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Miami is moving forward to be certain. But to be honest with you, more of the new construction in Miami seems based upon drawing tourists to downtown (like the 1000 ft. tower going in that won't have any residential units).
I also think hurting Miami is a Sun Belt culture which traditionally hasn't pushed for urban living in the sense that other places do. Miami as a whole is very seriously focused in mall culture and air conditioning, and so I'm not sure I see it ever developing at street level in the way that some other places have, though it will continue to improve and be more urbane than most if not all Sun Belt cities in part due to necessity of building range, and in part due to a unique demographic more open to urban living.
Having lived in downtown Miami (during the first and second booms), it has improved but it lacks as a lively core. Street level is pathetic and there are only a few hot spots. It's a mid-tier downtown, around C+/B- range on a grade scale. The main focus for building there is to cater to tourists (as you mentioned) and foreign buyers and that's it. Plus it is a small downtown regardless (and no I'm not counting the ridiculous GDM district). So yeah it's improving but it'll always be a top 15-20 downtown if anything.
I think one of the problems it will also have is that it wasn't formed in a traditional city manner (where there are more built up neighborhoods surrounding the center and therefore those people may be funneling in an out. If you look at the surrounding portions of Miami, it turns into an almost suburban aesthetic, quite fast: https://www.google.com/maps/@25.7735...7i16384!8i8192
Maybe suburban isn't the right word because it's more dense than that, but most true major city downtowns in the US look nothing like that a mile from the center of their downtowns.
Just a place and design that is much more conducive to having a bustling pedestrian city atmosphere, inside and outside the core. I think that can be fixed, and Miami has made great efforts, but it would be a long process.
For DC, that’s like saying you haven’t been back to a city since the 1980’s. DC has added about 100,000 people since 2010. By 2020, it will have increased in population by +20%. It’s hard to even remember what DC was like in 2010. You should definitely come back when you get a chance. I’m assuming you don’t even know what Midcity, NOMA, Union Market, Capital Riverfront, The Wharf, Mt. Vernon Triangle, or H Street is since you have been gone since 2010.
I'm planning on coming back sometime next year. I'm sure all those places have developed significantly, my parents particularly raved about Capital Riverfront and Union Market on their last visit. I do think DC provides a Top 5 Urban Experience, I'm just saying that a "downtown" doesn't really seem to be the right way to describe DC, it's more a city of neighborhoods (almost like Paris in that sense, where I don't know that Paris has an absolute "core" either, though of course not quite on a Paris level, but still.
depending on how you label downtown (and admittedly highly extended version to downtown in SF as an area of centrality) is basically the northeast corner...east from Van Ness, north from Mission Bay....has narrow streets and extremely narrow sidewalks in many areas. And in the densest parts...Union Sq, the financial district on Montgomery, the Tenderloin, Nob Hill, etc., areas with either tall or midrise structures, there is a strong feel of what you described as "bustle". And then there is Chinatown...where "bustle" morphs into "teaming"....talk about a place alive with life.
I think maybe I need to spend more time in specific parts of the city like you mentioned. I did find specific areas of Chinatown really were bustling, and the Union Square area was pretty happening. But North Beach (Little Italy) and really the area between 4th and King (our initial impression/mile or so walk hopping off the CalTrain after stepping into the city just didn't feel nearly as bustling as we expected it to. Maybe time of day has something to do with it, also?
Perhaps, I'm just spoiled also. Out of the places I've visited most recently, HK in particular... I'm not sure ANYTHING feels continuously bustling compared to that
I think maybe I need to spend more time in specific parts of the city like you mentioned. I did find specific areas of Chinatown really were bustling, and the Union Square area was pretty happening. But North Beach (Little Italy) and really the area between 4th and King (our initial impression/mile or so walk hopping off the CalTrain after stepping into the city just didn't feel nearly as bustling as we expected it to. Maybe time of day has something to do with it, also?
