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These three southern metros have had a lot of progress building more walkable and transit accessible cores in the 2010s. Which will come out on top for density, walkability, and transit access by 2030? What current or upcoming development projects are most important for these metros this decade?
I think it will be Atlanta.Atlanta has a smaller area to grow into with a better infrastructure.
MARTA and The BeltLine.Those two thing are and will make Atlanta more urban at a much faster rate.
All gthe TOD around MARTA stations built and planned are creating pockets of urbanity were there wasnt before and even where there already is,its being filled in.
If not Atlanta,it would be Dallas next. Dallas has similar bines to Atlanta and they have done a good job building its sytreetcar
To break it down by the OP's criteria that he listed.
Density: Houston, Dallas, Atlanta. As of census 2010, according to a forbes article, Houston at 145 sq miles which is everything radiating from its core, the population density was 5304 ppsm. Dallas isn't far behind that but last I checked it was just a shade under 5000 ppsm while Atlanta was probably under 4000. Both have likely increased in the last ten years.
Walkability: Atlanta, Dallas, Houston. Atlanta and Dallas have done a better job on this over the years. Houston kind of half does this. Somebody said this in an article about Houston's development.
“I think there’s a danger that in many cases we’re getting the density with none of the benefits,” Hagstette told me, “because the types of projects that are being developed aren’t being developed with the pedestrian and alternative modes of transportation, transit—bicycles, things like that—in mind. The development community is still thinking about, everyone is entering and exiting their property via an automobile.”
Houston doesn't have a West Village or even a Victory Park yet (though many would say the convention center district is like VP, I'm not buying it as of yet). Houston's grid system contributes to it having a higher density but it hasn't helped on making it urban. Atlanta has done a much better job of building their core. Dallas with uptown, the cap of a freeway, and downtown has improved for this city. Hopefully, with Houston, they continue to eliminate more of the parking minimums in the city. They already done with half of Midtown and most of East Downtown.
Transit: Atlanta, Dallas/Houston. Atlanta will always be ahead on this one. MARTA is a heavy rail and will continue to significantly have a higher ridership than DART and Metrorail in Houston. DART has a higher ridership and is more extensive than Metrorail. Metrorail is pretty much a streetcar and shouldn't even be compared to the full system of DART. At least DART turns into a rapid transit system once it leaves Downtown for the most part. All three cities have plans so that's a good thing. Houston has a larger bike share system with over 109 stations. Dallas doesn't even have a docked share system yet. Houston also has a larger bus network.
For Dallas, I hope they build the Trinity River Park. That could be one of the biggest urban projects to further help the city this decade. For Houston, regulations continue to improve urbanity for Houston. It's starting to show some lax but there needs more. For development, continue to build the greenbelts along the bayous and I think the Ion could be one of the bigger projects for the core. Atlanta's projects have already been named.
To break it down by the OP's criteria that he listed.
Density: Houston, Dallas, Atlanta. As of census 2010, according to a forbes article, Houston at 145 sq miles which is everything radiating from its core, the population density was 5304 ppsm. Dallas isn't far behind that but last I checked it was just a shade under 5000 ppsm while Atlanta was probably under 4000. Both have likely increased in the last ten years.
Walkability: Atlanta, Dallas, Houston. Atlanta and Dallas have done a better job on this over the years. Houston kind of half does this. Somebody said this in an article about Houston's development.
“I think there’s a danger that in many cases we’re getting the density with none of the benefits,” Hagstette told me, “because the types of projects that are being developed aren’t being developed with the pedestrian and alternative modes of transportation, transit—bicycles, things like that—in mind. The development community is still thinking about, everyone is entering and exiting their property via an automobile.”
Houston doesn't have a West Village or even a Victory Park yet (though many would say the convention center district is like VP, I'm not buying it as of yet). Houston's grid system contributes to it having a higher density but it hasn't helped on making it urban. Atlanta has done a much better job of building their core. Dallas with uptown, the cap of a freeway, and downtown has improved for this city. Hopefully, with Houston, they continue to eliminate more of the parking minimums in the city. They already done with half of Midtown and most of East Downtown.
Transit: Atlanta, Dallas/Houston. Atlanta will always be ahead on this one. MARTA is a heavy rail and will continue to significantly have a higher ridership than DART and Metrorail in Houston. DART has a higher ridership and is more extensive than Metrorail. Metrorail is pretty much a streetcar and shouldn't even be compared to the full system of DART. At least DART turns into a rapid transit system once it leaves Downtown for the most part. All three cities have plans so that's a good thing. Houston has a larger bike share system with over 109 stations. Dallas doesn't even have a docked share system yet. Houston also has a larger bus network.
For Dallas, I hope they build the Trinity River Park. That could be one of the biggest urban projects to further help the city this decade. For Houston, regulations continue to improve urbanity for Houston. It's starting to show some lax but there needs more. For development, continue to build the greenbelts along the bayous and I think the Ion could be one of the bigger projects for the core. Atlanta's projects have already been named.
