Urban suburbs of Philly? (Philadelphia, Chester: townhouses, construction, move)

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by stuckinsj

lots more in NJ. including haddon heights, Palmyra, Burlington, Woodbury, and Glassboro.

If Haddon Heights qualifies, so does Narberth.

Rather than quibble over what makes a suburb "urban," it might make more sense to include all prewar-style inner ring suburbs with distinct identities, along with further removed boroughs and cities that fit the description.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by Snwmn5

If youre including Bridgeport and North Wales, I would include Rockledge, PA on the list.

I'd include Rockledge, regardless.

[thwanko]

I grew up about a block from the Lower Merion/Narberth border. I would not really call Narberth urban, although it's definitely walkable. As someone earlier in the thread said it has a "town" vibe. I'd say more or less the same for Ardmore and Bryn Mawr, although they are slightly busier. I would definitely consider parts of Upper Darby urban though. If you took someone not familiar with the region to the neighborhood around 69th street they might think they were still in the city.

Also I don't think I'd consider Chester a suburb at all, I'd put in the same category as Camden and Wilmington, small former industrial cities that happen to be near a much larger one.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by thwanko

I grew up about a block from the Lower Merion/Narberth border. I would not really call Narberth urban, although it's definitely walkable. As someone earlier in the thread said it has a "town" vibe. I'd say more or less the same for Ardmore and Bryn Mawr, although they are slightly busier. I would definitely consider parts of Upper Darby urban though. If you took someone not familiar with the region to the neighborhood around 69th street they might think they were still in the city.

Also I don't think I'd consider Chester a suburb at all, I'd put in the same category as Camden and Wilmington, small former industrial cities that happen to be near a much larger one.

Other than the portions north of Montgomery Avenue and around Merion GC, I'd say Ardmore fits the bill; same with the Bryn Mawr and Garrett Hill portions of the 19010 zip code.

Thinking about it more, Narberth is an interesting case because while Merion arguably qualifies as an urban suburb to the South, Penn Valley definitely does not, while Wynnewood is somewhere in between. Based on other choices people aren't disputing, I still think Narberth fits within the category, albeit on the outer edge. It's walkable, densely populated, and has urban housing stock like twins and rowhomes. It certainly feels like a town, but I don't think that's mutually exclusive with urbanity, especially since many other selections also feel like towns.

Agreed on Chester.

[thwanko]

Originally Posted by ElijahAstin

Other than the portions north of Montgomery Avenue and around Merion GC, I'd say Ardmore fits the bill; same with the Bryn Mawr and Garrett Hill portions of the 19010 zip code.

Thinking about it more, Narberth is an interesting case because while Merion arguably qualifies as an urban suburb to the South, Penn Valley definitely does not, while Wynnewood is somewhere in between. Based on other choices people aren't disputing, I still think Narberth fits within the category, albeit on the outer edge. It's walkable, densely populated, and has urban housing stock like twins and rowhomes. It certainly feels like a town, but I don't think that's mutually exclusive with urbanity, especially since many other selections also feel like towns.

Agreed on Chester.

Fair enough. Narberth definitely has urban qualities, It just doesn't feel like a city neighborhood to me subjectively. Definitely not typical suburban sprawl either though. I would disagree about Merion being an urban suburb, aside from having pretty good access to transit and being geographically close to city line. The immediate area I'm from near Merion Elementary has a lot of twins but most of 19066 is detached homes on big lots.

On second thought I can agree on parts of Ardmore and Bryn Mawr feeling urban.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by thwanko

Fair enough. Narberth definitely has urban qualities, It just doesn't feel like a city neighborhood to me subjectively. Definitely not typical suburban sprawl either though. I would disagree about Merion being an urban suburb, aside from having pretty good access to transit and being geographically close to city line. The immediate area I'm from near Merion Elementary has a lot of twins but most of 19066 is detached homes on big lots.

On second thought I can agree on parts of Ardmore and Bryn Mawr feeling urban.

Much of 19066 is a better-cared for extension of Overbrook. There are definitely big houses, but for the most part, I'd say the lot-to-home ratio for even the larger homes is fairly small. The post-war construction is mostly piecemeal and custom, the area around General Wayne Park being a notable exception. I guess I'll amend and say it's mixed, though less so than Wynnewood.

[FKD19124]

they are towns. but they have that urban feel to them that many people are attracted to.

Originally Posted by BPP1999

This is probably the 5th time I've posted this on CD but I'm happy to do it again. Most of these places are not "urban" but are "towns."

Classic Towns of Greater Philadelphia

[GraysFerryB4]

We live in Collingswood and I usually describe it as sort of a "village" to the city. EXTREMELY walkable and a fantastic restaurant scene. Love it here. Funky, cool, artsy, hipster vibe and getting better all the time. Only drawback to me: town is dry.

[Fly Eagles Fly]

There are a lot of good ones for sure. I'd put Media up near the top of the list with West Chester. Conshohocken is the perfect size and density but missing a couple elements. Norristown is the densest one, and the biggest one, but the crime factor, and the fact that downtown currently lacks a grocery store and movie theater, keep it from the top tier in my mind.

I currently live in Flourtown, and it's surprisingly great for walking. I am at the grocery/post office/bank/several restaurants within three or four minutes, and really all the town's businesses within about ten minutes. My life would suck, though, if I had to rely on the one bus line that rolls down Bethlehem Pike to get me around. And the town is not pedestrian friendly. I am usually the only pedestrian I see when I walk around.

I go to Narberth a lot, too, and think it is even better than Flourtown- those train suburbs on the Main Line were really well planned, which I think is a big reason they continue to draw so many rich people! And it has many more pedestrians, which makes walking more fun.

When you compare Philly to other metro areas, New York, DC, and Boston in my view are the only cities with suburbs as walkable- and tbh you could say those three all have more walkable suburbs than Philly. But after that I'd say Chicago and then there's a steep drop off. The Eastern cities really lucked out by being built so dense way back when.

[TownDweller]

Since the OP specifically mentioned high rises and density, the one that comes to mind is King of Prussia. It is not walkable, but it sure is dense and congested. And a growing skyline. Plus, if you like traffic congestion, it really punches your ticket.

Philly does not have anything like a White Plans NY or Evanston, IL. They have high rises, density and are walkable. Not sure what Flyers Girl sees missing in Conshy. It is dense, has an actual skyline and is walkable. The section I live in, near downtown, definitely has an urban feel, minus the crime. It also has traffic congestion, but only at rush hour.