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Hollywood was just a suburban development at one point, annexed out of rolling hills and tumbleweeds.
Yes, that Austin took land that was rural and developed it to the point where it could be counted in the urban area is much more exciting to me than "hey look at this street south of downtown in 2008......compared to today with those bike lanes and a Dave's Hot Chicken!"
All the Chinese cities TBH are very sterile once you're on the ground level, though. Yeah, the fancy skyscrapers look nice but as I always put it, "just a nice shell that's empty inside".
For Harbor Point - it's not as "booming" IMHO only b/c most of the constructions is done there sans the new T. Rowe Price HQ. The center of activity in Baltimore is definitely shifting that way (Harbor Point, Harbor East, Lower Fells Point) while the Inner Harbor area will rot for a few more years minimum.
Which is sad because downtown Bmore from Charlesvillage on down to the Harbor has such good bones imo. Like that square with the belgian block and the big phallus thing; Mt. Vernon....beautiful. Too bad Gov. Hogan killed the red line that woulda did wonders for Baltimore.
They shoulda took a page out of the Philly playbook and make downtown Baltimore a residential neighborhood; thats what's missing imo.
I think we've both raised the subject of operating SEPTA Regional Rail more like rapid transit (S-Bahn-style service) elsewhere on C-D, and one of the three scenarios the agency proposes in its "Reimaging Regional Rail" plan calls for just that: service every 15 minutes every day on the inner part of the network (e.g., up to Glenside on the ex-Reading main line, out to Wayne on the R5 Paoli/Thorndale, all the way to Media on the R3 Media/Wawa, the entire length of the R7 Chestnut Hill East (but not the R8 Chestnut Hill West)). That would make PHN a hub on the order of the three central stations — but only if SEPTA also has all RDG-side trains stop at North Broad again (as of now, only R5 Lansdale/Doylestown trains do; the between-tracks platforms were removed years ago).
There is serious talk of extending RRD service to Pottstown (non-electrified) and West Chester (electrified, but the tracks have deteriorated), and there's even some noise about extending the route to Pottstown all the way to Reading. Dual-mode or battery-electric locomotives would make Pottstown/Reading service possible as well as open up the possibility of restoring service on other non-electrified lines to places like Quakertown or Oxford (which hasn't had passenger rail service since 1931).
Which is sad because downtown Bmore from Charlesvillage on down to the Harbor has such good bones imo. Like that square with the belgian block and the big phallus thing; Mt. Vernon....beautiful. Too bad Gov. Hogan killed the red line that woulda did wonders for Baltimore.
They shoulda took a page out of the Philly playbook and make downtown Baltimore a residential neighborhood; thats what's missing imo.
Hogans killing of the redline was definitely a brutal pill to swallow.
Regarding DT, it's been on its way to becoming just that for a while now. It's long been fastest growing neighborhood in the city. There's +40k people living within a mile radius of the Charles & Pratt intersection.
Which is sad because downtown Bmore from Charlesvillage on down to the Harbor has such good bones imo. Like that square with the belgian block and the big phallus thing; Mt. Vernon....beautiful. Too bad Gov. Hogan killed the red line that woulda did wonders for Baltimore.
They shoulda took a page out of the Philly playbook and make downtown Baltimore a residential neighborhood; thats what's missing imo.
Not to mention 414 Light St (albeit more "Harbor area" than Downtown) that was completed in 2018.
That being said, it still has some way to go - the amenities overall in the immediate DT area is still somewhat lacking, especially compare to the more popular Federal Hill/Riverside/Locust Point area to the south and Harbor East/Harbor Point/Lower Fells or even Canton to the east.
It's one of the reason why personally I cannot really understand the point of having Port Covington (now call Baltimore Peninsula) being the "booming" area when making DT Baltimore along with Inner Harbor "booming" again would do a lot more wonder, connecting Federal Hill to Harbor East to Mount Vernon.
Look at Detroit - they focus on revitalizing the CBD first and go from there.
It's one of the reason why personally I cannot really understand the point of having Port Covington (now call Baltimore Peninsula) being the "booming" area when making DT Baltimore along with Inner Harbor "booming" again would do a lot more wonder, connecting Federal Hill to Harbor East to Mount Vernon.
Look at Detroit - they focus on revitalizing the CBD first and go from there.
Baltimore's CBD is a lot larger than Detroit's so it takes more economic movement to reverse/buck a trend.
Second, Baltimore is zoned more like DC, LA or Houston so it's never had to lump all of its eggs into one geographical basket to speak, so developers take advantage of that (especially when the city has miles of unused waterfront).
