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I have this image of down South hoods as being run down looking but not particularly urban/gritty
Agreed. Gritty and rundown aren't the same thing. There's not much gritty about Charleston. It has run down areas, like most cities. When I hear gritty, I think of something you'd see in Batman or an old Scorsese movie.
I don't agree with most of these but that's just my opinion. I think a lot of these places are just run down. Birmingham does have some post-industrial grit, but most of it is just a poorly maintained neighborhood with dilapidated houses and grass growing out of the asphalt. Type in "gritty neighborhood" and "run down neighborhood" on google and you get two different things.
I don't agree with most of these but that's just my opinion. I think a lot of these places are just run down. Birmingham does have some post-industrial grit, but most of it is just a poorly maintained neighborhood with dilapidated houses and grass growing out of the asphalt. Type in "gritty neighborhood" and "run down neighborhood" on google and you get two different things.
To me the biggest difference is a gritty neighborhood implies an area which is run down, but still mostly intact. E.g., there may be tons of abandoned buildings, but there's not a lot of vacant lots. Perhaps most key, it's not a very green area. A lot of bad neighborhoods in the South seem to have a lot of grass and trees, which takes away from the gritty vibe, making it feel more rural/backwoodsy.
Perhaps most key, it's not a very green area. A lot of bad neighborhoods in the South seem to have a lot of grass and trees, which takes away from the gritty vibe, making it feel more rural/backwoodsy.
I agree, most of the "gritty" neighborhoods in the South were communities built within wooded areas, instead of actually being planned and thought out. Which is why you get the rural aspect with all the greenery, no sidewalks, poor street designs.
I can't think of any downtown area in the south that doesnt have sidewalks and can be described as rural and backwoodsy, or has street designs that could be described as poor relative to other regions of the country
Last edited by ClemVegas; 07-22-2017 at 07:48 PM..
I can't think of any downtown area in the south that doesnt have sidewalks and can be described as rural and backwoodsy, or has street designs that could be described as poor relative to other regions of the country
The discussion isn't about downtowns. It's about urban neighborhoods outside of downtown.
To me the epitome of a gritty neighborhood is somewhere like Ironbound in Newark. It's not quite a ghetto, but it's working class. There's some street trees, but barely a blade of grass in site. And there are very few vacant lots, but many of the houses are run down and "remuddled" to some extent. There just aren't that many environments like that in the south, even in the relatively old cities.
The Ghent neighborhood in Norfolk retains some grittiness.
I agree with this. Norfolk tried its best to urban renew the grit away but luckily Ghent still retained some. I would even say that parts of downtown and granby have grit. Downtown Portsmouth as well.
For Richmond, I would say that Shockoe Bottom/ Shockoe Slip and Tobacco Row are nothing but grit. I would add Scotts addition, Manchester, Jackson Ward and Churchill as well.
Jackson Ward, Carver and Scott's Addition neighborhoods are a great examples. I'll try to post streeviews later.
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