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--nice downtown area Atlantas is larger, Pittsburgh's is denser and more vital to it's region. Both have amenities that should be in a major CBD.
--public transport Atlanta has MARTA which is one of the most underutilized rail systems in the country. Pittsburghs rail coverage is less, but it has 4 BRT lines and the bus network covers the entire city quite well.
--safety Atlanta is one of the most dangerous cities in the country. Pittsburgh is one of the safest.
--culture (libraries, museums, and music/dance, especially)I can't comment on Atlanta I'm not too familiar with it's culture and arts scene. But Pittsburghs rich industrial past had provided a very nice present in this category, as many others have said.
And you just posted on that competes with the worst...it's strange for you to call out homerism then proceed with it.
--nice downtown area Atlantas is larger, Pittsburgh's is denser and more vital to it's region. Both have amenities that should be in a major CBD.
--public transport Atlanta has MARTA which is one of the most underutilized rail systems in the country. Pittsburghs rail coverage is less, but it has 4 BRT lines and the bus network covers the entire city quite well.
--safety Atlanta is one of the most dangerous cities in the country. Pittsburgh is one of the safest.
--culture (libraries, museums, and music/dance, especially)I can't comment on Atlanta I'm not too familiar with it's culture and arts scene. But Pittsburghs rich industrial past had provided a very nice present in this category, as many others have said.
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Originally Posted by JoeTarheel
And you just posted on that competes with the worst...it's strange for you to call out homerism then proceed with it.
Walkability - (Original claim) - Pittsburgh, and by a mile. - TRUE Walk
Pittsburgh -60
Atlanta - 46
Downtown - (Original claim) - ATL larger, Pittsburgh more vibrant - TRUE, Actually gave too much credit to Atlanta.
Downtown Jobs Pittsburgh - 153,244
Atlanta - 142,749
Atlanta nearly has twice the metropolitan population, yet is STILL has a smaller proportion of jobs downtown than Pittsburgh, and has LESS JOBS OVERALL IN ITS CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT THAN PITTSBURGH.
Pittsburgh's Port Authority:
Rank 16 Daily ridership 176,900 Pittsburgh's Metropolitan Population ~ 2,360,000
176,900 / 2,360,000 = 7.51% of the population uses the system daily
Atlanta's MARTA:
Rank 14 Daily ridership 204,900 Atlanta's Metropolitan Population - 5,610,000
204,9000 / 5,610,000 = 3.65% of the population uses the system daily
Safety - (Original claim) - ATL is dangerous, Pittsburgh is safe - TRUE
Atlanta - #28 MOST DANGEROUS OF ANY CITY IN THE COUNTRY Pittsburgh - Not on list...
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
Culture - (Original claim) - Not knowledgeable on ATL, Pittsburgh punches above weight - TRUE
I'm not going into detail. You clearly know nothing of Pittsburgh, or are so in love with the idea that Atlanta has no faults that its not worth proving your ignorance further.
you always read about Pittsburgh, or you always read about the department store business? otherwise you wouldn't have known -- those were not national news stories.
It was in the Business Journal, a national publication.
wow, you must spend 50 hours a day reading if you don't specifically read about those 2 things. I can't imagine all the other trivial details you must know about every city in America..
There are 24 hours in one day.
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on the other hand, it would make more sense if you were specifically googling to find negative info about Pgh... yeah, I think that's it.
I'm not sure what Pgh means.
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perhaps you had to move on to reading about hundreds of other cities businesses and didn't have time, but in case you didn't know, both Saks and Macys sites in downtown Pgh are already in progress for new & converted high end apartments and condos, a hotel, and a bunch of new retail. I'm sure you'll read about it soon.
I read about that too. Still doesn't change the fact that the department stores just couldn't make it.
I would love to hear what is homeristic about my post? Go for it.
LOL! What isn't? When you choose your city for the best in every category when compared to a city out of your league, that's pretty much homerism - especially when a lot it isn't even nearly true.
