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I have the same impression on these particular approaches. As kp posted immediately above, the approach to Philly on these 95 and 76 (except for 95 from the north) gives me the same impression that development is rather compressed. Compounding my view is that I moved here from Houston 2+ years ago, where low rise development accompanied by billboards seemingly sprawled forever in all directions. Since living here, however, I have come to understand how the concentration of development flows. Unlike in Houston where development followed the freeways, one must get off the interstates to experience the connectedness of the Philly metro. I don't venture into the suburbs very often, but I do see a pretty consistent and connected concentration of development extending east to west (Main Line extending into the NJ suburbs).
Looking at a north-south axis, I initially saw the denser development when heading north than south. Like you, it appears to me to peter out at the stadiums when going south. That said, this is misleading, as just after the stadiums, 95 threads the boundaries of the airport on one side and the rather large the Heinz National Wildlife Refuge on the other (John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, Philadelphia, PA - Google Maps). As you can see on that map link, just on the other side of the preserve and not visible from the highway are the Delaware County suburbs which extend pretty much right into Wilmington, though nicely out of view along 95 (except for around Chester) Going north however is another story. We made the 30 mile trip to Dolyestown one time, which seemed continuously developed along the whole route to me: Philadelphia City Hall to Doylestown, PA - Google Maps. To offer you perspective as a Bostonian, I would say this particular trip gave me a similar feel as when driving north from Logan on Route 1, but with more stop lights.
Yea. Freeways came after development, for the most part, in the northeast in general. Places like Houston and Phoenix create freeways then development tends to follow. I'm my view anyway.
facetious: a nine letter word meaning "treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor"
Anyway, DC didn't seem smaller to me because I stopped and said "I only see as much here as I would see in Boston".
It confused me because looking out y window while riding the elevated subway(Fort Totten is the picture I have in my mind), I just saw massive swaths of trees and thought "there are supposed to be 2,000,000 more people living in this metro area than in Boston's metro: where are they?" It's possible, I guess, that metro DC isn't as sprawly as metro Boston, which is why there can be such large amounts f nothing, but I just found it surprising. Here's a pic, I suppose http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1I0m2THeKv...22Sept2012.jpg
In hindsight, maybe that stop was similar to the Eliot or Chesnut Hill stops on Boston's D line, and fate just happened to give me that view.
Maybe, I guess I'm just not that used to having so much epmty space so close to a major city. For comparison, my GPS told me that I had 10min to Center City Philadelphia and until that time I had only seen one rather dense neighborhood to my left across the river, and I turned a corner and there was downtown with nothing seperating me from it except highway.
If one were driving east towards Boston on the highway, you would hit West Newton a good 20-30min before you got to downtown Boston and you'd also have to drive through Brighton, Allston, and Fenway, before actually arriving in Downton Crossing.
I guess I'm not used to cities having sprawl in only one direction. Granted, is the expressway had gone through a park, it would make more sense, as there's also a park south of Boston. Still, I think the distance from the end of the Blue Hills area to downtown Boston is greater than the distance from the end of this Fairmount Park and downtown Philadelphia.
As others have explained, driving down 76 you are basically in a park and a river canyon. That is why you can't see much. All three metros are roughly the same size and same population. Philadelphia city is nearly three times bigger than Boston or DC and feels like it. To me anyway.
Driving south on 95 from north of the city would give a much different impression.
Maybe, I guess I'm just not that used to having so much epmty space so close to a major city.
Did you somehow miss all of the open space on the run up to the George Washington Bridge on the trip back to New England?
Quote:
Originally Posted by iAMtheVVALRUS
For comparison, my GPS told me that I had 10min to Center City Philadelphia and until that time I had only seen one rather dense neighborhood to my left across the river, and I turned a corner and there was downtown with nothing seperating me from it except highway.
You can be 15 minutes from Manhattan and be in swampland. I don't quite see what your point is.
I mean, did you want housing to be on top of the oil refineries, the airport and the shipyard?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sayid Linus
Driving south on 95 from north of the city would give a much different impression.
I actually prefer the trip on 95 coming from Chester. I like the view from this bridge with a full panomara of the refineries, the skyline, the port, etc. I think that view gives a more dramatic, big city feeling than coming into Philadelphia the opposite way.
