Which US city is planned most like a Canadian/ European city?

[mooguy]

^^^. Exactly.

To me a pedestrian friendly environment is one that people want to go to and need to go to. It's a place where exploring the neighbourhood is a pleasant and interesting experience. It's a community that develops organically and not by the whim of a developer.

I am not saying a Metrotown or Brentwood is bad planning. Quite the contrary, having apts and offices convenient to rapid transit is ideal. My point was that TOD and pedestrian friendly developments are not necessarily the same thing yet they are often portrayed as such.

[MrJester]

Originally Posted by mooguy

^^^. Exactly.

To me a pedestrian friendly environment is one that people want to go to and need to go to. It's a place where exploring the neighbourhood is a pleasant and interesting experience. It's a community that develops organically and not by the whim of a developer.

I am not saying a Metrotown or Brentwood is bad planning. Quite the contrary, having apts and offices convenient to rapid transit is ideal. My point was that TOD and pedestrian friendly developments are not necessarily the same thing yet they are often portrayed as such.

That's fair. To me, walkabikity is all about being able to walk to a transit station, groceries, the mall, etc in a short time in a safe environment that is hopefully, but not always, low in pedestrian and auto accidents.

To me, Aberdeen Square in Richmond is very pleasant to walk through. I know to many others it is the epitome of bland, soulless, generic capitalism, but it's safe, clean, and modern, and that's all I really need for a pleasant walk. But to you, a pleasant walk also has to be interesting and have character. Well then, that development in Hong Kong that I posted is super dense and transit oriented, but I guess even that isn't walkable by your standards, because it's too new, too clean, and too planned.

[recycled]

I am retired and looked around in the US for a place that somewhat resembled what you might find in Europe, but didn't really come up with what I liked. For a couple of years, I was living part of the year in Tucson, AZ and part of the year (the warm months) in Germany. Last year, I was able to get a long term residence card for Germany, and this fall, decided to come over here and stay for a year or two.

I rent a nice, furnished apartment (all utilities, internet & TV included for about $800/month) in Chemnitz, a lesser known, non-tourist city of about 250K in eastern Germany. It's 1 hour west of Dresden, 1 hour south of Leipzig. I'm two blocks walk to two grocery stores and a neighborhood retail center with all the everyday shopping needs.

It's a 10 minute walk to downtown, with big city retail stores and a big assortment of restaurants and services. Bike riding is very good here too, I pedal all over the city and the area outside the city. I don't have a car here, but I have a German drivers license so I can use a car sharing service if I want or need it.

I have a senior citizen unlimited transit pass that covers the regional area (30+ miles in all directions) for buses, trams (streetcars) and regional trains (about $55 / month). I can roll my bicycle into the train or (rear car) of the tram, travel outside of town to a destination, then ride my bike back home, usually 25-35 miles one way. I only use public transit (mask required) in off peak times when there are very few passengers, to avoid Covid risk. Sunday morning, for example, trains and trams are almost empty.

I wish I could find something similar to this in the US. I would gladly pay far more than the rent I pay here, but I doubt if it would be as nice as the apartment I found here. It is quiet, well kept and clean, on a side street, the neighbors are nice, south facing balcony looking out on green grass and trees, bike parking room in a warm basement. The next 3 months will have plenty of dark days and cold temps, but having a nice place to live will make it a bit easier.

[NW Crow]

Was your Chemnitz apartment a quarter to half less than what a similar one in western Germany would be? Do you notice remaining differences between west and east? Did you have previous experience in the east? Was your long-term residence approval influenced by your choice of Chemnitz or could you initially or later choose to go elsewhere? Just curious, if you want to say more. What, if any, are the negatives?

Would you consider upstate NY metros, State College PA, Madison WI, Omaha NE, Iowa metros, Columbus OH, etc.?

[Those Who Squirm]

I'm not sure why you imply that the typical Canadian city is that different from the typical American city. Certainly, the oldest cities, for example Montreal, do tend have more of a European feel to them, but that's also true of the U.S.