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There is nothing wrong with that. Many natives in the burbs only go into the city around 4 times a year for special occasions such as xmas shopping, broadway show, pro sports game, family visiting, etc.
Explore BK and Queens more b/c they might be more your pace.
I have yet to explore Brooklyn, but I definently will!
I think density is one of the key elements that make a city walkable and appealing. This is true of the top cities in America.
However, density is definitely not the only thing that matters. For example, there are very dense cities in some 3rd world countries which I would not want to live in.
Dont feel like there is the right option. Density is important but coupled with other things. My preferred type of city has density with other aspects. But this isnt required as an average more the cohesion, vibrancy, urbanity, and connectivity they create in tandem.
So to me it is not a true yes but a factor, plus there is no magic density number as this depends on the construct and environement.
By itself, population density isn't a wonderful measure. It tells you nothing about how those people are spread among that area. For example, say you have 5,000 people living within a square mile. Sounds moderately dense, correct?
Well, what if you have a 30 story tower with a footprint of 150x 150 feet set in the middle of a dense forest? Is that a "dense" square mile? No. You have a sparsely populated (rural) square mile plot of land with 5,000 people in a single building with a small footprint. Yet you still have 5,000 people per square mile.
Next, you have that same square mile and 5,000 people living in it; but instead of everyone living in a single tower, everyone is spread among detached, single family homes with private yards, set along feeder roads leading to a primary road. Here, you have suburban layout with the exact same population density. Still 5,000 people per square mile.
Finally, you have the same square mile and the same 5,000 people. Now, the people live in 2-3 story wall-to-wall buildings along streets that run into a primary commercial avenue where you have shops, offices, etc. Also, since the people live in a more compact style than the suburban types above, there are intermittent parks, a central public plaza or market, and civic buildings (schools, post office, government offices, etc) to fill out the rest of that particular square mile. These people live in a decidedly urban area. Yet again, it's 5,000 people per square mile.
So yes, obviously density plays a role in what defines a "city" (I mean, realistically, how many rural areas have you seen with a 30-story 5,000 person apartment tower), but not NEARLY as big a role as how that population density is represented in the built environment's layout.
Interesting. So does this mean cities like Los Angeles, Seattle, Miami, Denver, aren't examples of how a city should be? (in your opinion)
Seattle is an odd one - it has an urban core and pockets of urbanity across the city, as well as large swaths of areas that are clearly not urban. It's certainly not on the level of SF or Chicago, but it feels more like a city to me than Denver or Houston - a big reason why is that there are plenty of walkable neighborhoods throughout the city, even if many of them don't feel too urban and are not walkable between each other - they are definitely walkable within. Many neighborhoods in Seattle are centered around a walkable core or strip. Walkability is a factor too, and doesn't always correlate directly with density.
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