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Hmmm we drove through Houston and it was a shameful sprawlfest, everything that is wrong with America in a city. No surprise it's one of the most car dependent, fuel-hogging (fuel used per person per year), low density cities in the world. Seriously, Oxford in the UK with 140,000 has a more lively downtown than Houston.
Yeah I was in Havana last year and even though it only has 2.2 million people its unbelievably dense, vibrant and full of life and the exact opposite of sprawly.. They are poor yet so happy and joyful too... They just spontaneously dance and celebrate on the street.. Now i'd rather live in Houston or Dallas for economic reasons to be honest, but in terms of vibrancy Havana's 2.2 million is pound for pound tough to beat!
Yeah I was in Havana last year and even though it only has 2.2 million people its unbelievably dense, vibrant and full of life.. They are poor yet so happy and joyful too... They just spontaneously dance and celebrate on the street..
Yes...the closest I got to Havana were parts of NYC, but the culture there is different, people were eating outside in front of their stoops, it was cool.
I thought Australian cities were bad in terms of vibrancy for their size, but most American cities are even worse...
Well I'm more talking about pedestrian activity and concentrations of shops, residential density. I think the fact these cities don't have proper metros is also pretty crazy.
there are little cluster areas within city limits but not in the suburbs that have more of this element than the downtown itself. In Houston it would be the Galleria area (Uptown). But even then yes it's true there aren't many people walking around, in fact there aren't that many paved sidewalks. And if there are sidewalks it is totally not pedestrian-friendly. Agree on that.
also the Sunbelt cities have a little bit of a deserted feeling in their downtowns, and the surrounding areas of all the Sunbelt downtowns have bad neighborhoods so there is that element as well. People don't feel as comfortable walking around when the streets are desolate, especially in heat.
This is different from Northern cities that although can have dangerous downtown fringe areas, they don't seem as desolate because others are out & about (safety in numbers), and it's totally different in UK, Australia or Canada where the big cities are generally much safer so you don't have that guard up walking downtown.
Toronto was a small city prior to WWII, so doesn't have extensive urban fabric. Places like Cleveland and St. Louis and Cincy and Baltimore were considerably larger.
Toronto had a million people by the mid 1940s, so there's plenty of pre-war urban fabric.
there are little cluster areas within city limits but not in the suburbs that have more of this element than the downtown itself. In Houston it would be the Galleria area (Uptown). But even then yes it's true there aren't many people walking around, in fact there aren't that many paved sidewalks. And if there are sidewalks it is totally not pedestrian-friendly. Agree on that.
also the Sunbelt cities have a little bit of a deserted feeling in their downtowns, and the surrounding areas of all the Sunbelt downtowns have bad neighborhoods so there is that element as well. People don't feel as comfortable walking around when the streets are desolate, especially in heat.
I wonder why Australian cities retained a more radial, centralised pattern to them. I think the fact all our capitals have very old commuter rail radiating out from the CBD but also obviously planning policies.
Yes, I walked around say Memphis in the daytime and in parts it was literally deserted! I was walking to the Civil Rights museum, which is in a pretty touristy/downtown area, and in parts I was the only person around. There were vacant lots with grass growing as high as me. It was kind of spooky.
Yes...the closest I got to Havana were parts of NYC, but the culture there is different, people were eating outside in front of their stoops, it was cool.
I thought Australian cities were bad in terms of vibrancy for their size, but most American cities are even worse...
We are kidding ourselves if we think that typical Canadian, Australian and American cities are really vibrant... I've travelled to quite a few countries and I equate vibrancy to cities like Cairo, Istanbul, Bangkok, Barcelona, Tokyo, Rome even Havana (and a host of others in Asia, S.A and Europe etc).. NYC is a standout obviously in the Canadian, American and Australian context imo with some smaller honourable mentions but they just aren't going to roll with the Istanbul's, Bangkok's or Rio's of the world.
We are kidding ourselves if we think that typical Canadian, Australian and American cities are really vibrant... I've travelled to quite a few countries and I equate vibrancy to cities like Cairo, Istanbul, Bangkok, Barcelona, Tokyo, Rome even Havana (and a host of others in Asia, S.A and Europe etc).. NYC is a standout obviously in the Canadian, American and Australian context imo.
Well yes, I've been to a lot of Asian and European cities and with a few exceptions, like NYC, they easily win for overall city vibrancy/busyness. Actually some of the worst/densest crowds I have ever experienced in my life were actually in Milan on a Saturday afternoon during Christmas shopping. It was fighting through crowds for what seemed like ages. I swear, it was more intense than anything I experienced in NYC, London or Hong Kong.
I'll be going to Japan in October so will be keen to see how Tokyo compares.
Canadians seem to be cool living in dense/urban environments compared to Americans.
Even Calgary and Edmonton are more urban than most American cities.
Ya, the crowds, density, bustle and vibrancy in the biggest Asian and European cities are completely different league than all of the North American cities except NYC.
However for the context of the continent, Toronto certainly packs punch in urbanity.
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