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I don't think the Woodlands or Sugarland meet my definition either. I'm thinking of old, established that are walkable. I don't know if Houston/Texans formers realize that LA city and metro are full of these places. Even the smaller suburbs in the East San Gabriel Valley have quaint little commercial downtowns. Orange County has plenty. The Inland Empire has some. The list for LA would be massive. The quantitiy would beat many older cities, like DC Metro.
Most of LA's suburbs were born before 1950s, and it shows. I had no idea until I went there for the first time and saw all of these "villages". Many of them are seeing redevelopment, the ones near commuter and light rail stations.
I don't think the Woodlands or Sugarland meet my definition either. I'm thinking of old, established that are walkable. I don't know if Houston/Texans formers realize that LA city and metro are full of these places. Even the smaller suburbs in the East San Gabriel Valley have quaint little commercial downtowns. Orange County has plenty. The Inland Empire has some. The list for LA would be massive. It would beat many older cities, like DC Metro.
Most of LA's suburbs were born before 1950s, and it shows. I had no idea until I went there for the first time and saw all of these "villages".
Why? you are just going to be all critical with everything we show you so what exactly is the point?
I only step in because certain Houston/Texas people said LA is like/built like Houston. LA wasn't built like Houston/Dallas/Atlanta/Miami/Phoenix etc.
It wasn't built like Chicago, NYC or Philly.
It's a mix of both in a way and it's not fair or make sense to compare to either. Most of LA's suburbs "villages" were built around street cars, not freeways. You can see the difference.
I can understand some similarities but L.A. Is and absolute beast. Its density, neighborhoods, topography, diversity (Houston is no slouch in this regard) , glamour, fashion are just out of Houstons league.
I can understand some similarities but L.A. Is and absolute beast. Its density, neighborhoods, topography, diversity (Houston is no slouch in this regard) , glamour, fashion are just out of Houstons league.
LA for me, I love that city!
Houston is LA on a budget. Your money stretches much farther in Houston. Its also more family friendly.
If I had all the money in the world & wanted to stay a bachelor for the rest of my life I would choose to live in LA.
LA is the definition of a large-scale streetcar city. LA developers were in fact very logical with their design of Los Angeles and had planned a masterful city that would operate with a downtown as its nucleus and a sophisticated, expansive streetcar system that would funnel residents into downtown. The entire city is built on a straight, hard grid. You have downtown towards the center and then straight grid streets flowing outwards from downtown with very dense houses built incredibly close together; practically no different that row housing in terms of density. Inspired by Champs-Elysees in Paris, LA planners designed grand boulevards that would run from downtown LA to the beach. If you study a map of LA and imagine streetcar rails running along many streets, it's easy to see the brilliance of LA's design.
But the fall of the streetcar and the rise of the automobile changed the utility of LA's design. However, despite what everyone claims, LA was not built around the automobile. It was built around the streetcar and automobiles were forced upon the city after the eradication of the streetcar lines. That being said, LA is very urban and wonderfully planned.
Houston, conversely, is not dense. Parts of it are built on a hard grid. Parts of it are sprawling webs of car-centered suburbs. Houses are not densely built together. You have abundant spaces of undeveloped land and huge lots taken up by tiny little bungalows. The difference is night and day, no where near as dense as LA and really is nothing like LA at all.
LA is the definition of a large-scale streetcar city. LA developers were in fact very logical with their design of Los Angeles and had planned a masterful city that would operate with a downtown as its nucleus and a sophisticated, expansive streetcar system that would funnel residents into downtown. The entire city is built on a straight, hard grid. You have downtown towards the center and then straight grid streets flowing outwards from downtown with very dense houses built incredibly close together; practically no different that row housing in terms of density. Inspired by Champs-Elysees in Paris, LA planners designed grand boulevards that would run from downtown LA to the beach. If you study a map of LA and imagine streetcar rails running along many streets, it's easy to see the brilliance of LA's design.
But the fall of the streetcar and the rise of the automobile changed the utility of LA's design. However, despite what everyone claims, LA was not built around the automobile. It was built around the streetcar and automobiles were forced upon the city after the eradication of the streetcar lines. That being said, LA is very urban and wonderfully planned.
Houston, conversely, is not dense. Parts of it are built on a hard grid. Parts of it are sprawling webs of car-centered suburbs. Houses are not densely built together. You have abundant spaces of undeveloped land and huge lots taken up by tiny little bungalows. The difference is night and day, no where near as dense as LA and really is nothing like LA at all.
Houston is just awful isn't it?
Chuck Greeson on Flickr
Jackson Myers on Flickr
Claudia Gaggett on Flickr
Greener than LA even with all the parking lots, freeways, & "open spaces".
Houston is a mix of LA & ATL.
James Bobowski on Flickr
Kevin Boydston on Flickr
Last edited by Metro Matt; 01-23-2014 at 03:46 PM..
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