1. Walkability "by a mile"? Please...not true.
2. Pittsburgh's downtown is similar in density to Atlanta's, and let's be honest and include Midtown with downtown Atlanta and see how it compares.
3. MARTA dwarfs Pittsburgh's light rail in every category.
4. Everyone knows that crime in any US city is relegated to certain areas. Pittsburgh's dangerous areas are just as dangerous as Atlanta's.
5. You said it best when you admitted that you don't know much about Atlanta's arts and cultural scene, and that lack of knowledge apparently spills over into every category.
It's cute that you want your city to compete with a much larger, more important city but it's obvious that you are typing with your heart and not your head. And the "proof" you posted to support your claims is all a bunch of nonsense. I didn't list a bunch of senseless ways in which my city was better than a city twice its size...it's you that is showing your ignorance and blind love for your city, which is really not even in the same orbit with Atlanta (peer cities Houston, DC, Philadelphia, Detroit, Dallas, etc. - NOT Pittsburgh).
I'm not trying to put Pittsburgh down because it is a decent city, but let's get real here.
I would love to hear what is homeristic about my post? Go for it.
The main issue with your post is the apparent outrage that someone could dare think Atlanta wins every category (re: "worst post ever" response), and then you proceed to do the very same thing with your city. Do you see the irony? Another issue is your use of phrases like "by a mile", "most dangerous" and "most underutilized" to describe a perceived dominance by your city that just is not reality. Even if Pittsburgh wins a category, it is not dominant.
The fact is that Atlanta DOES compete very well with Pittsburgh in every category, and here's why:
1. Walk score and density are not meant to be used to compare entire cities but to compare neighborhoods. To effectively compare Atlanta to Pittsburgh based on walk score or density, you would need to consider the same size area...take 55 square miles of Atlanta or 132 square miles of Pittsburgh and THEN compare them. I guarantee you that Atlanta would then excel because its top 25 districts all rate above 70, while Pittsburgh's top 25 districts dip down into the 60s when you get to 20-25. Atlanta's top score is 96 while Pittsburgh's top score is 94. Comparing density should be the same - compare an area of similar size (either 55 or 132 square miles) or compare neighborhoods...not the entire city limits of Atlanta that covers 3 times the area of Pittsburgh. Does that make sense to you?
2. It's hard to even discuss a comparison of the two transit systems. Pittsburgh has a nice light rail system and it looks to be useful, but MARTA is a much larger heavy rail system that has a much higher ridership and covers twice the area, and is supplemented by the streetcar with the beltline on the table for future expansion. There is also an $8 billion expansion plan just announced that will add several stations and miles of track along with new lines (MARTA to make an $8 billion pitch to change the face of Atlanta | www.ajc.com). You can paint it however you want of course, but the fact remains that Atlanta wins this one.
3. You cannot honestly call the entire city of Atlanta "dangerous" - I'm sure you realize that this is a false claim. If it were true then Atlanta wouldn't be one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. for several decades now. Crime is generally found in certain neighborhoods and is overwhelmingly due to drugs/gangs/domestic violence - i.e. it's not random. Atlanta is no more dangerous than Pittsburgh.
4. The other two categories are purely subjective. Someone could easily choose Atlanta's downtown or cultural scene over Pittsburgh's. Pittsburgh's beautiful, scenic skyline definitely wins the scenery contest, but Atlanta is no slouch there either. Atlanta's downtown is very vibrant, with 30,000 residents, a huge convention/hotel industry ranked 4th in the nation, a large urban university with 32,000 students, one of the largest government districts in the U.S., and some if the best tourist attractions in a city that attracts over 35 million visitors each year. I would say that downtown Atlanta easily contends with downtown Pittsburgh, and add in Midtown (which connects with downtown's skyline and urban fabric) it becomes less of a contest. I have no problem with your opinion that your city is better in either category, but your opinion becomes less credible when you make wild claims that your city is dominant when it isn't.
