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I think ATL has the slight advantage in terms of getting around the core.
Supplant a MARTA type system in Houstons core and Houston would distance itself from the rest of the pack.
I think Miami would come next based on activities around Miami and developments around Miami beach.
DFW would come 4th for me based on the spread of amenities. DFW has the population advantage but it really isnt investing as much as ATL in its core cause DFW has many cores. That beltline project, or whatever else it is called should help develop ATLs core much more while DART is trying to enhance a much larger chunk of area.
I think transportation and concentration of activities are just as important as population and economy. Houston and DFW have the edge in economy and population but ATL is tge better one for transportation and things to see along the lines.
Its amazing that DFW and Houston dont already have their airports, universities and major venues connected by rail.
I dont see alpha cities as being predominantly bus based in the core.
As far as business, economy, and population, Dallas and Houston have a lead on Atlanta and Miami. Conversely, for culture and recognition, I would argue that Miami and Atlanta have a leg up on the Texas pair.
As for overall "brand recognition", I would actually say that the top two in the south are Miami (especially in Latin America) and New Orleans. A lot more people could tell you about Miami's beaches and nightclubs and the food, music, and mardi gras in New Orleans than could tell you much about Dallas, Houston, or Atlanta.
As for overall "brand recognition", I would actually say that the top two in the south are Miami (especially in Latin America) and New Orleans. A lot more people could tell you about Miami's beaches and nightclubs and the food, music, and mardi gras in New Orleans than could tell you much about Dallas, Houston, or Atlanta.
Atlanta's brand recognition is more in the context of urban pop culture. Overall, I don't think it's too far behind those two.
I think ATL has the slight advantage in terms of getting around the core.
Supplant a MARTA type system in Houstons core and Houston would distance itself from the rest of the pack.
I think Miami would come next based on activities around Miami and developments around Miami beach.
DFW would come 4th for me based on the spread of amenities. DFW has the population advantage but it really isnt investing as much as ATL in its core cause DFW has many cores. That beltline project, or whatever else it is called should help develop ATLs core much more while DART is trying to enhance a much larger chunk of area.
I think transportation and concentration of activities are just as important as population and economy. Houston and DFW have the edge in economy and population but ATL is tge better one for transportation and things to see along the lines.
Its amazing that DFW and Houston dont already have their airports, universities and major venues connected by rail.
I dont see alpha cities as being predominantly bus based in the core.
Houston has the worst core though, even worse then Dallas. At least Dallas has uptown and other walkable neighborhoods near there like West Village. Houston really has nothing other then Downtown. The Medical center area does not impress me either. It's miles away from the main CBD. A bunch of high rises surrounded by lawns and driveways does not impress me. A MARTA system wouldn't work in Houston, but would work better in Dallas.
This is part of the reason why ATL was probably voted among the top liked cities in the South nearly doubling both Dallas and Houston, going head to head with Miami, and losing out to New Orleans. It's a much more interesting city and surprisingly has interesting neighborhoods near or in it's core. It has subway like transit in the city core so it transports large amounts of people at once. A fairly active transit system for a sunbelt city. The MLK area gets a lot of tourists and is a fairly urban area itself which will see a further revival once the streetcar is done in 2014. Midtown Atlanta is close to becoming a fully urban district/CBD, though you can argue it already is. Some say it's better then Downtown Atlanta now.
Atlanta just seems like it has done more to focus on it's core then Houston or Dallas, despite both of those cities have larger and stronger economies. Dallas is doing a decent job with Uptown, but Houston? I don't know. It may be because of the transit system already in place. MARTA is the best transit system in the whole Southern half of the U.S. easily not including D.C.
That's probably part of the reason why Houston lagged behind on the GWCC ratings as a Beta City and not an Alpha city.
I think ATL has the slight advantage in terms of getting around the core.
Supplant a MARTA type system in Houstons core and Houston would distance itself from the rest of the pack.
I think Miami would come next based on activities around Miami and developments around Miami beach.
DFW would come 4th for me based on the spread of amenities. DFW has the population advantage but it really isnt investing as much as ATL in its core cause DFW has many cores. That beltline project, or whatever else it is called should help develop ATLs core much more while DART is trying to enhance a much larger chunk of area.
I think transportation and concentration of activities are just as important as population and economy. Houston and DFW have the edge in economy and population but ATL is tge better one for transportation and things to see along the lines.
Its amazing that DFW and Houston dont already have their airports, universities and major venues connected by rail.
I dont see alpha cities as being predominantly bus based in the core.
