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Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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I think this density map gives a pretty clear picture. The population figures are only from 2015 however. Pretty hard even at that point to look at this and say that either Boston or Philly appear "larger" than DC. Boston's peak in the center of town is obvious, but the shoulders don't appear as broad as either Philly or DC here. DC looks a lot more cohesively larger IMO. As it really takes over after leaving the city proper, and even shows higher density peaks than Philly outside of Center City/Downtown. All three have grown obviously, but there's no way that by now DC has not separated even further.
Also many DC suburbs in the most urban part of the region are large business hubs as opposed to most Philly inner suburbs touching the city for example. There are neighborhoods across from DC proper like Silver Spring that density and the physical scale actually increases as you enter the suburbs from the DC neighborhood on the side of the street. This also applies to parts of Arlington across the river. The three cities are still setup extremely different IMO.
Yes DC has TOD nodes (akin to Vancouver or Toronto) but if you go half a mile outside of DT Silver Spring or Bethesda for example you’re into east coast sunbelt Cul-de-sac suburbia no different than Atlanta or Charlotte.
Greater DC is built a lot different than greater Philly or Boston.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Joakim3
Yes DC has TOD nodes (akin to Vancouver or Toronto) but if you go half a mile outside of DT Silver Spring or Bethesda for example you’re into east coast sunbelt Cul-de-sac suburbia no different than Atlanta or Charlotte.
Greater DC is built a lot different than greater Philly or Boston.
I'm getting at the overall size and feel of how large a place is. Each of these cities get leafy outside of the city. You can have suburban style housing inside of a city itself. It doesn't make the place any smaller. Philly has suburban style homes with pools in the back yard just about a mile from the city line.
I'm getting at the overall size and feel of how large a place is. Each of these cities get leafy outside of the city. You can have suburban style housing inside of a city itself. It doesn't make the place any smaller. Philly has suburban style homes with pools in the back yard just about a mile from the city line.
Philly has that within the within the City limits. So does NYC for that matter.
I think this density map gives a pretty clear picture. The population figures are only from 2015 however. Pretty hard even at that point to look at this and say that either Boston or Philly appear "larger" than DC. Boston's peak in the center of town is obvious, but the shoulders don't appear as broad as either Philly or DC here. DC looks a lot more cohesively larger IMO. As it really takes over after leaving the city proper, and even shows higher density peaks than Philly outside of Center City/Downtown. All three have grown obviously, but there's no way that by now DC has not separated even further.
best reckoning gives the Boston metro about 14,400/ sq mi out to ~1.1M people.
By about 2030, it will be ~15,000 sq mi/ out to 1.2M people.
i'm sure Philly is close to that out to ~1M when its neighborhoods are added up.
Several here have compiled those figures for the metro's.
The (2) compare quite favorably. But, Philly is a ~20% larger metro (right)?
w/ Boston, all the water tends to make the density appear more sparse.
best reckoning gives the Boston metro about 14,400/ sq mi out to ~1.1M people.
By about 2030, it will be ~15,000 sq mi/ out to 1.2M people.
i'm sure Philly is close to that out to ~1M when its neighborhoods are added up.
Several here have compiled those figures for the metro's.
The (2) compare quite favorably. But, Philly is a ~20% larger metro (right)?
w/ Boston, all the water tends to make the density appear more sparse.
The new rezoning in MA both from MBTA Communities Act and what Maura Helay just unfurled, $4B going toward 40,000 new units (many income-restricted) in 5 years?
It's gonna be VERY high density by law. It will fundamentally change that area. MBTA Community Act alone requires zoning for an additional 80,000 units in the core area inside 128. Most of whom need to submit their zoning plans 10 weeks from now.
The new rezoning in MA both from MBTA Communities Act and what Maura Helay just unfurled, $4B going toward 40,000 new units (many income-restricted) in 5 years?
It's gonna be VERY high density by law. It will fundamentally change that area. MBTA Community Act alone requires zoning for an additional 80,000 units in the core area inside 128. Most of whom need to submit their zoning plans 10 weeks from now.
IMO DC feels the biggest by far. It's now the 3rd largest metro-area (CSA-basis) in the country with ~10M and feels like it. The city itself doesn't have the tall buildings of BOS/PHL, but what it does have is miles and miles of continuous 5-10 story development.
Driving in from Dulles you pass through Reston, Tysons, and McLean, all of which have sizable skylines of their own. They are 10-20 miles outside the city, but still have a hyper-frequent metro rail connecting them together and to the city. Closer afield you have Arlington, Bethesda, and Silver Spring. Boston and Philly have nothing like this.
The continuous sprawl both going west and north of the city (25 miles to Brambleton and Gaithersburg) is something you don't see in the other two.
DC is now technically a megacity (and became one before Chicago). I wouldn't be surprised for it to grow until at least 12-13 million before the growth cools off.
IMO DC feels the biggest by far. It's now the 3rd largest metro-area (CSA-basis) in the country with ~10M and feels like it. The city itself doesn't have the tall buildings of BOS/PHL, but what it does have is miles and miles of continuous 5-10 story development.
Driving in from Dulles you pass through Reston, Tysons, and McLean, all of which have sizable skylines of their own. They are 10-20 miles outside the city, but still have a hyper-frequent metro rail connecting them together and to the city. Closer afield you have Arlington, Bethesda, and Silver Spring. Boston and Philly have nothing like this.
The continuous sprawl both going west and north of the city (25 miles to Brambleton and Gaithersburg) is something you don't see in the other two.
DC is now technically a megacity (and became one before Chicago). I wouldn't be surprised for it to grow until at least 12-13 million before the growth cools off.
Of course Boston and Philly don’t have Tysons, Reston etc. neither does NYC really. Boston, Philly, NYC don’t have sprawly office park exurbs. While you might think they are tall and look pretty, they are impractical.
Of course Boston and Philly don’t have Tysons, Reston etc. neither does NYC really. Boston, Philly, NYC don’t have sprawly office park exurbs. While you might think they are tall and look pretty, they are impractical.
What are King of Prussia and Cherry Hill, chopped liver?
KofP is the second-biggest edge city in the Northeast after Tysons, and it's home to the nation's third-largest shopping mall (I think it's still #1 in terms of total selling space because the two above it have indoor amusement parks and [in the case of the one in New Jersey] ski slopes, but the one outside Minneapolis-St.Paul expanded recently so may have ecilipsed it). KofP is also the Philadelphia region's second-biggest employment center after Center City itself.
I'm not voicing approval of this style of development, just wanted to correct your impression of the Philadelphia area, which also abounds in really nice, walkable, American Small Town-ish siuburbs.
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