I think we've both raised the subject of operating SEPTA Regional Rail more like rapid transit (S-Bahn-style service) elsewhere on C-D, and one of the three scenarios the agency proposes in its "Reimaging Regional Rail" plan calls for just that: service every 15 minutes every day on the inner part of the network (e.g., up to Glenside on the ex-Reading main line, out to Wayne on the R5 Paoli/Thorndale, all the way to Media on the R3 Media/Wawa, the entire length of the R7 Chestnut Hill East (but not the R8 Chestnut Hill West)). That would make PHN a hub on the order of the three central stations — but only if SEPTA also has all RDG-side trains stop at North Broad again (as of now, only R5 Lansdale/Doylestown trains do; the between-tracks platforms were removed years ago).
There is serious talk of extending RRD service to Pottstown (non-electrified) and West Chester (electrified, but the tracks have deteriorated), and there's even some noise about extending the route to Pottstown all the way to Reading. Dual-mode or battery-electric locomotives would make Pottstown/Reading service possible as well as open up the possibility of restoring service on other non-electrified lines to places like Quakertown or Oxford (which hasn't had passenger rail service since 1931).
Yes, it's a good topic as it'll be pretty awesome if implemented.
Supposedly the Manayunk/Norristown line also stops in North Broad, so the combined service of the two would mean that's pretty good frequency and that's alongside the North Philadelphia station. I'd certainly want to, if possible, gradually move the North Broad station up the tracks a bit and make an even shorter direct in-system transfer possible between North Broad and North Philadelphia train stations along with the BSL subway station, but it's fine if that's a gradual process as just moving the current Regional Rail lines that do stop there to S-Bahn like service frequencies would mean this area would be the most transit rich areas outside of Center City and University City.
Not to mention 414 Light St (albeit more "Harbor area" than Downtown) that was completed in 2018.
That being said, it still has some way to go - the amenities overall in the immediate DT area is still somewhat lacking, especially compare to the more popular Federal Hill/Riverside/Locust Point area to the south and Harbor East/Harbor Point/Lower Fells or even Canton to the east.
It's one of the reason why personally I cannot really understand the point of having Port Covington (now call Baltimore Peninsula) being the "booming" area when making DT Baltimore along with Inner Harbor "booming" again would do a lot more wonder, connecting Federal Hill to Harbor East to Mount Vernon.
Look at Detroit - they focus on revitalizing the CBD first and go from there.
Agrees. Everything from shopping, entertainment, to grocery, and large corps are leaving DT for the surrounding areas.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mjtinmemphis
Many of the new neighborhoods seems contrived and they look the same. Some have the same amenities like Target, Whole Foods and Shake Shack.
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I think this would make a great thread topic on its own. Why bother with the hassle and high maintenance of going into several major cities if the amenities are the same as any generic suburban "towne center" development. It's understandable for urban dwellers to also have access to these things, but it also gives less reason to go into the downtown or especially a sterile new neighborhood with a bunch of new glass and steel boxes with the same features on the ground as anywhere else. It becomes overkill.
Also many trademark restaurants that only existed in major cities, now often have a half dozen locations on the outskirts. It's a supply and demand thing when people line up for hours at the original location, so yes expansion naturally does occur. But many major city cores are becoming a lot more generic. Especially places where CVS, Starbucks, and Panera Bread are the only ones that can afford to lease the available commercial space.
All the Chinese cities TBH are very sterile once you're on the ground level, though. Yeah, the fancy skyscrapers look nice but as I always put it, "just a nice shell that's empty inside".
For Harbor Point - it's not as "booming" IMHO only b/c most of the constructions is done there sans the new T. Rowe Price HQ. The center of activity in Baltimore is definitely shifting that way (Harbor Point, Harbor East, Lower Fells Point) while the Inner Harbor area will rot for a few more years minimum.
I wouldn't say Chinese cities are sterlie. Hong Kong, Shenzen, Shanghai, Macao, and Beijing are the Chinese cities I visited and they were far from sterile.
Not to mention 414 Light St (albeit more "Harbor area" than Downtown) that was completed in 2018.
That being said, it still has some way to go - the amenities overall in the immediate DT area is still somewhat lacking, especially compare to the more popular Federal Hill/Riverside/Locust Point area to the south and Harbor East/Harbor Point/Lower Fells or even Canton to the east.
It's one of the reason why personally I cannot really understand the point of having Port Covington (now call Baltimore Peninsula) being the "booming" area when making DT Baltimore along with Inner Harbor "booming" again would do a lot more wonder, connecting Federal Hill to Harbor East to Mount Vernon.
Look at Detroit - they focus on revitalizing the CBD first and go from there.
I haven't been to Baltimore in a while but I enjoyed my time around Camden Yards and the harbor.
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