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I agree with the part where driving down 95, you can see the highrises from a distance lining up and down the ocean from WPB to Miami. That's about 70 miles of highrises here and there. But on the turnpike, you'd be hard pressed to see any of those highrises and 75, forget about it. In fact, on 75, up until a few years ago, you'd be hard pressed to much development at all and you wouldn't think you're in a big city outside of it having 5 lanes in each direction.
Miami like other southern/sunbelt cities still suffer from being mostly suburban. I've been to Miami plenty of times to visit family and outside of downtown and some adjacent neighborhoods, it's still largely suburban.
Yeah, there's no real breaks in the suburban development, but that's the same with Dallas and Houston. You can't tell the difference between the suburbs in the city and the suburbs outside of the city. Most of the high rises are located on the coast lines so of course if you're looking towards the skyline in a way of where the highrises seem to go on for miles and miles, of course, it looks large, but the metro is only 10 miles wide if that.
For example, looking at this picture, how does this look any larger than Houston?
Miami like other sunbelt cities don't have that compact urban landscape you see with most world class urban cities.
Where's that big city feel outside of downtown and Miami Beach?
A small snap shot of Brickell has nothing to do with how big the metro feels. Miami Beach, Aventura, Sunny Isles all have skylines also so I don't understand the point.
Also we all know Miami is not that wide but its also not some tiny strip of land either. Jacksonville has a huge city proper but how does it FEEL? The OP is comparing cities in the south not the "world class urban cities" you are referring to.
Alright guys what city in the south gives you that "big city" feeling?
My Picks would be Houston/Atlanta for scale of the city and driving through, Miami/New Orleans for street level and urbanity.
I tend to agree.
The smaller cities pack a bigger punch on street level.
For scale, I would say Houston because you can easily drive for 80 miles west to east on Interstate 10 and see countless towers. Or drive north to south on 45 and see constant development. I would say Miami and Atlanta comes next because then DFW.
For consistent urban development on street level it is New Orleans without a doubt. If you walk outwards from the core of any city in the south, you would think that New Orleans was much bigger than any other.
Miami like other southern/sunbelt cities still suffer from being mostly suburban. I've been to Miami plenty of times to visit family and outside of downtown and some adjacent neighborhoods, it's still largely suburban.
Yeah, there's no real breaks in the suburban development, but that's the same with Dallas and Houston. You can't tell the difference between the suburbs in the city and the suburbs outside of the city. Most of the high rises are located on the coast lines so of course if you're looking towards the skyline in a way of where the highrises seem to go on for miles and miles, of course, it looks large, but the metro is only 10 miles wide if that.
For example, looking at this picture, how does this look any larger than Houston?
Miami like other sunbelt cities don't have that compact urban landscape you see with most world class urban cities.
Where's that big city feel outside of downtown and Miami Beach?
Miami has a "average" density of 12,000 people per square mile.
Neither Houston , Dallas or Atlanta as cities approaches Miami's density.
This is Little Havana which is one of the most densely populated neighborhoods backing right up to downtown Miami :
Miami has a "average" density of 12,000 people per square mile.
Neither Houston , Dallas or Atlanta as cities approaches Miami's density.
Yet it has the lowest GDP of the four.
Density is nice and all of those condos do provide impressive multiple skylines, but shadowy foreign investment is hardly a 'real' economy. It is also still a very auto-centric place - even in the booming Brickell area, with much lower rail ridership than Atlanta. Miami/SE Florida is simply in a lower tier compared to its Southern peers when it comes to a corporate base, not to mention a solid middle class.
But yeah, it does have a pretty skyline.
Last edited by JMatl; 11-08-2015 at 06:20 AM..
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