Dart will have access to DFW airport in 2014 and there already is access though not directly but close enough to Love. DART also has access to most of the universities though only on the Dallas side of the metro with rail. DART also has access to most of the venues and what cannot be connected by dart, the streetcar will help. Also, props to DART for passing the 100k ridership numbers. I knew it would and I've said for years that the Orange Line is the most important line for this system. Which is why I somewhat disagree with Dallas not building up its core and spreading it around. They also are building a streetcar system by extending the MATA and building a streetcar to Oak Cliff. Building more parks, museums, billion dollar healthcare centers, and other amenities inside of loop 12 in the city core. They are just getting started imo.
Houston has the worst core though, even worse then Dallas. At least Dallas has uptown and other walkable neighborhoods near there like West Village. Houston really has nothing other then Downtown. The Medical center area does not impress me either. It's miles away from the main CBD. A bunch of high rises surrounded by lawns and driveways does not impress me. A MARTA system wouldn't work in Houston, but would work better in Dallas.
This is part of the reason why ATL was probably voted among the top liked cities in the South nearly doubling both Dallas and Houston, going head to head with Miami, and losing out to New Orleans. It's a much more interesting city and surprisingly has interesting neighborhoods near or in it's core. It has subway like transit in the city core so it transports large amounts of people at once. A fairly active transit system for a sunbelt city. The MLK area gets a lot of tourists and is a fairly urban area itself which will see a further revival once the streetcar is done in 2014. Midtown Atlanta is close to becoming a fully urban district/CBD, though you can argue it already is. Some say it's better then Downtown Atlanta now.
Atlanta just seems like it has done more to focus on it's core then Houston or Dallas, despite both of those cities have larger and stronger economies. Dallas is doing a decent job with Uptown, but Houston? I don't know. It may be because of the transit system already in place. MARTA is the best transit system in the whole Southern half of the U.S. easily not including D.C.
That's probably part of the reason why Houston lagged behind on the GWCC ratings as a Beta City and not an Alpha city.
I take issue in bold. The rating system has already been explained by valentro. It's about connection to London, nothing more. A heavy rail system can definitely work in Houston. Maybe not like Marta. But not every HRT system is the same. An elevated system like you see in Chicago could work. To say Houston has no other walkable hoods other than Downtown is false. Not when you have Midtown, Montrose, and the Heights just outside downtown. I do agree that Houston needs better connectivity and more pedestrian districts. But they do exist outside of Houston.
Dallas, and especially Houston, likes to spread the wealth around the city then just at the core. It's the opposite of Atlanta. In Houston you have multiple districts and multiple highrises popping up all over the inner loop and galleria. It will be interesting how this will workout in 10-20 years. They treat the entire inner loop as the core instead of just the downtown loop. Same thing with Dallas to a smaller extent. Houston also builds developments different than Atlanta and Dallas. Houston focuses on midrise apartments with highrises sprinkled in. Atlanta focuses on more highrise apartments and condos with a few midrises sprinkled in.
All are developing differently. Doesn't make one better than the other.
To piggy-back on Spade. The low-rise developement is really what contributes to a great street scene. I also like the multi-nodal cities moreso than just focusing on the core.
I take issue in bold. The rating system has already been explained by valentro. It's about connection to London, nothing more. A heavy rail system can definitely work in Houston. Maybe not like Marta. But not every HRT system is the same. An elevated system like you see in Chicago could work. To say Houston has no other walkable hoods other than Downtown is false. Not when you have Midtown, Montrose, and the Heights just outside downtown. I do agree that Houston needs better connectivity and more pedestrian districts. But they do exist outside of Houston.
Dallas, and especially Houston, likes to spread the wealth around the city then just at the core. It's the opposite of Atlanta. In Houston you have multiple districts and multiple highrises popping up all over the inner loop and galleria. It will be interesting how this will workout in 10-20 years. They treat the entire inner loop as the core instead of just the downtown loop. Same thing with Dallas to a smaller extent. Houston also builds developments different than Atlanta and Dallas. Houston focuses on midrise apartments with highrises sprinkled in. Atlanta focuses on more highrise apartments and condos with a few midrises sprinkled in.
All are developing differently. Doesn't make one better than the other.
Atlanta has Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, Cumberland, and Perimeter Center for major employment centers so what are you talking about? That 'They like to spread the wealth around' excuse doesn't work here. Buckhead's skyline alone trumps most skylines in this country.
Just wait till Buckhead Atlanta comes and Buckhead will become the new lively urban district in the city.
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