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Which sunbelt city/cities in your opinion do you see making the biggest transformations in the coming years? This includes urban projects, population growth. Doesn't have to necessarily be the biggest cities in the region either. A lot of mid sized cities could be included also.
Last edited by JMT; 12-01-2014 at 05:02 PM..
Reason: Please read the rules. Skyline discussions are no longer allowed.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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I could see a city like Dallas making a lot of transitions in terms of its infrastructure and urban environment. There are big projects on the horizon that are impressive like the Trinity River project, and the new lid park connecting Uptown is nice. From what I gather it seems the residents of Dallas have a strong interest in revitalizing its core and all the new DART rail lines will bring suburban riders in. It will be interesting to see where its at in about 10-15 years.
LA. Downtown has gone from being a boring craphole to rapidly gentrifying, and they're even building a new skyscraper that will become the new tallest building in the US west of the MS River. I also know they're really improving mass transit, and this trend will likely continue. I can see LA having more walkable neighborhoods and good pubic transit after the next two decades.
Location: Watching half my country turn into Gilead
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Miami. Canal expansion/Port of Miami extension is happening, and All Aboard Florida train station will be built. To say nothing of a booming population and other construction projects.
Miami. Canal expansion/Port of Miami extension is happening, and All Aboard Florida train station will be built. To say nothing of a booming population and other construction projects.
I agree. There's a thread on the Florida forum where some think Orlando, but it's so far behind the Miami metro in terms of infrastructure and economic development. Miami is a world city and with it's "gateway" status to the economic boom being seen in much of Latin America, I would expect the growth to only accelerate.
Which sunbelt city/cities in your opinion do you see making the biggest transformations in the coming years? This includes urban projects, skyline, population growth. Doesn't have to necessarily be the biggest cities in the region either. A lot of mid sized cities could be included also.
Some may laugh at this but Birmingham, AL will be unrecognizable in the next few years. I have lived here for 3 years only and have never been more excited to see a city transform in front of my very eyes. Since I lived here, so many huge projects have gone up that have spawned so many additional projects. The numbers just keep growing and there are cranes up all across the skyline. While I have seen even more construction going on in bigger cities that I've lived in, it's very interesting to see it from a smaller perspective. There are thousands of housing units currently under construction and more being added all the time. You should definitely check out some of the articles about it if you're interested.
Chattanooga. There is a lot of money embedded in that city and they seem to be determined to have the latest in technology and developments. It would be especially striking if you could go back 30 years and compare it to the smoggy backwater it used to be.
The south is doing pretty well and I believe a lot of cities could be on this list. By default I would favor smaller MSAs cause it's easier to witness transformational change when the starting point is lower/smaller.
The above posts are valid. Chattanooga gets a lot of recognition for its downtown initiatives. I've spent a few weeks in Birmingham in the past couple years and am very impressed, if not downright jealous, of some of the stuff going on there. Jacksonville has changed a lot in the past decade (since the Super Bowl) and I'd expect more from the next decade. Perhaps not the BIGGEST transformation but quite good considering the lack of urban vibrancy in the early 2000s.
There's a case to be made for Atlanta which is rapidly gentrifying with transformative projects like the Beltline and several TOD/TJD projects underway and planned.
I second the mention of Birmingham.
Charlotte is expanding its transit system and the amount of infill happening and planned in and around the core is dizzying.
A sleeper is Augusta GA, which has seen some pretty good growth in recent years, since consolidating with Richmond County.
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