What does urban/suburban/rural look like to you? (regional, schools, population)
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Hmm. I see more bike riders in cities than suburbs. Depends on where, I guess.
Depends on who the bike riders are. In suburbs, bikes are children's toys, or at best recreational equipment. In cities, bikes are more likely to be used for practical transportation--commuting, couriers, tourism, deliveries, even as public transportation. Of course, people also bike in the city because it is fun.
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The mall near where I live has a farm with cows next to it. How do you classify that?
The first stage of infection.
Shopping malls are placed on agricultural land because it is cheap enough to provide "free" parking lots to mall customers. Typically once a mall goes in, development of the nearby rural area follows. About 20 miles south of where I live, the neighboring city approved plans to build a new shopping mall adjacent to farms with cows--the intent was to create a new neighborhood to the south, with the mall as the generator of traffic. Of course, that was a few years ago, and the housing crash halted the mall's construction in mid-build. It has been sitting, abandoned, for a number of years, and now that city wants to declare the property "blighted" and turn it into a redevelopment zone!
This pic is of Breezewood, PA, which is not suburban in the least. It is a rural area that happens to have a lot of travel-related businesses because it is at the junction of two major interstate highways. An area does not become "suburban" just because a bunch of businesses move in. Suburban areas must be near urban areas by defintion.
Interesting. I've never seen such a development like this. Seems like the worst of both worlds, all the downside of density (no space, congestion, noise) with no of the positive (walkability, better mass transit, lively streets). At least you have the beach nearby.
In the DC suburbs, we have a number of these types of developments as well (no beach though). Also known as "towers-in-the-park"-style developments. Most were built in the late 70's/early 80's, but do at least feature sidewalks and bus transit. They can be found in the Landmark, Huntington, and Skyline areas of Northern VA.
The first apartment I lived in around here was actually built as towers-in-the-park in the early 60's but then actually gained all of the positives of being in an urban area as the "parks" around them developed- empty fields were replaced by a mall, then a Metro station, and now the area has all of the typical amenities of an urban neighborhood.
This pic is of Breezewood, PA, which is not suburban in the least. It is a rural area that happens to have a lot of travel-related businesses because it is at the junction of two major interstate highways. An area does not become "suburban" just because a bunch of businesses move in. Suburban areas must be near urban areas by defintion.
Breezewood can hardly be used as an example. It's a pretty special case. It does not "happen to be" at the junction, it IS the junction, or rather, it is a freaking roadblock in the way of a junction. You have to go through several traffic lights to remain on I-70 where it merges with the turnpike because of some bizarre funding rules and subsequent lobbying by the businesses and politicians of Breezewood to keep a proper interchange from being built. It's a political boondoggle.
In the DC suburbs, we have a number of these types of developments as well (no beach though). Also known as "towers-in-the-park"-style developments. Most were built in the late 70's/early 80's, but do at least feature sidewalks and bus transit. They can be found in the Landmark, Huntington, and Skyline areas of Northern VA.
The first apartment I lived in around here was actually built as towers-in-the-park in the early 60's but then actually gained all of the positives of being in an urban area as the "parks" around them developed- empty fields were replaced by a mall, then a Metro station, and now the area has all of the typical amenities of an urban neighborhood.
Yea, towers in the park, aren't so bad if they're not isolated. Still not my taste. I drive past these towers in the park development often:
There seems to be a lot of disagreement about what these mean to different posters here. I'm often surprised to read what some posters' descriptions of these are.
So, using Google street view, your own images, whatever, show us what you think of, or what you consider to be idea/stereotypical, when you read/hear the words urban, suburban, and/or rural.
I've posted these before, but these are images of what I consider ideal urban neighborhoods: (one could easily walk to stores, restaurants, and mass-transit to get downtown for work)
It is not inherently obvious from those pictures that one could easily walk to any of the above. I grew up in a neighborhood of similar houses, in fact, one looks sort of like my parents' house. Our 'hood wasn't particularly walkable, other than to school and a convenience store. There was a bus that went to downtown Beaver Falls, a small mill town. Very few people worked there, other than the people who worked in the stores.
It is not inherently obvious from those pictures that one could easily walk to any of the above. I grew up in a neighborhood of similar houses, in fact, one looks sort of like my parents' house. Our 'hood wasn't particularly walkable, other than to school and a convenience store. There was a bus that went to downtown Beaver Falls, a small mill town. Very few people worked there, other than the people who worked in the stores.
That's why I made the point of mentioning it. And, I'll admit that, by big city standards, this neighborhood isn't that walkable. But, if I'm ever able to find a place there, I think it will suit me well.
I've posted these before, but these are images of what I consider ideal urban neighborhoods: (one could easily walk to stores, restaurants, and mass-transit to get downtown for work)
Further up the streets, there's some classic "suburban-style" ranch homes with a couple of McMansions.
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Originally Posted by CubanfromMiami
About as low density as you can get without being rural. THIS is sprawl. I hate this development with a passion. You can find this throughout all of broward county. This could be considered medium-income. $300-400k homes. That's not that much in Miami.
The Google Map image isn't showing up.
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Originally Posted by wburg
Depends on who the bike riders are. In suburbs, bikes are children's toys, or at best recreational equipment. In cities, bikes are more likely to be used for practical transportation--commuting, couriers, tourism, deliveries, even as public transportation. Of course, people also bike in the city because it is fun.
In some city areas, it's only "fun" if you're a daredevil. I've seen people bicycling on busy avenues in the middles of Manhattan and I wonder how they haven't been hit by a car yet.
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Originally Posted by pcity
In the DC suburbs, we have a number of these types of developments as well (no beach though). Also known as "towers-in-the-park"-style developments. Most were built in the late 70's/early 80's, but do at least feature sidewalks and bus transit. They can be found in the Landmark, Huntington, and Skyline areas of Northern VA.
Aventura does have bus transit, but the thing is that you have to walk through cul-de-sacs and parking lots to get to the bus stop.
The suburban links in the first post look more rural to me. I guess that I'm one of the ones that think that what some people here consider urban, I consider suburban, what some consider suburban I consider rural, and what some consider rural I consider farmland.
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And, I'll admit that, by big city standards, this neighborhood isn't that walkable. But, if I'm ever able to find a place there, I think it will suit me well.
