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Seattle I would give an 7.5/10. The shopping is great, it's compact and walkable, and the hustle and bustle/pedestrian density makes it feels like a larger city. Things to improve on: the waterfront is tacky and run down (This should be remedied once the highway 99 viaduct is torn down and the replacement tunnel is finished). Also, we need more residential density. Seattle went through a pretty large condo boom the past 3-4 years, but obviously that has cooled off considerably along with the rest of the country. We are behind our west coast brethren Vancouver B.C. and San Francisco in terms of downtown residential density.
Seven new highrise condo projects have started back up as appartments. They have all broke ground looks like Seattle will be going through another boom . Its going to be nice to see all the cranes again. Compared to other cities I would give it a 8 out of 10 it still has 67,000 people living in the center city. Yes but not as dense as San Fran or Van but growin at a fast pace. Downtown Seattle has one of the strongest retail markets in the nation for city centers. Several flagship stores national and international retailers. And a large tourist market also with 13,000 hotel rooms downtown . Thats one of the reasons the streets bustle with excitement.
I would give Portland an 8/10. It's very vibrant and fun, the only downside is there isn't enough tall buildings, and it's not very big in area (maybe like 2 x 3 km or so)
Id give Lafayette a 2. Mainly because very few if any people actually live directly in it. They live all around it but its only hopping at night and weekends. However, during the many festivals, expecially Mardi Gras and Festival International, I give it an absolute 9-10. It gets beyond vibrant. Its downright packed and awesome. The main problem is that its such a small area. Only a few blocks in any direction and there are almost no high rises.
Newark, NJ: 3.5/10. It's mediocre to disgraceful, even with the PruCenter, NJPAC, and transit network. It would kill to have "poor" downtowns like Charlotte, Dallas and Atlanta. LOL are you kidding me? Jersey City, White Plains, Stamford CT and Arlington, VA's downtowns are much, much better, and they have smaller city populations. Pathetic.
-Not enough people living downtown(unless you count the panhandling bums and crackheads) nor enough market-rate housing to accommodate them
-No real middle class establishments and caters too much to the ghetto element(ie Harlem pre gentrification boom)
-Trash in the streets; graffitti
-Lack of hotels(only the Hilton and Best Western so far), but fortunately that's starting to change
-No major chain restaurants whatsoever
-Too many surface parking lots
-Too many abandoned buildings on its major road
-Too many sirens, especially ambulance sirens
-Light rail extension is slow and should have been built underground.
i agree. its vibrant and has a lot to offer compared to 90% of america's downtowns. i just get frustrated with the dead zone east of city hall and west of old city. and that surface parking lot that takes up a full block on 8th and market . that is screaming for a highrise.
The area along Market Street is considered to be African-American shopping/business district...too bad Chinatown opposed the Gallery to Casino conversion...could be tough to displace with upscale development...although Chestnut is getting better as development moves south of Broad and continues north of Old City. A high-rise or a retail center anchored by a Nordstrom would be perfect for that parcel at 8th/Market.
Seven new highrise condo projects have started back up as appartments. They have all broke ground looks like Seattle will be going through another boom . Its going to be nice to see all the cranes again. Compared to other cities I would give it a 8 out of 10 it still has 67,000 people living in the center city. Yes but not as dense as San Fran or Van but growin at a fast pace. Downtown Seattle has one of the strongest retail markets in the nation for city centers. Several flagship stores national and international retailers. And a large tourist market also with 13,000 hotel rooms downtown . Thats one of the reasons the streets bustle with excitement.
That is good news that the residential population is increasing in downtown Seattle because the employment population is decreasing...
That is good news that the residential population is increasing in downtown Seattle because the employment population is decreasing...
Dont understand the comment explain . Downtown Seattle workforce increased by 20,000 last year just by Amazon . Not including the other two corperations that moved downtown also bringing there workforce. Seattles downtown work force is growing . 42.3 millon square ft of office space downtown 252,000 people working downtown. And nother 25,000 will be added the next couple years. Just by Amazon alone.
Last edited by ironcouger; 04-27-2011 at 11:36 PM..
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Charlotte, NC sucks....Give it a 5/10......>just not enough going on for a downtown....IMHO.
. that is screaming for a highrise.