These three southern metros have had a lot of progress building more walkable and transit accessible cores in the 2010s. Which will come out on top for density, walkability, and transit access by 2030? What current or upcoming development projects are most important for these metros this decade?
Houston doesn't have a West Village or even a Victory Park yet (though many would say the convention center district is like VP, I'm not buying it as of yet). Houston's grid system contributes to it having a higher density but it hasn't helped on making it urban. Atlanta has done a much better job of building their core. Dallas with uptown, the cap of a freeway, and downtown has improved for this city. Hopefully, with Houston, they continue to eliminate more of the parking minimums in the city. They already done with half of Midtown and most of East Downtown.
Avenida is now complete, you might want to take a look! All the retail space has been built out and open for business, which mostly consists of restaurants. Like their Dallas sister station in Victory Park, Channel 11's Downtown studio is in use every weekday for their noon newscasts. They often go outside in the Plaza during the newscast for a Today Show-style view of the plaza.
There have been 3 buildings in the latter half of the decade. Two have opened, the Capitol Tower (new Houston offices of Bank of America) and 609 Main. Texas Tower is under construction.
Atlanta is just a train station. It has been lagging in skyscrapers, especially in its Downtown and developers mostly prefer Midtown. Decatur, the real anchor for the metro, is underserved by the freeway system and very isolated, making any CBD development impossible.
Dallas has mostly abandoned the core to center around Legacy as the northern sprawl moves to Oklahoma.
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Transit: Atlanta, Dallas/Houston. Atlanta will always be ahead on this one. MARTA is a heavy rail and will continue to significantly have a higher ridership than DART and Metrorail in Houston. DART has a higher ridership and is more extensive than Metrorail. Metrorail is pretty much a streetcar and shouldn't even be compared to the full system of DART. At least DART turns into a rapid transit system once it leaves Downtown for the most part. All three cities have plans so that's a good thing. Houston has a larger bike share system with over 109 stations. Dallas doesn't even have a docked share system yet. Houston also has a larger bus network.
Atlanta, Dallas, D.C., and S.F. have made the mistake of using the subway for long-distance service better served by commuter rail like Chicago's Metra. Many people confuse the light-rail with commuter rail to the suburbs when they advocate the lines to be extended metro wide. That would turn it into an over-glorified express bus!
Luckily Houston has been using P&R buses for suburban routes. The ridership to Downtown is almost at capacity, so it is time to convert some routes to higher-capacity commuter rail and reuse the buses to serve new P&Rs between the rail lines. For example, I-10 and the Westpark TW would have commuter rail stops and reuse the P&R buses for service terminating in Cinco Ranch near LaCenterra.
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For Dallas, I hope they build the Trinity River Park. That could be one of the biggest urban projects to further help the city this decade. For Houston, regulations continue to improve urbanity for Houston. It's starting to show some lax but there needs more. For development, continue to build the greenbelts along the bayous and I think the Ion could be one of the bigger projects for the core. Atlanta's projects have already been named.
There was flash flooding during last year's Independence Day celebrations. If the flash flood came through the bayou a few hours later, the park would have flooded and many people would have drowned.
I hope Dallas's floodplain park doesn't have flash flooding during a similar event, because there would be more fatalities with a wider river than a mere bayou. Might be a mistake to follow Houston in this regard, since the landscaping has to be redone in the aftermath of a devastating flood. Sadly, the re-landscaping after Harvey had been finished a few months prior.
Dallas is the epitome of sprawl with McMansions and Office parks. I have been to the city 6 times and it looked like nothing but endless office parks and suburbia with McMansions.
Atlanta made some good strides in walkability with projects like the Beltline. Some of the suburbs like downtown Alpharetta and the mixed use developments like Avalon and Halcyon have impressed me. The traffic situation in Atlanta will force more vertical and more mixed use live work play developments in the coming decade.
Houston falls somewhere in between, not as bad as Dallas but still feels sprawled out compared to Atlanta..
Dallas is the epitome of sprawl with McMansions and Office parks. I have been to the city 6 times and it looked like nothing but endless office parks and suburbia with McMansions.
Atlanta made some good strides in walkability with projects like the Beltline. Some of the suburbs like downtown Alpharetta and the mixed use developments like Avalon and Halcyon have impressed me. The traffic situation in Atlanta will force more vertical and more mixed use live work play developments in the coming decade.
Houston falls somewhere in between, not as bad as Dallas but still feels sprawled out compared to Atlanta..
All southern cities sprawl...we are speaking about the CORE...
Dallas is the epitome of sprawl with McMansions and Office parks. I have been to the city 6 times and it looked like nothing but endless office parks and suburbia with McMansions.
Atlanta made some good strides in walkability with projects like the Beltline. Some of the suburbs like downtown Alpharetta and the mixed use developments like Avalon and Halcyon have impressed me. The traffic situation in Atlanta will force more vertical and more mixed use live work play developments in the coming decade.
Houston falls somewhere in between, not as bad as Dallas but still feels sprawled out compared to Atlanta..
Your last point is confusing. I am of the belief that Atlanta sprawls a little bit more than DFW and Houston. It does have a lower UA density than the other two.
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