higher violent crime rate then the city average, but it is also extremely spread-out through the city on a moderate level. I wouldn't be surprised if Las Vegas wasn't similar.
The rough and tumble areas of Phoenix take up a huge portion of the city but there really isn't a neighborhood that is as rough as what many Midwestern and Eastern cities have.
Even, Omaha has far worse areas then Phoenix but Omaha's rough areas are tiny in comparison to the size of the city. A vast majority of Omaha poverty and violent crime is one or two zip codes. It is similar in many other midwestern cities.
Las Vegas is a bit like this also. Las Vegas worst neighborhoods other then the Alphabet Streets don't really look all that bad compared to many cities. But, it seems like the marginal neighborhoods in Las Vegas are the rule rather then the exception in the city.
Las Vegas also has a very spread-out violent crime rate. I remember hearing people saying they moved to Summerlin from Chicago and they were shocked how even Summerlin had lots of issues. But yet, with Las Vegas there really isn't a really, really awful neighborhood where one can't walk down the street like certain eastern cities.
Tampa, Florida seemed to sort of be a bit like this also.
Last edited by lovecrowds; 11-12-2016 at 03:29 PM..
The reason cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas or Tampa are lacking really run-down areas is because they're quite simply not old enough yet to the cities you're comparing with that were built out 100 years or so ago versus 50 years ago. Give it another 30-40 years and one will see the deterioration you're referring to in the Sunbelt cities also. It's the American way....build, use, dispose of or allow to fall into disrepair, build new and repeat.
I feel like Columbus (OH) fits that description to some degree.
For example, Northland/the Morse Road corridor is a suburban style area that declined and now has a lot of section 8 apartments, sketchy motels and is home to significant Ethiopian and Somalian immigrant communities. Definitely not jarring to look at or particularly scary to drive through. lots of chain restaurants and strip mall style development and intact modest single-family homes.
Many parts of Inland Empire is exactly how you describing the scenario. Large swaths are just sorta semi grimey lower income but still a decent place to raise a family. Now if we're talking San Bernardino city that's a different topic. I might want to add that even though certain areas out west might not have concentrated murderous danger zones and are spread even over large sq/mi won't take away the fact that in the large area there will be thugs killers savagery. What I'm saying is Phoenix area can be consider one big ghetto because you never know what can happen though that applies anywhere.
I would venture that sparse population density and autocentric built form makes these places look friendlier than they are. You don't think that it's unsafe to walk the streets, because no one actually walks the streets.
The reason cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas or Tampa are lacking really run-down areas is because they're quite simply not old enough yet to the cities you're comparing with that were built out 100 years or so ago versus 50 years ago. Give it another 30-40 years and one will see the deterioration you're referring to in the Sunbelt cities also. It's the American way....build, use, dispose of or allow to fall into disrepair, build new and repeat.
That's not entirely true. I think it's due to not having neighborhoods with interconnected houses suitable for the graffiti artists. When people think of rundown areas up north, they usually think of neglected buildings but also with lots of graffiti and trash. Southern cities have ranch style houses which are spaced out(less options/walls to write on), so though some areas are old-older in these Southern cities, they still look decent.
Location: Live:Downtown Phoenix, AZ/Work:Greater Los Angeles, CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lovecrowds
I live in the Phoenix metro area and the one interesting thing about Phoenix is that it doesn't really have a really, really run-down area that alot of Midwestern and Eastern cities do.
But there is a huge amount of really marginal areas that just keep on going for miles and miles. In fact a majority of the city of Phoenix is proper is marginal and run-down, but none of it is anything like a bad part of a Eastern and Midwestern city.
Just like with the violent crime rate in Phoenix. I remember reading some statistics on a per-capita basis and the per-capita rates in the worst areas were better then the whole city in many other large cities but a majority of the city has a moderate violent crime rate and it is very spread-out throughout the city.
I remember reading that the worst zip code in Phoenix has only a 50% higher violent crime rate then the city average, but it is also extremely spread-out through the city on a moderate level. I wouldn't be surprised if Las Vegas wasn't similar.
The rough and tumble areas of Phoenix take up a huge portion of the city but there really isn't a neighborhood that is as rough as what many Midwestern and Eastern cities have.
Even, Omaha has far worse areas then Phoenix but Omaha's rough areas are tiny in comparison to the size of the city. A vast majority of Omaha poverty and violent crime is one or two zip codes. It is similar in many other midwestern cities.
Las Vegas is a bit like this also. Las Vegas worst neighborhoods other then the Alphabet Streets don't really look all that bad compared to many cities. But, it seems like the marginal neighborhoods in Las Vegas are the rule rather then the exception in the city.
Las Vegas also has a very spread-out violent crime rate. I remember hearing people saying they moved to Summerlin from Chicago and they were shocked how even Summerlin had lots of issues. But yet, with Las Vegas there really isn't a really, really awful neighborhood where one can't walk down the street like certain eastern cities.
Tampa, Florida seemed to sort of be a bit like this also.
Oh stop it OP, the "majority" of the city of Phoenix is not run down. I live in the city, and my neighborhood is very nice, quite pricey as well. The only generally run down parts of the city are the south and west sides, and a small part of the east side. The central city from downtown northward, Ahwatukee, the eastside north of Oak St and the whole northside are not run down at all!
That's not entirely true. I think it's due to not having neighborhoods with interconnected houses suitable for the graffiti artists. When people think of rundown areas up north, they usually think of neglected buildings but also with lots of graffiti and trash. Southern cities have ranch style houses which are spaced out(less options/walls to write on), so though some areas are old-older in these Southern cities, they still look decent.
Overall Southern cities are cleaner too.
I think the last comment has a lot to do with what he mentioned, as a lot of Southern cities have chunks of the city that would be suburbs for most Northern cities.
That's not entirely true. I think it's due to not having neighborhoods with interconnected houses suitable for the graffiti artists. When people think of rundown areas up north, they usually think of neglected buildings but also with lots of graffiti and trash. Southern cities have ranch style houses which are spaced out(less options/walls to write on), so though some areas are old-older in these Southern cities, they still look decent.
Overall Southern cities are cleaner too.
The correlation between deterioration and graffiti isn't there. nor connected housing. It starts with deterioration and/or abandonment and has nothing to do with housing style.
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