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Old 04-17-2011, 02:33 PM
 
Location: Atlanta Georgia
131 posts, read 171,588 times
Reputation: 41
I currently live in Atlanta and I give their downtown and midtown section(since their are so close together) a 8.5/10.

My hometown of Houston , I give it a 7/10 basically because it big and boring with no centralization of entertainment like other major cities.. but i still thinks it the best city in the world
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Old 04-17-2011, 08:07 PM
 
Location: Richardson
355 posts, read 464,693 times
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I would give Dallas a 6.5 for now, but in the future this number will go higher. There has been so much improvement in the area, such as the art venues, residential population, infastructure, and parks. A great example: the Main St. Gardens has done so much for the area adjacent to it. The Mercantile Place is doing very well, a massive vacant hotel is being renovated into a mixed use development, and a law school is in the works too. Although there are a good number of historic buildings to add character, they are still dominated by modern highrises.

The downside is that there is not much connectivity to districts, not enough entertainment/sports venues, not much affordable shopping/retail, and the vacancy rate is absurd. It's kinda boring. However, a streetcar system is being implemented, vacant buildings across downtown are in the process of becoming reused residential buildings, and 2 parks are under construction(one still planning). If the population grows high enough we might see a wider range of retail.

A lot of the activity is being drawn an places like Uptown, Greenville Ave, North Oak Cliff, and the growing Deep Ellum, but if downtown goes the pace it is going, it will draw a lot of people there.
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Old 04-18-2011, 06:12 PM
 
5,490 posts, read 13,867,464 times
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I also would give Dallas a 6-6.5!

You make good points about Dallas's downtown.

Texas has a great future especially in Dallas, Austin, and Houston!
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Old 04-18-2011, 06:14 PM
 
5,490 posts, read 13,867,464 times
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Atlanta a 8.5 out of 10? Seriously?

I would give it a 4 out of 10. However, it is getting better over time.

I think I would give Houston a 5 or 6.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jess.Johnson View Post
I currently live in Atlanta and I give their downtown and midtown section(since their are so close together) a 8.5/10.

My hometown of Houston , I give it a 7/10 basically because it big and boring with no centralization of entertainment like other major cities.. but i still thinks it the best city in the world
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Old 04-18-2011, 09:39 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
1,528 posts, read 6,270,715 times
Reputation: 652
I guess Dallas would give a 5.
The dart rail need to stop passing through the middle of the street, we need it to go underground. The trolly uptown need to make its way into downtown.
The retail is nothing special. Mainstreet looks like the average street in like... Brooklyn. It's just boring. I kinda looks pretty though.
Although it obviously doesn't compare to cities where you actually see people walking around on the street, like Boston, NYC, Chicago, San Fran...
Although I will say Dallas is probably a middle ground. between large cities with almost dead downtowns. I.E. Houston and Phoenix...but it really isn't that much better.

Downtown Fort Worth is actually better than Downtown Dallas. It's actually ok to walk around. Downtown Dallas has plans though, so let's hope we can actually pretend to live in a REAL city instead of suburbia in the next few years.
It used to be better...
This was Downtown Dallas in 1950.

YES IT IS.... that was Downtown Dallas.

If you come to Texas (for Urban tourism, at least) the best place to go to is San Antonio. You can go to Austin too. Those cities actually have fun things to do downtown.

Last edited by CMDallas; 04-18-2011 at 09:55 PM..
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Old 04-18-2011, 11:36 PM
 
Location: Richardson
355 posts, read 464,693 times
Reputation: 367
Quote:
Originally Posted by CMDallas View Post
I guess Dallas would give a 5.
The dart rail need to stop passing through the middle of the street, we need it to go underground. The trolly uptown need to make its way into downtown.
The retail is nothing special. Mainstreet looks like the average street in like... Brooklyn. It's just boring. I kinda looks pretty though.
Although it obviously doesn't compare to cities where you actually see people walking around on the street, like Boston, NYC, Chicago, San Fran...
Although I will say Dallas is probably a middle ground. between large cities with almost dead downtowns. I.E. Houston and Phoenix...but it really isn't that much better.

Downtown Fort Worth is actually better than Downtown Dallas. It's actually ok to walk around. Downtown Dallas has plans though, so let's hope we can actually pretend to live in a REAL city instead of suburbia in the next few years.
It used to be better...
This was Downtown Dallas in 1950.

YES IT IS.... that was Downtown Dallas.

If you come to Texas (for Urban tourism, at least) the best place to go to is San Antonio. You can go to Austin too. Those cities actually have fun things to do downtown.
Wow, that picture is lively! But I see what you are saying. I was really just comapring how it was in the beginning of the last decade, until now. It is leaps and bounds ahead of its former self, literally.

Ft. Worth is a city that I can respect. It's lively, historic, and there is activity that everyone can enjoy. It is not just catered exclusively with people that have more money. That is a mistake that Dallas is making, not enough all around places, you know.
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Old 04-19-2011, 02:07 AM
 
Location: Franklin, TN
6,662 posts, read 13,266,011 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nashvols View Post
Nashville (I'm grading to other cities its size) - 6.9

Architecture - 7
There are a number of beautiful historic buildings and blocks that have been preserved, including a number of beautiful churches, as well as newer buildings such as the symphony hall, main branch library, justice center, and modern examples such as the Pinnacle office tower. Still, a number of less attractive examples of 60s-80s architecture bring the score down, notably the current convention center. The skyscrapers are mostly modern, and some have their appeal, while others are uninspiring.


