Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
But it might depend on whom you ask in any city. The Greenville News, for instance, currently is doing a series on gentrification in the city, with a special focus on the effects of the new Unity Park on historically Black neighborhoods. The series is looking at disparity (quite stark in Greenville it turns out) between young professionals moving into new apartments and houses that the park has attracted and life-long residents whose families have lived there for generations. Sounds familiar, I know. On the bright side, I have read recently of Charleston and Greenville’s efforts, so far, to address the severe shortage of attainable housing for those at and below the median income.
Aspiration isn't really much good without forward thinking and strategic vision. Atlanta had ambition to become the biggest player and hub of the 'modern' southeast, and it grew by a lot. But there's a lot of problems that resulted.
It was the conference center of the southeast and they built downtown around that. Now conferences are WAY down from the 80s and downtown downtown Atlanta is pretty dead, it's like a ghost town after 6 pm. Then they built Buckhead - then Buckhead became the not so cool spot of town. There's this huge sprawl out in the outer burbs, but no plan to transit or improve roads to actually move any of these people around, essentially defeating of the purpose of being in close proximity.
In a sense, Atlanta became a victim to its own aspiration that was never guided strategically. It's become a giant snarl that's could become the #1 congestion nightmare of the southeast. Not saying the metro is some terrible mess - all I'm saying is that aspiration should be tempered with implementation and longevity.
In contrast Greenville up the road has a better playbook: 1 downtown that's thoughtfully constructed around being a place people want to be, not a place people are expected to badge into. Somehow they kept theirs clean too while most have went to crap in the last 10 years. Instead of having 5 downtowns pretty close together but not close enough to walk between, Greenville has theirs as distinct city centers to avoid too much funneling. No transit, but that isn't needed if congestion can be dealt with otherwise.
Aspiration isn't really much good without forward thinking and strategic vision. Atlanta had ambition to become the biggest player and hub of the 'modern' southeast, and it grew by a lot. But there's a lot of problems that resulted.
It was the conference center of the southeast and they built downtown around that. Now conferences are WAY down from the 80s and downtown downtown Atlanta is pretty dead, it's like a ghost town after 6 pm. Then they built Buckhead - then Buckhead became the not so cool spot of town. There's this huge sprawl out in the outer burbs, but no plan to transit or improve roads to actually move any of these people around, essentially defeating of the purpose of being in close proximity.
In a sense, Atlanta became a victim to its own aspiration that was never guided strategically. It's become a giant snarl that's could become the #1 congestion nightmare of the southeast. Not saying the metro is some terrible mess - all I'm saying is that aspiration should be tempered with implementation and longevity.
In contrast Greenville up the road has a better playbook: 1 downtown that's thoughtfully constructed around being a place people want to be, not a place people are expected to badge into. Somehow they kept theirs clean too while most have went to crap in the last 10 years. Instead of having 5 downtowns pretty close together but not close enough to walk between, Greenville has theirs as distinct city centers to avoid too much funneling. No transit, but that isn't needed if congestion can be dealt with otherwise.
Atlanta does have a lot of forgotten dreams areas. Not just Downtown or city proper either, Half of DeKalb county could be put in that bucket
Atlanta dreams big but they kind of just move on to the next place and forget about the last one. Could see that happen to Buckhead eventually. Maybe after a while they'll run out of new spots to hype up and circle back to the old one s
Here in Appalachia, it feels like a race to the bottom.
There are plenty of carpetbaggers from outside the area, moving in from wealthy states like CA/NY/MA, and buying properties for a relative pittance for what they are used to, and they're always "political refugees."
Meanwhile, locals can't afford the increased cost of real estate - but it's not like there was much building in recent years anyway, as most local wages can't support new homes.
The locals are basically becoming a subservient class to wealthy northeastern and wealthy transplants. The locals languish in drug use, abuse, and bad police practices, while the transplants enjoy every amenity we can't afford.
Uhh as someone from the Boston area, yeah people from Boston do think of places very close in size as being much much smaller. Many people from Boston, when they hear Minneapolis, they think of Des Moines. And when they think of Des Moines they think of Kearney NE or something.
Sadly, a lot of Coastalites aren't very well-travelled domestically.
Family (the reason I've been there a couple times), proximity, business, or a way station on a slow trip across the country I can believe. And CD denizens like me will go to see what makes a place tick. But others?
If people want to fly somewhere just to see a place it's probably somewhere famous or unique, or they're the beach or theme park crowd. If you're not New Orleans or San Francisco, good luck.
Aspiration isn't really much good without forward thinking and strategic vision. Atlanta had ambition to become the biggest player and hub of the 'modern' southeast, and it grew by a lot. But there's a lot of problems that resulted.
It was the conference center of the southeast and they built downtown around that. Now conferences are WAY down from the 80s and downtown downtown Atlanta is pretty dead, it's like a ghost town after 6 pm. Then they built Buckhead - then Buckhead became the not so cool spot of town. There's this huge sprawl out in the outer burbs, but no plan to transit or improve roads to actually move any of these people around, essentially defeating of the purpose of being in close proximity.
In a sense, Atlanta became a victim to its own aspiration that was never guided strategically. It's become a giant snarl that's could become the #1 congestion nightmare of the southeast. Not saying the metro is some terrible mess - all I'm saying is that aspiration should be tempered with implementation and longevity.
In contrast Greenville up the road has a better playbook: 1 downtown that's thoughtfully constructed around being a place people want to be, not a place people are expected to badge into. Somehow they kept theirs clean too while most have went to crap in the last 10 years. Instead of having 5 downtowns pretty close together but not close enough to walk between, Greenville has theirs as distinct city centers to avoid too much funneling. No transit, but that isn't needed if congestion can be dealt with otherwise.
I wouldn't say conferences are dead. Every week there's a big show or conference at the Georgia World Congress Center.
Family (the reason I've been there a couple times), proximity, business, or a way station on a slow trip across the country I can believe. And CD denizens like me will go to see what makes a place tick. But others?
If people want to fly somewhere just to see a place it's probably somewhere famous or unique, or they're the beach or theme park crowd. If you're not New Orleans or San Francisco, good luck.
I do enjoy MSP btw.
If you want and old school American middle class lifestyle and you aren't in tech or don't have a trust fund Des Moines is one of the best places in America to get it. It has high wages relative to its cost of living (and not just for college graduates). Those who see city living as a lifestyle accessory won't be interested, but for those who just want a regular life it has a lot to offer.
I am currently working with an 18 year old from LA who is looking at Iowa Zillow listings like they are porn.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