I mean, did you want housing to be on top of the oil refineries, the airport and the shipyard?
I actually prefer the trip on 95 coming from Chester. I like the view from this bridge with a full panomara of the refineries, the skyline, the port, etc. I think that view gives a more dramatic, big city feeling than coming into Philadelphia the opposite way.
I haven't come into the area that way in years but I agree that is a good view..
I actually prefer the trip on 95 coming from Chester. I like the view from this bridge with a full panomara of the refineries, the skyline, the port, etc. I think that view gives a more dramatic, big city feeling than coming into Philadelphia the opposite way.
I love coming in from 76 though when the buildings just appear out of the trees. It is a beautiful view.
I mean, did you want housing to be on top of the oil refineries, the airport and the shipyard?
I'm not that familiar with the grey suburban area around Manhattan, and not that interested either.
Like I said before I'm comparing this to Boston, where there's no way you could drive into downtown and be surrounded by absolute wilderness 10min before reaching park street.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Summersm343
I came into Boston on a boat once and was shocked there wasn't more development. Boston must be a really small city.
Must I define that nine letter word again?
And even if your were coming into Boston by boat, you'd pass by areas live Hull, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Charlestown, etc. all of which are covered in housing. Not the same as the jungle and river next to Center City.
Like I said before I'm comparing this to Boston, where there's no way you could drive into downtown and be surrounded by absolute wilderness 10min before reaching park street.
This seems sad to me - all that pristine land lost forever to development. It's too bad Boston didn't value land perservation in its urban core as much as Philly did: http://www.visitphilly.com/outdoor-a...airmount-park/
Last edited by Pine to Vine; 04-23-2013 at 06:56 PM..
I'm not that familiar with the grey suburban area around Manhattan, and not that interested either.
Like I said before I'm comparing this to Boston, where there's no way you could drive into downtown and be surrounded by absolute wilderness 10min before reaching park street.
Must I define that nine letter word again?
And even if your were coming into Boston by boat, you'd pass by areas live Hull, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Charlestown, etc. all of which are covered in housing. Not the same as the jungle and river next to Center City.
If you've ever come into Boston from the north on I-93, you don't really see the skyline or any real urban development until you get into Medford which is about 6 miles from downtown. This is streetview from I-93 in Medford about 6 miles from downtown Boston. As you can see, it could just as easily be somewhere in New Hampshire. That's where I-93 crosses through the Middlesex Fells reservation. You pass some suburban development before that point, but nothing that screams "major city!"
To a lesser degree, you have the same effect on I-93/128 to the South of the city. This is streetview from near the 24/93/128 interchange. It's about 12 miles from downtown. Nothing but trees thanks to the Blue Hills reservation. And if you're coming from the South via 24 or 95, you've seen little to no suburban development to this point. Hell, this is I-93 even closer to downtown Boston (about 8 miles). At this point, all you've passed is South Shore Plaza (a big mall, for those who don't know) and a few suburban office buildings.
Each city has some unique approaches where you see very little urban development before you arrive downtown. I LOVE taking people to NYC via the Merrit Parkway and Henry Hudson Parkway because it's almost all trees until you get to the George Washington Bridge. When we cross the Henry Hudson Bridge into Manhattan I usually say "Welcome to Manhattan" and they're like, "huh?" because unless you look to the left (you can see a lot of the Bronx), it's still all trees and it doesn't fit the image of Manhattan being the concrete jungle. Here's the Henry Hudson Parkway in Manhattan. If you ever take the George Washington Parkway into DC, it's almost the same thing. Lots of trees until you're right outside the city center.
Some have already mentioned that highways in Northeastern cities were an afterthought. Therefore, they were built where nothing else was. That's why some just happen to pass through nothing giving the appearance that the city is smaller than it is. However, many highways (especially parkways) were designed to be scenic, woodsy roadways in/out of the city center. Robert Moses was famous for his parkways in the New York area. Many other cities built parkways as the car became more popularized. In the case of almost any "parkway," it's no accident that you don't see much development until you're in town. That's the way they're designed.
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Boston must be a really small city.
