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New Orleans definitely. Can you imagine what the city would be like if it had a population of 5 million+?
It would be a worse ghetto than it is now. Do people not realize the physical geographical limitations that hinder New Orleans growth? There was a reason why the region had stagnated and was already in decline BEFORE Katrina came along. The Louisiana Delta is sinking. Jobs are vanishing. And how the heck do you propose evacuating 5 million people every time a hurricane threatens?!
The same physical limitations also apply, to a lesser degree, to both Charleston and Savannah. The only way for either to grow significantly is NORTH and WEST, away from the historic city centers and the very thing that makes both cities so attractive in the first place.
BTW -- There has been a TON of in-fill development in historic downtown Savannah in recent years. If you haven't been here in awhile, you'd be pleasantly surprised. Parts of downtown (City Market, Press Place and the financial district around Johnson Square) is downright dense. Lots of new construction on the edges of the district as well. But there IS a tipping point, a limit at which new development can begin to infringe on the historic character. Savannah isn't there yet, but it's getting close.
Savannah. I lived downtown but moved after about a year due to the lack of amenities, high paying jobs, and shopping. A historic town such as Savannah holds on tightly to its past. Though there are some fantastic things about the place, I thought driving 2.5 hours to Charleston to go to the world's smallest Sax Fifth Avenue was a high price to pay for charm. I also failed to find jobs that paid even remotely close to what I had been making for the same exact work in DC, SF, Chicago, etc (we are talking about cutting my salary in half). Savannah, whether she knows it or not, could stand a little more economic health and growth. And seriously-- Tybee Island is a 20 minute drive? What more could you want? My sense, however, is that Savannahians don't really care to update this oasis.
There is a lot of truth in this. Savannah is THIS CLOSE to being a really fantastic mid-size city / metro, but a few more elements need to fall into place. Some of them, like improved public schools and local transportation / road network are happening. There continues to be amazing growth and investment downtown related to tourism and the arts (SCAD, etc). But good paying professional WHITE COLOR jobs are still too few and far between. Sure, there's a sizable medical, manufacturing and logistics community. But too much of the economy relies on the military, tourism and service / retail.
ON THE FLIP SIDE: There are a ton of people here who are perfectly happy "just getting by" for the pleasure of living in paradise. Think "beach bum" -- but the artsy, hipster, liberal, downtown kind who lives to go clubbing. That's part of Savannah's charm and character, and as it becomes bigger there's a danger of losing that quirky "free spirt" vibe.
WHAT? Consult a map please and tell me where 7.6 million (what an odd number) would live in NOLA?!
Insanity ....
HEY! Wouldn't NYC be GREAT with 50 million people?!
New York is great regardless. By the way, I'm familiar with it's geological location, both in actual life & a map. 7.6 million for the record is the population for the Bay Area & Boston and I believe 7.6 is an even number. Ohhh and Bay Area is another example of how limited land gets you to a population of 6.5 million densely.
ROFLMFAO!!!
Nice American response. In my native country where I was born, the population is 5.2 million people in 275 square miles.
Yes, it's possible. I'm not a fan of New Orleans though, so I wouldn't care for it but one of my gripes with it is that it's such a small town. That's no bueno.
Last edited by Trafalgar Law; 10-16-2012 at 11:45 PM..
WHAT? Consult a map please and tell me where 7.6 million (what an odd number) would live in NOLA?!
Insanity ....
HEY! Wouldn't NYC be GREAT with 50 million people?!
You'd basically have to have continuous urban development between NOLA and Baton Rouge, with the two cities forming a kind of "twin cities" phenomenon. At the very least, the cities would undeniably have to end up sharing a significant amount of metro region space. The Northshore would have to expand substantially as well.
First off, I believe this is a hypothetical situation, it is not meant to be taken so seriously.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Newsboy
It would be a worse ghetto than it is now.
There might be proportionately more ghetto areas since the population would be much bigger but I dont think it would be a "worse ghetto". But of course presently most of New Orleans is not "ghetto".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Newsboy
Do people not realize the physical geographical limitations that hinder New Orleans growth? There was a reason why the region had stagnated and was already in decline BEFORE Katrina came along.
Geographical limitation was not the reason why New Orleans wasn't growing (or at least growing more rapidly). Also the population was at an all time high before Katrina, not declining.
The city limits of New Orleans could actually fit a lot more people. There would be a lot of infill, restore vacant buildings, some more high-rises, etc. I mean the city did hold 650,000 people at one point and that was only in about 40 or 50 square miles. Then in the metro, the Northshore would grow a lot more with some more parishes being added to the MSA/CSA and maybe some counties in Mississippi too. Also there is a ton of empty land along the Mississippi River and this is all high ground. Maybe add Houma and Thibodaux to the MSA/CSA. Presently there are about 2.3 million people in a 70 mile radius of New Orleans and 3 million in a 100 mile radius. So it could be done, it would just equal a lot of sprawl (which some cities that size already have) and more densification in the city and immediate suburbs. But really it would be a much better scenario if the city had naturally grown into the population over many decades like Philadelphia or Boston for example.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Newsboy
The Louisiana Delta is sinking.
I dont really think sinking is the problem (if it is sinking it is probably at a really slow rate). The problem is the wetland loss.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Newsboy
Jobs are vanishing.
Jobs aren't vanishing. New Orleans actually "survived" the recession well and last time I checked the uemployment rate was low.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Newsboy
And how the heck do you propose evacuating 5 million people every time a hurricane threatens?!
I always get to daydreaming when people talk about Detroit back in the day, how people thought it was going to go on to rival Chicago and maybe even surpass it as the Midwest's largest city. Then the Post-WWII decline, and the riots and everything happened...
But yeah, a Detroit more similar to Chicago with 2.6 million people or so (and a similar economy and similar or lower crime rate) would be pretty cool. Or Michigan having a few smaller major cities like Ohio does (Grand Rapids and Lansing the size of Cleveland or Cincinnati, maybe?)
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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I'm thinking rustbelt; have cities like St. Louis, Cleveland, and Detroit repopulated with modern infill replacing what has gone through urban decay and keeping the remaining historic relics and infrastructure in tact. They would be amazing cities. Heres hoping for a 21st century economic rebound in terrain that would be very sustainable based on the resources they have in their vicinity.
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. But of course presently most of New Orleans is not "ghetto".