Nightlife/Streetlife - 9
While most of the bars and clubs are concentrated in 2 areas, downtown is usually a lively place at night. There is not much residential traffic at this time (see below), but Nashville is definitely not a city that shuts down after dark. The Honky Tonks, bars, and other music clubs are fairly concentrated, so tourists and locals alike can drift from place to place, contributing to the overall feel of the nightlife and streetlife.


Downtown living options - 4
At this time, there are fewer downtown living options in Nashville than there are in many other major cities. However, I can see this score rising a bit as the economy recovers. A number of new downtown apartments and condos have opened in the past decade, making it one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in the city (the population doubled, but still remains pretty low at around 6,000 in the downtown area). Many historic buildings have also had their upper floors converted to condos or lofts.


Sidewalks/pedestrian friendliness - 8
Nashville has decently wide sidewalks, especially in the entertainment and touristy areas...but all of the streets have sidewalks, so "walkability" is not a factor at all. Crosswalks are well marked, and the signals give an appropriate amount of time to cross. However, a few things could be done to make downtown more pedestrian friendly. I would like to see raised crosswalks (even with the sidewalks, forcing traffic to slow down as they cross them) on the major roads to enhance pedestrian safety. I would also love to see a district similar to Knoxville's Market Square, where there is no car traffic at all, making it possible to walk from restaurants and stores without having to cross a street.


Public transit - 7
Downtown is one of the few areas of Nashville where public transportation is relatively easy. All bus routes terminate downtown, so there are a lot of buses there, and there is even a new route (the Music City Circuit) that is free to passengers, and allows quick travel around downtown. There is still room for improvement, but this is one area where public transportation is not really an issue.


Density - 5.5
Downtown Nashville used to be fairly dense in the 1940s and 50s, before the urban renewal projects of subsequent years tore down a good amount of the "urban fabric" that was run down or dilapidated at the time. While downtown isn't exactly "spread out", a number of surface parking lots exist in the area, so there is still plenty of room to build up. Luckily, these lots have been the main targets of development recently. Hopefully the renewed interest in downtown will continue to build up the city's core.


Street level - 7
The street level in the nightlife/entertainment district is pretty good, but overall there are a number of areas with plain office entrances, and not as attractive to the street level (Commerce St and Union St come to mind). As a whole, the city should look at the revitalization of the Church St corridor as a template for how the street level should look as a whole, downtown.


Shopping/retail - 3
At this point in time, there are only a small number of places to shop downtown. When the downtown revitalization started in the late 1980s, a small mall opened up (Church Street Center) to try to revitalize downtown shopping (which thrived in the 40s-60s). Ultimately, it was before its time and failed. There are a number of small shops today, but downtown is certainly not a shopping "destination." Lower Broad has a number of touristy shops, and the area around 4th, 5th and Church, anchored by The Arcade, are the two small shopping areas. This may rebound somewhat if downtown continues to add more residents. Until then, the primary shopping areas will remain in the suburban areas.


Entertainment options - 10
Obviously the music venues drive the entertainment options, but there are also a number of museums and sports venues, too. From the Honky Tonks and hockey/basketball arena downtown, to the Frist and Tennessee State museums, to the symphony hall, to the public events on the riverfront, courthouse square, and legislative plaza, to the NFL stadium just across the river, downtown is definitely the dominant focal point for entertainment in the city. Entertainment is what makes downtown a vital part of the city today. Sure, there are state offices and businesses downtown, but the lifeblood runs through the entertainment industry.


Setting - 8.5
Downtown is located on a bluff overlooking the Cumberland River. Most of the area is built up on hilly ground (with most of the outlying area being somewhat lower). The state capital building sits atop the highest downtown hill, with a prominent view of the north side of town. The riverfront area is relatively small at this point, but there are major plans in the works to develop both sides of the waterfront into a park, which are connected by the Shelby Street pedestrian bridge to downtown.

I don't have enough images of my own to add to this discussion...but maybe I can take a weekend to get some shots in to better illustrate my points.

In the meantime, check out this link for some wonderful pictures of downtown Nashville.

Elements of Urbanism: Nashville | Metro Jacksonville
I did end up getting some shots to illustrate my points...check out the Nashville photo thread to get an up close and personal look at Downtown Nashville from the street level:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/nashv...ctures-11.html

*Warning - there are a lot of photos in that thread. A lot. If you have a slow connection, you're probably not going to enjoy it.
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Old 04-19-2011, 05:42 AM
 
Location: San Antonio
4,422 posts, read 6,215,143 times
Reputation: 5429
San Anto nio- 4.
Architecture and Nightlife is great, but that's it. No skyscrapers, virtually no public transit, VERY unsafe.
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Old 04-20-2011, 08:14 AM
 
190 posts, read 200,584 times
Reputation: 348
Boston Mass-- It is not called the Hub of the Universe for nothing!--10
Cambridge, Mass--It has Haavad and MIT--10
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Old 04-20-2011, 12:26 PM
 
Location: Atlanta Georgia
131 posts, read 171,588 times
Reputation: 41
Quote:
Originally Posted by ******* View Post
Atlanta a 8.5 out of 10? Seriously?

I would give it a 4 out of 10. However, it is getting better over time.

I think I would give Houston a 5 or 6.

Well since I'm new to Atlanta I have those WOW factors. I looked at Midtown and Atlanta combined to come up with the overall rating. Atlanta has many of the attractions that I would like to see in a downtown such as the aqarauim and the coco cola factory. And Midtown have that shopping factor I enjoy. So I think Atlanta has a pretty neat cbd..

Houston is improving. I was going to give Houston a 6.5 but Its not all that bad.
Houston is attracting entertainment, shopping, and main street is really picking up steam with many new clubs being built. I think a 7 is justifiable
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