The Evolving Urban Form: Atlanta and Boston --> Lots of Similarities (homes)

[aries4118]

An interesting article for the "density" and "elbow room" folks.


http://www.newgeography.com/content/...rawling-boston


Some of the topics covered:

1. Pre-WWII Boston is dense...and so is Atlanta.

2. Outside of inner core of both CSAs, Boston is less dense than Atlanta.

3. Similar density in suburbs.

4. "Sprawl"



Enjoy!

[Mutiny77]

Anything on that site written by Wendell Cox or Joel Kotkin should be taken with the hugest grain of salt one can find.

Let's not even pretend that these two cities are even in the same stratosphere when it comes to density. Like really.

And the fact that he's using CSAs within the context of density should raise red flags from the outset.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

Anything on that site written by Wendell Cox or Joel Kotkin should be taken with the hugest grain of salt one can find.

Let's not even pretend that these two cities are even in the same stratosphere when it comes to density. Like really.

And the fact that he's using CSAs within the context of density should raise red flags from the outset.

Interesting point of view...and you're right for the most part.


I guess the only thing from me is how Atlanta is labeled "sprawl" capital when just about all US metros sprawl.

What he describes outside of Route 128/I-95 is very true (except they have extensive commuter rail...which makes a huge difference).

And take this from someone that lived in Eastern Mass for 5+ years...!

[Mutiny77]

All metros certainly do sprawl; Atlanta's sprawl wouldn't come off so badly if there was a relatively dense core in the middle of the sprawl, or if the sprawl were more like the Western variety which adheres to a semblance of a grid pattern.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

All metros certainly do sprawl; Atlanta's sprawl wouldn't come off so badly if there was a relatively dense core in the middle of the sprawl, or if the sprawl were more like the Western variety which adheres to a semblance of a grid pattern.

Agreed.

[AtlantaIsHot]

That's an interesting article. Boston is a much older city built at a time when cities were built much denser as a whole before the advent of the automobile. Boston had little choice but to use every available lot. It's only 48 square miles.

Outside this old core, low density car driven sprawl of single family homes becomes the norm. The northeastern cities have "old" dense cores, but outside this, they were driven by car-centric single family suburbia too. They have supplied them with rail transit though in many cases. The Long Island Railway comes to mind. However, it remains a fact that much of it is low-density sprawl only without the extensive tree cover. Though a lot of it is higher density, much of it isn't. Seen from above, you wouldn't be able to tell a lot of it from suburban Atlanta without labels.

Long Island suburbia:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Lo...f7f96186940d18