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I agree on this. In many ways, these areas feel like they've blown the roof off of shopping malls and added housing. Sometimes a little office space. For the most part, though, they still function the same way a mall does. You drive to it, park in a garage, and walk around a 0.1 sq. mile area that's like an isolated urban island in a sea of suburbia.
Wilmington DE is no where near Center City. Neither is Reading PA. That's like me including downtown Baltimore
Well places like Bethesda, Fairfax, Silver Spring, Alexandria, etc are not located in DC city proper, so it wouldn't be fair to compare all of those downtown areas against Center City alone. That would be like adding places like Culver City, Pasadena, and Santa Monica as being part of Downtown LA and comparing it to Manhattan.
Last edited by gwillyfromphilly; 10-19-2013 at 03:12 PM..
What he's saying is, what used to be developed as shopping malls and other businesses with suburban houses allover an area has now been clustered into street level node development with retail/business, a few housing nearby, but still predominantly surrounded by suburbs. Any look on an aerial map will show this. So say if I want to go on a bike ride or long walk through the so called "city" I am quickly into suburban development. The general attitude and way of life more resembles the burbs than a major city. Part of "city life" is the way in which you interact with the built environment.
Well places like Bethesda, Fairfax, Silver Spring, Alexandria, etc are not located in DC city proper, so it wouldn't be fair to compare all of those downtown areas against Center City alone. That would be like adding places Culver City, Pasadena, and Santa Monica as part of Downtown LA and comparing it to Manhattan.
I was never comparing them to Center City. I don't really know where that came from honestly. D.C's Core from Columbia Heights to Capital Riverfront and Foggy Bottom to Atlas District has Philly's core beat anyway. That is what KidPhilly and I have been debating for the last few pages. Philly as a city is more urban than D.C., but D.C.'s core is built up more making it more urban than Philly's core.
I guess a summary could be, Philly wins the whole city, D.C. wins the core of the city, Philly wins the center of the city. Pick your poison I guess.
Silver Spring, Bethesda, Rosslyn-Ballston, Pentagon City, Alexandria, Potomac Yards, Crystal City are being compared to the area's outside Center City. The point I am making is after Center City, there aren't any other area's with a significant downtown level of intensity in the city of Philadelphia that I can think of. Maybe I am wrong and I would love to see them if you could post some. All the area's I just named in D.C. would actually be in the city limits of Philadelphia anyway when comparing land mass. That mean's D.C. has it's core like Philly has it's core, but D.C. also has major downtown's right near it's core and Philadelphia doesn't have anything at that level of intensity other than Center City. I will give you an example, I want to go somewhere other than Center City for an urban experience, with high-rise's and subway access, where do I go?
What he's saying is, what used to be developed as shopping malls and other businesses with suburban houses allover an area has now been clustered into street level node development with retail/business, a few housing nearby, but still predominantly surrounded by suburbs. Any look on an aerial map will show this. So say if I want to go on a bike ride or long walk through the so called "city" I am quickly into suburban development. The general attitude and way of life more resembles the burbs than a major city. Part of "city life" is the way in which you interact with the built environment.
Actually, I'm saying that our suburbs are more urban than everyone else's suburbs. D.C. proper can hold it's own and doesn't need the suburbs. That's what the last 5 pages have been for. I'm saying we not only have D.C., but even our suburbs are building their own downtown's with thousands of people living in high-rise's which no other city can say with subway access to boot.
Also let's be real here, many of D.C.'s suburban downtown's are more urban than every downtown but the top 12-15 probably in the nation. Can you name more than 12-15 downtown's nationally that are more urban than D.C.'s suburban downtown's?
Actually, I'm saying that our suburbs are more urban than everyone else's suburbs. D.C. proper can hold it's own and doesn't need the suburbs. That's what the last 5 pages have been for. I'm saying we not only have D.C., but even our suburbs are building their own downtown's with thousands of people living in high-rise's which no other city can say with subway access to boot.
Also let's be real here, many of D.C.'s suburban downtown's are more urban than every downtown but the top 12-15 probably in the nation. Can you name more than 12-15 downtown's nationally that are more urban than D.C.'s suburban downtown's?
Actually, I'm saying that our suburbs are more urban than everyone else's suburbs. D.C. proper can hold it's own and doesn't need the suburbs. That's what the last 5 pages have been for. I'm saying we not only have D.C., but even our suburbs are building their own downtown's with thousands of people living in high-rise's which no other city can say with subway access to boot.
Also let's be real here, many of D.C.'s suburban downtown's are more urban than every downtown but the top 12-15 probably in the nation. Can you name more than 12-15 downtown's nationally that are more urban than D.C.'s suburban downtown's?
Umm yes.
nyc, la, sf, san diego, chicago, baltimore, st louis, kansas city, milwaukee, minneapolis, dallas, houston, austin, portland, seattle, atlanta, providence, boston, newark, philadelphia, new orleans, sacramento, denver, cincinatti, cleveland, oakland, columbus, pittsburgh, nashville, miami, etc. etc.
I agree that your suburbs are more urban than others suburbs, but they are also ... surrounded by suburban development.
The point I am making is after Center City, there aren't any other area's with a significant downtown level of intensity in the city of Philadelphia that I can think of. Maybe I am wrong and I would love to see them if you could post some. All the area's I just named in D.C. would actually be in the city limits of Philadelphia anyway when comparing land mass. That mean's D.C. has it's core like Philly has it's core, but D.C. also has major downtown's right near it's core and Philadelphia doesn't have anything at that level of intensity other than Center City. I will give you an example, I want to go somewhere other than Center City for an urban experience, with high-rise's and subway access, where do I go?
I already provided that answer when it comes to areas outside the city limits but when it comes to areas within city limits, areas like University City and Templetown fit those qualities perfectly.
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