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Houston, Dallas and Atlanta are all significantly lower density than Los Angeles, no matter how you look at it. Do I think they would be better places if they were more dense? I don't really think so... They seem to be attracting a ton of people the way they are.
I think think they would, but it's a matter of personal preference. A good part of the reason Houston, Dallas, Atlanta have strong growth is they're significantly cheaper than coastal metros.
Personally, I've enjoyed New York City whenever I visited (and I visit there regularly much more than any other city) and probably would be ok with living there, much more so than any of those three sunbelt cities named. I like being able to walk around, see stuff and find random things. New York City is good for that, the sunbelt cities much less so. New York City also sprawls quite a bit. You can live in a suburb and visit the big city regularly if city living isn't your thing, but in the sunbelt cities most living is not that walkable and low density, not much choice. I agree New York City can be a bit much, but why pick NYC, Tokyo and Hong Kong as your dense examples? Two megacities and one extreme density (Hong Kong) outlier. How about if the sunbelt cities were as dense as Munich or Madrid? Mmm.
Atlanta has one of the largest subway systems in the nation, it is definitely the most prepared for density and sustainability for the future, give it time
Atlanta has one of the largest subway systems in the nation, it is definitely the most prepared for density and sustainability for the future, give it time
MARTA has 228,300 weekday riders, spread over 4 lines with only 4,800 boardings per mile per weekday, or best for eighth in the nation in terms of total ridership. There's a lot of unused capacity in Atlanta's system. Consider that Philadelphia has 342,200 weekday riders, spread over 2 lines which are half the length of MARTA's entire system, and has 13,700 boardings per mile per weekday.
Zoning doesn't prevent sprawl. If anything, most zoning practices encourage sprawl by mandating separate land use and parking requirements.
I would think zoning that encourages sprawl would allow for more sprawl. Good zoning could restrict development from tearing through a pedestrian environment or using not developing in the outer edges when there's unused land further in.
I would think zoning that encourages sprawl would allow for more sprawl. Good zoning could restrict development from tearing through a pedestrian environment or using not developing in the outer edges when there's unused land further in.
True! For example, urban development boundaries and mixed-use zoning can be very effective.
However, in practice, most zoning practices currently in place are the ones that encourage sprawl. Also, zoning is not absolutely necessary, since even Houston apparently has some walkable neighborhoods (midtown, neartown, Montrose, and others). Private developers and neighborhood associations can apparently do the job without government imposed zoning.
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