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Um, also judging by the ease of navigation and the proximity to necessities and amenities, that would also be accurate. It just so happens that these things come with "sardinization".
Lots of downtowns are just as easily navigated and have proximity to necessities and amenities. I definitely wouldn't call NYC the most easily navigable downtown in the US, for example. Not with as many New Yorkers as I hear complain about navigating downtown.
Lots of downtowns are just as easily navigated and have proximity to necessities and amenities. I definitely wouldn't call NYC the most easily navigable downtown in the US, for example. Not with as many New Yorkers as I hear complain about navigating downtown.
Funny, I was thinking that it WAS the easiest to navigate...
Well I recently read one New Yorker's post which said they tried to take the bus and it took something ridiculous like an hour to go a couple blocks. They seemed to indicate that a person could have walked and gotten there much quicker than the bus got them there. If public transport took that long, you know individual motorists took that long. That experience didn't exactly sound like "easy" to me. Sounded rather frustrating, actually.
I suppose it's always possible that they were just making that up.
Lots of downtowns are just as easily navigated and have proximity to necessities and amenities. I definitely wouldn't call NYC the most easily navigable downtown in the US, for example. Not with as many New Yorkers as I hear complain about navigating downtown.
Taking the subway or walking it isn't difficult. Manhattan is generally pretty easy to get around. If you're trying to get by in traffic, then yes, it's a nightmare at most times during the day.
And there's no freaking way on Earth that there's the same amount within close proximity of any given spot in West Palm Beach or Nashville as any given spot in Manhattan or Boston or SF. Surely you're kidding.
Taking the subway or walking it isn't difficult. Manhattan is generally pretty easy to get around. If you're trying to get by in traffic, then yes, it's a nightmare at most times during the day.
And there's no freaking way on Earth that there's the same amount within close proximity of any given spot in West Palm Beach or Nashville as any given spot in Manhattan or Boston. Surely you're kidding.
Same amount of people, no. Same amount of concrete and steel, no. Same amount of traffic, no. Quantity of those things for me don't make for the best downtowns.
But I do know that Cityplace in WPB is more beautiful than any street-based village type shopping center in downtown NYC, and I do know that Nashville's Shelby Street pedestrian-only bridge descending into downtown Nashville and ending at the Schemmerhorn Symphony building with its greek columns and architecture is more aesthetic than the pedestrian section of the Brooklyn Bridge jammed between both directions of traffic and entering downtown between some ugly buildings and an ugly waterfront along the FDR. I do know that the Breakers Palm Beach (resort) (look it up) is EASILY more beautiful than any hotel in downtown NYC, and that you can drive around downtown Nashville WAY easier than you can drive around downtown NYC. Can bicycle around downtown Nashville way easier too.
Same amount of elbow room, yes, and then some. Different people find different things appealing about a downtown. Some people would rather have 30 Italian restaurants within 4 square blocks. Other people would rather have a hill downtown from which you can see much of the surrounding downtown and a scenic descent down a hill to a scenic green waterfront. Or a multi-level multi-block riverwalk with outdoor eating. Or a Mediterranean shopping village. Different strokes for different folks.
21. Memphis-St. louis
22. Charlotte
23. Sacramento tie (23)Ft. Worth
24. Salt Lake City-Kansas City
25. Houston & Dallas
Not trying to pick on your list individually, but this is just a prime example for how horribly underrated Philadelphia tends to be when people discuss downtowns on this website.
It seems to be little known that Philadelphia has the third most populous downtown in the country behind Chicago, and about 5th or 6th in office space -- tied with Los Angeles.
There is no conceivable reason cities like Seattle -- and especially Portland and San Antonio -- should be ranking in front of a city as large as Philadelphia.
There is no conceivable reason cities like Seattle -- and especially Portland and San Antonio -- should be ranking in front of a city as large as Philadelphia.
Have you ever been to Downtown Seattle?
Its a great place. With lots of shopping, dining, entertainment, ambience.
Portland is much the same way, just a bit smaller.
I dont think Portland is on Philly's level, but DT vs DT, Seattle does pretty well compared to Philly-at least imHO.
Downtown DC is probably one of the safest areas that I can think of. DC has more police per person than any other city, ESPECIALLY downtown.
I agree 100% about DC's downtown area.
However, I don't think the amount of police per capita is a good measure of what makes a city or area safe. In fact, heavy police coverage in an area often signifies quite the opposite. People often make the mistake of seeing that statistic and feeling that that area is safe. In reality, there's usually a reason for heavier police coverage (i.e. higher crime). Now, D.C. is a unique example because there is higher security given the fact that it's a national capital and as such is a target for attacks and has many important people at all times. So while D.C. doesn't fit the normal circumstance, high police coverage often signifies a dangerous place, not a safe one. Lower police coverage tends to be more evident of a safer area as more police are not needed.
Also, for what it's worth.... NYC (Manhattan, specifically... this isn't the case in the outer boroughs) has a VERY navigable downtown area on foot or by car. It may take forever by car, but it's easy to get from A to B. The tip of Manhattan (with it's mangled mess of streets) can be difficult by car, but it's a small enough area to make it easy by foot still. The numbered grid system and mostly rectangular street pattern makes it very easy to navigate. Try finding your way as easily in a city even HALF the size. It's tough to do.
There is no conceivable reason cities like Seattle -- and especially Portland and San Antonio -- should be ranking in front of a city as large as Philadelphia.
Again it's different strokes for different folks, but having said that, there ARE conceivable reasons those cities would rank ahead of Philly for some.
SA's riverwalk is THE best riverwalk in the US, bar none, and has a plethora of outdoor eating to go with the ambiance. Some prefer that type of gem over other downtowns. No eating or strolling venue in Philly is comparable to that. Portland's riverfront is WAY more beautiful than Philly's riverfront, and the beauty of a city's watefront is a reason someone might rank it above Philly. Add in the beauty of the Classical Chinese Garden, and the fact that downtown has got pedestrian sidewalks on two of its bridges (Hawthorne and Steel) downtown with green trail and park space on either side of the river so that you can bike up one side, across the bridge, and down the other around and around and it's all beautiful- and it becomes obvious why a person who loves to bike around downtown and take in the scenic waterfront beauty might prefer Portland to Philly. Anyway, that's why I personally would and do rank San Antonio and Portland ahead of Philly in terms of downtown. As far as universities, I prefer UPenn to anything in either of those other cities, but UPenn is in University City, not downtown Philly.
I'm not particularly a big fan of Seattle, so somebody who is would have to answer as to why they would rank its downtown above Philly's.
I do know that the Breakers Palm Beach (resort) (look it up) is EASILY more beautiful than any hotel in downtown NYC, and that you can drive around downtown Nashville WAY easier than you can drive around downtown NYC. Can bicycle around downtown Nashville way easier too.
Why would you want to drive through a downtown though? Shouldn't downtowns be very walkable, allowing you to reach most of your destinations by foot?
However, as you said before, different strokes for different folks.
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