Perhaps, I'm just spoiled also. Out of the places I've visited most recently, HK in particular... I'm not sure ANYTHING feels continuously bustling compared to that
North Beach is pretty urban. Near CalTrain is not. Unless you're there on a Giants game day.
I've never been to Dallas (It's on my Bucket List), but I will say LA's downtown has improved markedly since I was last there in the late 90s. It's much more lively, more walkable, more foot traffic and much more dense with a lot more apts, restaurants and stores. If your context is not within the last few years, your view of downtown LA is dated, esp since the advent of expanded rail transit in the City.
Having lived in downtown Miami (during the first and second booms), it has improved but it lacks as a lively core. Street level is pathetic and there are only a few hot spots. It's a mid-tier downtown, around C+/B- range on a grade scale. The main focus for building there is to cater to tourists (as you mentioned) and foreign buyers and that's it. Plus it is a small downtown regardless (and no I'm not counting the ridiculous GDM district). So yeah it's improving but it'll always be a top 15-20 downtown if anything.
I'm not sure what you mean. The "old" downtown, north of the Miami River is quiet and, generally, not that active, save the area around Bayside -- the new elevated "Central Station" with featuring the just-started Brightline higher speed trains to Ft. Lauderdale and, eventually, to Orlando as well as diverted Tri-Rail (and eventually Amtrak if I'm not mistaken) built into the still unfinished mid-rise office and apt complex should put a significant charge into old downtown..
... however, I totally disagree with you if you're referring to "new" downtown, south of the river... aka Brickell. Brickell is where all the bank office buildings are as well as new apartments, restaurants, clubs, retail and even a large 24/7 Publix supermarket. This area is growing like crazy -- it's almost like a slice of the Chicago Loop (the Loop's modern north side along Michigan Ave, that is) and is brimming with foot traffic, rail traffic (both the elevated Metro Rail and the free Metro Mover)... Brickell is ANYTHING but dead.
I've never been to Dallas (It's on my Bucket List), but I will say LA's downtown has improved markedly since I was last there in the late 90s. It's much more lively, more walkable, more foot traffic and much more dense with a lot more apts, restaurants and stores. If your context is not within the last few years, your view of downtown LA is dated, esp since the advent of expanded rail transit in the City.
Downtown LA is growing like crazy dozens of new construction and renovation
I'm not sure what you mean. The "old" downtown, north of the Miami River is quiet and, generally, not that active, save the area around Bayside -- the new elevated "Central Station" with featuring the just-started Brightline higher speed trains to Ft. Lauderdale and, eventually, to Orlando as well as diverted Tri-Rail (and eventually Amtrak if I'm not mistaken) built into the still unfinished mid-rise office and apt complex should put a significant charge into old downtown..
... however, I totally disagree with you if you're referring to "new" downtown, south of the river... aka Brickell. Brickell is where all the bank office buildings are as well as new apartments, restaurants, clubs, retail and even a large 24/7 Publix supermarket. This area is growing like crazy -- it's almost like a slice of the Chicago Loop (the Loop's modern north side along Michigan Ave, that is) and is brimming with foot traffic, rail traffic (both the elevated Metro Rail and the free Metro Mover)... Brickell is ANYTHING but dead.
I lived in Brickell and outside a few places, it's pretty damn dead for such a booming place. Also compared to other downtowns I've lived/currently lived in, it's probably the least busiest I've ever seen. Daytime population in ALL of Greater Downtown Miami is estimated between 220-250K, which is very small. Sure it's growing fast but most people there ARE investors who don't even live there and units sit empty 10 months a year. I won't say which building I lived in but in that complex alone, at least 80% of the units were empty and reserved for investors to chill there in winter time/hide drugs (I've been to some crazy parties and saw the **** that goes down). But yeah back to my main point, Brickell has its active spots but the urban build is terrible and pedestrian traffic is sparse for a booming place.
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