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There is a lot of discussion about a place being "Urban" or "Suburban" on CD - is there a level that exists in between.
It seems we all have different thoughts on urbanity and what it is, and in the same respect what is suburban.
So is an area like Tysons Corner, Bethesda MD, Galleria Area in Houston or Rosslyn VA something in between. Having certain aspects of both.
Would this be QuasiUrban or some other name
Your thoughts and a better label would be welcome.
Also what are these areas that are not truly urban or suburban if they do exist and what are their charactersitics that make them fit neither the urban or suburban categories?
Location: Austin, TX/Chicago, IL/Houston, TX/Washington, DC
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I wish there was a term for something in between Urban & Suburban. Both are generally to massive of a genre that anything with characteristics of both get pushed as one or the other.
I propose we decide a new name for a brand new term!
Nassau county, where my daughter owns a house, is sort of in between both city and suburbs. Many people think it's nearly identical to the outer-boroughs of NYC. It's more urban than most suburbs in the country, but in NYC terms, it's suburban for the most part.
I wish there was a term for something in between Urban & Suburban. Both are generally to massive of a genre that anything with characteristics of both get pushed as one or the other.
I propose we decide a new name for a brand new term!
I think a new term would be beneficial, not sure what it would be
Quasiurban has some negative conotation i would think
Arlington County is the best example of this. The streets are in a grad pattern, just as fast paced as D.C, being right next to it, and overall it doesn't feel like the suburbs, it feels like its own city. Arlington was once apart of D.C. so that explains why the street layout its similar.
Arlington County is the best example of this. The streets are in a grad pattern, just as fast paced as D.C, being right next to it, and overall it doesn't feel like the suburbs, it feels like its own city. Arlington was once apart of D.C. so that explains why the street layout its similar.
I actually used images from Arlington (Crystal City and Rosslyn) as an example of suburban vs urban in another thread
Well, there are also different types of "semi-urban" environments.
One of the more common types in the US is something I think of as the "enhanced office-park" environment. Instead of a completely suburban office park environment, this type of area tends to have office buildings with more floors (some may even be skyscrapers), but they are still separated from one another by wide, car-friendly roads, surface parking lots (in some cases), and generally don't have a lot of pedestrian activity. These are basically "compressed" versions of the suburban office park.
Another would be semi-urban areas where the housing stock includes multistory apartment buildings, or houses on denser lots than you would see in the suburbs, sometimes along with a greater concentration of corner stores, or street-level businesses. However, due to wide roads and the way that these areas tend to taper off only a block or two away from the denser core of the avenues in question, they are not really "urban," either.
One of the most interesting is the phenomenon of the non-urban skyscraper field. This happens when a bunch of skyscrapers are constructed near one another, but the ground below lacks much other activity, due to separation by freeways or roads, huge plazas, fields, and a general lack of denser street-level structures.
This is the model that currently exists in parts of Dubai (rows of towers strung out in single-file lines alongside 14-lane freeways like Sheikh Zayed Road).
This is also the model you'll see in the Santa Fe area of Mexico City - malls and skyscrapers, but not much else.
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