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I think its time I paid Austin a visit. It must be doing something right if its being compared with Seattle.
You will be very dissapointed. If you go bring your pick up (the one with the shotgun in the back window) and your dog so you will fit in. You do speak spanish right?
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Originally Posted by Spade
I wasn't trying to discount Fort Worth. But I was focusing on the four largest cities in the state.
I hope I can rep you after I type this because you hit the nail on the head. Urbanity deals with cities not with downtowns. You look at how the city functions as a whole to judge how urban it is.
While Austin and SA may have more active downtown, both cities feel much smaller than Houston or Dallas, they provide less of a city-like experience and thus they are less urban.
And like you said, the Inner loop of Houston provides so much more than the entire city of Austin.
I agree Dallas and Houston outside their downtowns have more urban style dwellings(high Rise residential) and lofts, but as far urban core footprint, San Antonio's is comprable if not bigger than Dallas and Houstons. San Antonio was the biggest city in the Texas when the urban footprints of our cities were taking shape. The city has lots of potential and city leaders have come to that realization.
The city also has urban neighborhoods and it is not limited to just a vibrant downtown. These districts are not suburban in nature, Midtown, Broadway Corridor(Lower & Upper), Lincoln Heights, So Flo, Southtown, Medical Center and older districts being transformed into urban neighborhoods, Government Hill(Ft. Sam Houston), East Town and the Square District (new university Hospital District) Then there is the new River North District, and Pearl District. Many of the neighborhoods will be centered around and connected to the 15 mile Riverwalk expansion.
Last edited by SweethomeSanAntonio; 11-30-2010 at 08:43 PM..
I would agree Dallas and Houston outside their downtowns have more urban style dwellings(high Rise residential) and lofts, but as far urban core footprint, San Antonio's is comprable if not bigger than Dallas and Houstons. San Antonio was the biggest city in the Texas when the urban footprints of our cities were taking shape. The city has lots of potential and city leaders have come to that realization.
The city also has urban neighborhoods and it is not limited to just a vibrant downtown. These districts are not suburban in nature, Midtown, Broadway Corridor, Lincoln Heights, So Flo, Southtown, Medical Center and older districts being transformed into urban neighborhoods, Government Hill(Ft. Sam Houston), East Town and the Square District (new university Hospital District) Then there is the new River North District, and Pearl District. Many of the neighborhoods will be centered around and connected to the 15 mile Riverwalk expansion.
I don't know what you are talking about but the only city in the US that has a larger urban foot print than Houston and not combined with its associated county is OKC. Houston is bigger than SA. After OKC and Houston,
Phoenix, Los Angeles,and Skagway AK, all have bigger imprints than SA. Yes SA may be 50sq miles larger than Dallas, but it is still 150sq miles smaller than Houston.
Furthermore, SA has a lot (lotsa lots) of open land. So although SA has more land than Dallas, Dallas is more cohesive and has more amenities than SA. lots more actually.
SA was never a big city in terms of big cities. when SA had more people than Dallas and Houston, all three were still small town. Galveston was the first real big city in Texas.
I guess I learn something new everyday. Where is SA's midtown?? I rode by bike along Broadway every week. that is definitely not a walkable area. That area is down right treacherous. Lincoln Heights, So Flo, Southtown, and the Medical Center are all car dependent. I would like to see the walk-ability score for the medical center because it is basically a building here, then some prairie then another here and some prairie then more buildings here surrounded by more open space. The neighborhoods around the med center are most definitely suburban because they are solely residential, which by definition is suburban.
It is hard to define any urban areas in San Antonio because of the zoning laws. You have sea after sea of suburban areas(areas that are primarily residential) then along the highways you find bands of commerce. Sorry man, the only areas of the city that has a good urban mix is the downtown areas and some of its immediate surroundings.
if I am not mistaken the are SA is calling mid town is the area around SAC.
That area is just a low density residential suburb. I can't believe that is what is SA's midtown. Even from the map you can see that the building density in that area is sparse.
Same for Pearl/River North areas.
I didn't realize how empty San Antonio was. That map didn't help your case at all. tell me it is like 20 years old.
Last edited by HtownLove; 11-30-2010 at 08:54 PM..
I would agree Dallas and Houston outside their downtowns have more urban style dwellings(high Rise residential) and lofts, but as far urban core footprin
I would also say that the neighborhoods of Houston are more urban and dense than San Antonio.
This is what the inner loop is turning into now. If there is a lot or a home is going to be demolished. This is what they build in place of them. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't see many new neighborhoods like this in San Antonio. Google Maps
Again, they get more mass transit and actually expand the sidewalks to make it more pedestrian friendly, I would find this impressive. In fact, for a major sunbelt city, I find that impressive already. Every new home that is being built inside the loop is more urban. Not the suburban ranch style with big yards in the front and back.
I would also say that the neighborhoods of Houston are more urban and dense than San Antonio.
This is what the inner loop is turning into now. If there is a lot or a home is going to be demolished. This is what they build in place of them. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't see many new neighborhoods like this in San Antonio. Google Maps
Again, they get more mass transit and actually expand the sidewalks to make it more pedestrian friendly, I would find this impressive. In fact, for a major sunbelt city, I find that impressive already. Every new home that is being built inside the loop is more urban. Not the suburban ranch style with big yards in the front and back.
you are right. even the old apartment complexes that plague the SW side of Houston for miles and miles are absent in SA. I couldn't believe how few and far in-between were apartment complexes in SA. Most of the city is sea after sea of single family homes. even in the area he refers to as midtown.
But yes the loop in Houston is really coming along. It would be nice if Mid town ran into EAst Downtown and Binz in terms of development. when these areas grow out and run into each other the area is gonna have some crazy foot traffic.
see, now believe it or not, this is an example of a neighborhood in houston that some might say looks ugly, but i think it looks cool and quirky. very colorful
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