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You can just take a look at the thumbnail or the houses at the 1:52 mark of the video. Where in Boston looks like that?
Great. Just so we're all on the same page, here is what 1:52 looks like in that video:
Now, again, I am not getting that deep an impression of what that area looks like from that clip, but it seems decently close to this place in Malden. For what it's worth, I didn't look very hard cuz I'm suspicious that you'll find some reason to write it off regardless of what I share:
Quote:
Originally Posted by BajanYankee
Aesthetically, I think the easy and obvious answer is Philly, but the disparity in population density is too great for any other city to have quite the same "feel."
Brooklyn - 38K ppsm (71 sq. mi.)
North Beach (SF) - 38K ppsm (0.49 sq. mi.)
Columbia Heights (DC) - 37K ppsm (0.85 sq. mi.)
Greater Center City - 32K ppsm (7.7 sq. mi.)
Back Bay/Beacon Hill - 31K ppsm (0.9 sq. mi.)
First of all, neither the Back Bay nor Beacon Hill are the most densely populated neighborhoods in Boston. That laurel lies with Fenway, which has a density of 40k ppsm over 0.71 sq mi. Second, where are you getting your numbers? I may fact check you later, if I have time, at least for Philly.
For Boston, you have an unbroken 3 square miles along the Charles River where the average density is ~35k ppsm.
Add the South End, and you'll have 32.6k ppsm over 4 sq mi. Add the northeastern-most corner of Brookline and Mission Hill to have 30k ppsm over 6 sq mi. All continuous.
Last edited by Boston Shudra; 08-11-2023 at 04:26 PM..
Now, again, I am not getting that deep an impression of what that area looks like from that clip, but it seems decently close to this place in Malden. For what it's worth, I didn't look very hard cuz I'm suspicious that you'll find some reason to write it off regardless of what I share:
No, I'm not going to write off whatever you post. But the reason I posted a video, and not a still, is because I wanted to give a sense of what these places are like. Instead of looking at 1 street and 1 angle, you can look at multiple streets and multiple angles.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boston Shudra
For Boston, you have an unbroken 3 square miles along the Charles River where the average density is ~35k ppsm.
So 35K ppsm over 3 sq. mi. compared to 38K ppsm over 71 sq. mi. How are these two places going to have a similar feel when Boston's peak density is lower than Brooklyn's average density?
No, I'm not going to write off whatever you post. But the reason I posted a video, and not a still, is because I wanted to give a sense of what these places are like. Instead of looking at 1 street and 1 angle, you can look at multiple streets and multiple angles.
I appreciate the thought, but the "overall urban feel" of a place is along the sidewalks, not in the middle of a busy street.
Quote:
So 35K ppsm over 3 sq. mi. compared to 38K ppsm over 71 sq. mi. How are these two places going to have a similar feel when Boston's peak density is lower than Brooklyn's average density?
None of the cities in the poll come close to matching NYC's density, so it's a moot point. Just wanted to point out that you were criminally underselling central Boston's population density.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BajanYankee
Way too many wood buildings and free-standing houses. This is quintessentially New England.
The wood vs brick argument is definitely a point against Boston as you move into the outer neighborhoods, at least when compared against Philly, Chicago, and DC (it's not like SF is overrun with brick housing and it clearly did well enough in the poll).
I appreciate the thought, but the "overall urban feel" of a place is along the sidewalks, not in the middle of a busy street.
And you think a still would better reflect than than a 45 min video?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boston Shudra
None of the cities in the poll come close to matching NYC's density, so it's a moot point. Just wanted to point out that you were criminally underselling central Boston's population density.
The point was that none of these places were going to really capture the feel because the density disparity is so great.
And I wasn't underselling anything. The point was that Boston, DC, Philly and Chicago can only reach Brooklyn's average density in small patches. It's a neighborhood here or there. So we're talking about a handful of blocks having an NYC feel at most.
Across a larger area, however, I would say parts of North Philadelphia and the Northeast bear the greatest resemblance to the lower density parts of Brooklyn across East Flatbush, Flatlands and Canarsie. That's really about it.
Nearly every street in that Malden video had wooden structures. It was probably a solid 90% of the buildings on each street. Detached homes are 5.5% of the housing stock in Brooklyn and 25.4% of the housing stock in Malden.
Your cherry-picked streetviews are like someone capturing the best streetview of Downtown Pittsburgh and arguing that it's not too different from Downtown Chicago.
Your cherry-picked streetviews are like someone capturing the best streetview of Downtown Pittsburgh and arguing that it's not too different from Downtown Chicago.
How many examples of wooden, free-standing houses in NYC do you need for it to stop counting as "cherry picking"? I'm sure I could find at least one for all boroughs except Manhattan.
The "quintessential New England" housing style is present in NYC even if it's outnumbered by other, more Mid-Atlantic or Midwestern styles.
None of this detracts from the fact that, because of the street layout, Boston's financial district is the closest in appearance to Lower Manhattan of all the cities in the poll.
Aesthetically, I think the easy and obvious answer is Philly, but the disparity in population density is too great for any other city to have quite the same "feel."
Brooklyn - 38K ppsm (71 sq. mi.)
North Beach (SF) - 38K ppsm (0.49 sq. mi.)
Columbia Heights (DC) - 37K ppsm (0.85 sq. mi.)
Greater Center City - 32K ppsm (7.7 sq. mi.)
Back Bay/Beacon Hill - 31K ppsm (0.9 sq. mi.)
These zip codes all border each other in DC:
DC Zipcode 20009
Population Density: 38,911.6 people per square mile
Land Area: 1.3 square miles
DC Zipcode 20010
Population Density: 33,825.9 people per square mile
Land Area: 1 square miles
DC Zipcode 20005
Population Density: 31,013 people per square mile
Land Area: 0.4 square miles
DC Zipcode 20001
Population Density: 22,249.8 people per square mile
Land Area: 2 square miles
Total Land Area
Population Density: 30,625 people per square mile
4.7 square miles
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