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I recently went to both. I used to think it was Miami easily but it’s now honestly kind of hard.. I think Miami wins in the end though. Particularly because you can drive for hours and still be in metro Miami (it’s a line compared to Atlanta which is a bit more round ). Central Miami’s walkable areas also certainly gives a bigger feel
I recently went to both. I used to think it was Miami easily but it’s now honestly kind of hard.. I think Miami wins in the end though. Particularly because you can drive for hours and still be in metro Miami (it’s a line compared to Atlanta which is a bit more round ). Central Miami’s walkable areas also certainly gives a bigger feel
Atlanta at least is not as ecologically destructive and has managed to preserve some level of foliage in its neighborhoods where a lot of Miami is mostly just some palms and grass here and there. No or very few pines which should be the largest tree of composition in the ecology of Southern Florida but is not. Palms are pretty bare bones, leading more sight to buildings. Atlanta being better at disguising its sprawl I guess does make it feel smaller.
I think what’s interesting though is that Miami feels bigger, and I agree with that, but it’s actually not with Atlanta outranking it in both population and GDP. Assuming we are using metros here. So it makes you wonder, why is this? Is more of Miami’s area dedicated to low density with less foliage to bury the sprawl? Is Miami overbuilt, with too many vacant buildings of certain zones? Is Atlanta underdeveloped? Is Atlanta filled with a lot more “hidden” high density (e.g. SFHs been converted to duplexes or apartments?) Does Atlanta have a lot more families and multi-generational households rather than singletons?
Atlanta at least is not as ecologically destructive and has managed to preserve some level of foliage in its neighborhoods where a lot of Miami is mostly just some palms and grass here and there. No or very few pines which should be the largest tree of composition in the ecology of Southern Florida but is not. Palms are pretty bare bones, leading more sight to buildings. Atlanta being better at disguising its sprawl I guess does make it feel smaller.
I think what’s interesting though is that Miami feels bigger, and I agree with that, but it’s actually not with Atlanta outranking it in both population and GDP. Assuming we are using metros here. So it makes you wonder, why is this? Is more of Miami’s area dedicated to low density with less foliage to bury the sprawl? Is Miami overbuilt, with too many vacant buildings of certain zones? Is Atlanta underdeveloped? Is Atlanta filled with a lot more “hidden” high density (e.g. SFHs been converted to duplexes or apartments?) Does Atlanta have a lot more families and multi-generational households rather than singletons?
Miami is barged in by the Everglades and Atlantic. Atlanta doesn't really have any natural boundaries. The South Florida coast from Miami up to like West Palm Beach is wall to wall skyscrapers. And of course skyscrapers don't determine urbanity but yeah. One thing that makes Miami feel bigger that people haven't mentioned is that Miami is a huge tourist destination, so you have tons of people walking around exploring the city at all times. Atlanta isn't a tourist destination.
I will say, one thing both cities lack which seperates it from the northeastern cities and cities like Chicago and SF is the lack of missing middle housing. Literally go 2 miles west of Brickell by the water it looks like suburbia. Same with Atlanta, literally in Midtown (densest part of the city), across the street you have single family home mansions in a cul de sac. In these cities it goes from high rises to suburbia.
Atlanta at least is not as ecologically destructive and has managed to preserve some level of foliage in its neighborhoods where a lot of Miami is mostly just some palms and grass here and there. No or very few pines which should be the largest tree of composition in the ecology of Southern Florida but is not. Palms are pretty bare bones, leading more sight to buildings. Atlanta being better at disguising its sprawl I guess does make it feel smaller.
I think what’s interesting though is that Miami feels bigger, and I agree with that, but it’s actually not with Atlanta outranking it in both population and GDP. Assuming we are using metros here. So it makes you wonder, why is this? Is more of Miami’s area dedicated to low density with less foliage to bury the sprawl? Is Miami overbuilt, with too many vacant buildings of certain zones? Is Atlanta underdeveloped? Is Atlanta filled with a lot more “hidden” high density (e.g. SFHs been converted to duplexes or apartments?) Does Atlanta have a lot more families and multi-generational households rather than singletons?
There are many examples of cities that feel larger than they actually are, or feel smaller than they actually are, and this is one of them. Miami feels larger than it is for many reasons, but as noted specifically because of the geographic boundaries that force everything into a relatively narrow 'alley' that simply feels busier. Similarly I feel like Boston feels larger than it is on paper, as it has geographic boundaries and is extremely dense at it's 0-8 mile core radius (before dropping off into the woods).
Miami also has tons of highrise hotels and pied-a-terre's (full of people that aren't counted in the census) that add vertical density even if they don't 'live' there. Similar to Manhattan - throw a stone at lunch time on a Friday afternoon and there's an 80% chance whoever you hit doesn't live in Manhattan. But it sure as hell feels busy.
Atlanta will feel bigger if you're going from Downtown Atlanta to Sandy Springs versus going from Downtown Miami to the Hardrock Casino in Hollywood. For this route, Atlanta will have more of the taller buildings from Downtown, Midtown, Atlantic Station, Buckhead, and Sandy Springs. Going straight down Biscayne Boulevard, you're not gonna see tall buildings once you leave Downtown Miami. Where Miami feels bigger is from South Beach up to Fort Lauderdale from Collins Avenue to Florida State Road A1A that's where you'll see the condos and timeshares.
Atlanta will feel bigger if you're going from Downtown Atlanta to Sandy Springs versus going from Downtown Miami to the Hardrock Casino in Hollywood. For this route, Atlanta will have more of the taller buildings from Downtown, Midtown, Atlantic Station, Buckhead, and Sandy Springs. Going straight down Biscayne Boulevard, you're not gonna see tall buildings once you leave Downtown Miami. Where Miami feels bigger is from South Beach up to Fort Lauderdale from Collins Avenue to Florida State Road A1A that's where you'll see the condos and timeshares.
Miami is so much more built up though. Atlanta has a lot of thick forestation with single family neighborhoods between the core and the Buckhead Business District.
Atlanta will feel bigger if you're going from Downtown Atlanta to Sandy Springs versus going from Downtown Miami to the Hardrock Casino in Hollywood. For this route, Atlanta will have more of the taller buildings from Downtown, Midtown, Atlantic Station, Buckhead, and Sandy Springs. Going straight down Biscayne Boulevard, you're not gonna see tall buildings once you leave Downtown Miami. Where Miami feels bigger is from South Beach up to Fort Lauderdale from Collins Avenue to Florida State Road A1A that's where you'll see the condos and timeshares.
I still disagree. Atlanta has good nodes but it lacks the continuous build expanse to sandy springs that Miami has to Hollywood and Ft Lauderdale. There’s lots of winding roads with large lots and a very suburban feel between DT Atlanta and Sandy Springs. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though and I definitely prefer Atlanta to Miami but Miami does feel visually larger.
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