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Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
8,128 posts, read 7,568,606 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Duderino
I think "far more" is much more generous than you realize. As I stated before, at a metro level, Philly still ranks highly on wealth and educational levels in a global and national context, though it happens to rank fourth amongst this group.
With regards to wealth we already know the hierarchy of median income in these already, but here you have city budgets:
New York, NY $73 billion
Washington DC $10 billion
San Francisco $10 billion
Los Angeles $8 billion
Chicago $7 billion
Seattle $4 billion
Phoenix $4 billion
Houston $4 billion
Philadelphia $4 billion
Boston $3 billion
Pretty wide gap, but I do understand the "fairness" or lack there of due to DC being the capital. Still all of this contributes to assets and amenities within a city which in turn brings back to the same discussion of "sophistication".
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
8,128 posts, read 7,568,606 times
Reputation: 5785
Quote:
Originally Posted by Duderino
I think metrics related to "global connectedness" are bit murkier in Philly's case, as even though it doesn't have the same level of direct flights and international visitation as the former three. It's still very central to the Northeast Corridor, which makes the easy visitation via rail and road from nearby very major international hubs (NYC and DC areas) can be very hard to capture.
Again, you can factor-in such things as wealth, formal education, and globalization, to sophistication, but those are just the superficial factors, and rather biased based on a Western understanding of "sophistication" at that. There's a social nuance to sophistication that can be hard to capture.
This is true, and Philly does have a location advantage and crisis at the same time. There are some advantages for example I was looking for direct flights to Madrid, the best and easiest option was Philly out of either NY, DC, or Philadelphia. Although I chose to go from DC and layover in London instead for my convenience.
These people who think D.C. is some super sophisticated city should look at where most of the new comer's are coming from, most are from really remote areas of the west or deep south . Not my idea of cosmopolitan ,so yes they think D.C. is the center of the universe . Take a person born and raised in New York , Philadelphia ,Boston or Chicago and D.C. feels small and self centric .
Philly looses sophistication quickly outside of Center City and quaint Colonial neighborhoods. Philly's built as predominately tight full blocks of row-housing lowers --- appearances of sophistication. Power-lines and poles prevalent do not help.
Everyone loves Victorians, brownstones, graystone, and brick rows with added trimmings and architectural trimmings. Much less for simple solid rows very plain though gutted and contemporary inside. Even NYC's tenements have exteriors of much architectural features.
Philly prided itself in able to build row-homes affordable to all. Including the lowest classes. Philly billed itself as a city of the future at the Chicago Columbian Exposition Worlds Fair. Displaying a common affordable row-home. Too many times they lacked the sophistication of the Craftsman of the eras. Built for affordability yet profits to investors.
Much of the city was built as a assembly-line constructing blocks of row-homes. Then old to the masses.
All realize there is much more to sophistication then housing styles and street-level look. But it does effect the scope of overall sophistication cities give off. Especially to non-residents. A cities core will be key to how the city is perceived overall. But how its even gentrified neighborhoods in appearances is perceived? Can lower a SENSE OF OVERALL SOPHISTICATION.
The more that these row-homes have distinction in each residence adds a uniqueness to the block. (my opinion) Too many times gentrification REMOVES the added features of past owners in painting, awnings, porches and even shutters. Usually they get sandblasted to the plain brick along the whole block and a WALL of mostly indistinguishable residences are the result. Though insides were gutted and sophisticated.
Lessening DC does not add to Philly's level of Sophistication. Just DC's scope as the US Capital adds a Big level of Sophistication to me.
Philly looses sophistication quickly outside of Center City and quaint Colonial neighborhoods. Philly's built as predominately tight full blocks of row-housing lowers --- appearances of sophistication. Power-lines and poles prevalent do not help.
Everyone loves Victorians, brownstones, graystone, and brick rows with added trimmings and architectural trimmings. Much less for simple solid rows very plain though gutted and contemporary inside. Even NYC's tenements have exteriors of much architectural features.
Philly prided itself in able to build row-homes affordable to all. Including the lowest classes. Philly billed itself as a city of the future at the Chicago Columbian Exposition Worlds Fair. Displaying a common affordable row-home. Too many times they lacked the sophistication of the Craftsman of the eras. Built for affordability yet profits to investors.
Much of the city was built as a assembly-line constructing blocks of row-homes. Then old to the masses.
As you note architecture is but one facet of "sophistication," and perhaps the most superficial of all. But as you've brought up this point before, I'm not sure why you believe affordable, less ornate housing for the "masses" is somehow unique to Philly. Once you leave the poshest sections of any city, you're going to find much more of the standardized modest housing. That's true in New York (miles upon miles of plain tenements and rows) Chicago (the "bungalow belt" dominates) Boston (triple-decker capital), SF (not everything looks like Nob Hill)- you name it. Still, as I've also pointed out before, even the workforce housing of the past in Philly would be considered luxury by today's standards. Fully solid, hand-laid brick is classically attractive, even in less ornate form, and widely appealing.
Not to mention, today's most "sophisticated" modern architecture, tends to be as minimalist and with as little complex onramentation as possible.
I will say that DC is actually unique amongst large American cities in that it historically had the smallest working class component, so I don't think any city comes close, on a per capita level, for most ornate and impressive housing stock.
With regards to wealth we already know the hierarchy of median income in these already, but here you have city budgets:
New York, NY $73 billion
Washington DC $10 billion
San Francisco $10 billion
Los Angeles $8 billion
Chicago $7 billion
Seattle $4 billion
Phoenix $4 billion
Houston $4 billion
Philadelphia $4 billion
Boston $3 billion
Pretty wide gap, but I do understand the "fairness" or lack there of due to DC being the capital. Still all of this contributes to assets and amenities within a city which in turn brings back to the same discussion of "sophistication".
These people who think D.C. is some super sophisticated city should look at where most of the new comer's are coming from, most are from really remote areas of the west or deep south . Not my idea of cosmopolitan ,so yes they think D.C. is the center of the universe . Take a person born and raised in New York , Philadelphia ,Boston or Chicago and D.C. feels small and self centric .
This whole thing about sophistication , first the meaning it self is revolting , to alter deceptively ; to deprive of genuineness or naturalness . So yes maybe D.C. is of that nature of sophistication .
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