Pittsburgh is a wonderful city and would win many comparisons with peer cities - but Atlanta is not a peer city of Pittsburgh. It may punch above its weight, but not far enough to beat Atlanta "by a mile" in any category. I am not trying to say Atlanta has no faults or am so in love with my city that I exaggerate its strengths - that seems to be you with your outrage and your accusations. I am giving Pittsburgh a good bit of credit for what it does offer - and it offers a lot. It doesn't compare well to Atlanta in most areas, but does compare well to peer cities like Baltimore, St. Louis, Portland, or Denver.
I hope that explains my stance a little better than my previous post made late at night without any real forethought.
I don't think people realize that Downtown AND Midtown are Atlanta's CBD, at this point. It's fair to include both in any consideration of Atlanta's CBD because they run into one another and comprise the core of the city. Then you have Buckhead, which isn't the CBD but is another very significant commercial district within the city. Pittsburgh cannot compete with this.
I don't think people realize that Downtown AND Midtown are Atlanta's CBD, at this point. It's fair to include both in any consideration of Atlanta's CBD because they run into one another and comprise the core of the city. Then you have Buckhead, which isn't the CBD but is another very significant commercial district within the city. Pittsburgh cannot compete with this.
Downtown to the right, Midtown to the left...connected by the Atlanta's tallest:
1. Atlanta and Pittsburgh both look to be pretty cool cities. Obviously each has different things going for them. I prefer Pittsburgh, but that is based upon what I like.
2. In the interest of fairness, if were adding Midtown on to Atlanta, I think Oakland should also be considered a part of Pittsburgh, as it is actually about a mile closer than Midtown is to DT ATL. The Midtown area is likely my favorite portion of near Atlanta areas, but Oakland might also be Pittsburgh's best asset. The fact that Pittsburgh, at around 2.7 (?) in the metro can go head to head or possibly supercede Atlanta at 6.2 when it comes to higher education is undeniably impressive, since I really do believe that per capita matters, which is why the CBD job numbers that were listed were so impressive. There's also UPMC, many workforces, etc. Quite frankly, though I enjoy Midtown, Oakland is one of the prettier places both for architecture and scenic views in the entire country. Heck, the Great Allegheny Passage starts literally across the bridge from this neighborhood. Another point worth noting in Oakland's favor is that it has a feeling of safety and comfort very, very, rarely felt in American cities. I'm no expert, but I'd imagine the Public Schools in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh top any in Atlanta proper. It has a "Northern Europe", level of urban safety IMO.
3. Culturally, Pittsburgh does likely win. I mean culture does have a broad scope. But, with the likes of the Cathedral of Learning, Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History and Library, Fallingwater (I feel like this belongs in the discussion), Cathedral of Learning, Warhol Museum, National Aviary, Phipps Conservatory, Pittsburgh Symphony at the Heinz etc., I'm not sure that Atlanta's quite matches up, though it has more of the touristy type of museums (World of Coca Cola, CNN, COF HOB), and the Fernbank and Carlos museums near Emory's campus appear to be pretty nice.
4. Also, I think that just because a city is bigger, or even "more important" GDP wise, doesn't necessarily make it a better place to live (EG, Would you rather live in Rio de Janiero or Helsinki)? I know that's an extreme example, but still.
The great equalizer here IMO for Atlanta is that while Pittsburgh's immediate topography is prettier, Atlanta has the benefit of being located less than 2 hours away from Brasstown Bald. While all nature is nice, that is one of the more awestriking natural spots on the East Coast. It also has the positive effect for Atlanta residents that they can enjoy a relatively modest winter, and then (particularly if they are in education or another field that has a more relaxed summer schedule), they can easily escape at least for weekends, or even for weeks at a time to a place where temperatures are very mild and comfortable.
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Great post!
