Is the Valley of the Sun (Phoenix metro) considered Urban or Suburban? (Tempe: apartments, condos)

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by new2colo

Atlanta and Phoenix are both suburban. Atlanta has more skyscrapers which make people think Atlanta is more urban than Phoenix. Atlanta's density is 3360 people/square mile. Phoenix's density is 3025 people/square mile. Given that there are enormous swaths of vacant land on the north side of Phoenix, I would argue that the populated portion of Phoenix is actually comparable if not more dense than Atlanta. The urban density of the Phoenix area is actually greater than the urban density of metro Atlanta, so the OP's daughter might have a point. Phoenix's development is a lot more continguous than Atlanta's. There are heavily forested, undeveloped areas in the middle of Atlanta that make you feel like you're in a rural area. This really isn't the case in Phoenix, except for the northern reaches around the 303, New River Road and Sonoran Desert Drive.

Where????

Originally Posted by locolife

Based on 2010 census data the Phoenix MSA is more than twice as dense as Atlanta 3156 versus 1707. I'm sure Phoenix has become more dense since this time based on the amount of infill happening here, not sure what is happening in Atlanta.

America's Densest Cities | HuffPost

Density doesn't necessarily correlate to urbanity. Phoenix's metro is denser largely because it is flatter and gridded overall, which is a better setup than suburban Atlanta. But it appears that the core of Atlanta is traditionally more urban than Phoenix's.

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

Where????



Density doesn't necessarily correlate to urbanity. Phoenix's metro is denser largely because it is flatter and gridded overall, which is a better setup than suburban Atlanta. But it appears that the core of Atlanta is traditionally more urban than Phoenix's.

It does when it's 2x as dense. We're not talking about minor differences. Phoenix, outside the core, feels more urban than Atlanta does. But in its core, Atlanta feels more urban than Phoenix does. Although when I went to Atlanta for the first time, I expected it to feel larger than it did.

Phoenix is a contiguous medium density sprawl that drops at the edge of the metro. Other more traditional cities taper off more gradually. It's just a different form and character of a city.

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

Where????



Density doesn't necessarily correlate to urbanity. Phoenix's metro is denser largely because it is flatter and gridded overall, which is a better setup than suburban Atlanta. But it appears that the core of Atlanta is traditionally more urban than Phoenix's.

The south side, just like Dallas, TX

[wase4711]

phoenix is a city
Atlanta is a city

which one you have better feelings about is subjective and personal, and only applies to you, not anyone else

next question?

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by locolife

This comes up all the time and just gets a little old. The Phoenix MSA is a lot denser than the Atlanta MSA, meaning the average person here lives in a denser area than Atlanta. It doesn't mean that our densest area has a higher PPSM ranking than Atlanta. I would also say it's subjective to where you live, does your daughter live in a highrise in downtown Phoenix or in Carefree? That'd be a big difference.

The only part of Atlanta that seems dense is the central core. Admittedly, they have a much taller, denser downtown with plenty of national/global company HQs which Phoenix still lacks. Outside of downtown, a good part of Atlanta and the suburbs seem almost rural in nature. Much of Phoenix still has that urban/suburban feel (except for the far northern end of the city limits), and most of the suburbs look & feel the same way. The drop off from urban to suburban to rural is much more gradual in the Phoenix area, whereas the drop off in the Atlanta area seems much more sudden. The Atlanta metro does have some notable highrise centers (Dunwoody, Sandy Springs) despite the more rural atmosphere.

[dvxhd]

Originally Posted by locolife

The question? Is Phoenix is urban or suburban? The fact is most Phoenicians live in a denser area than most do in Atlanta. Your constant negativity and weak attempts to make Phoenix look bad are pretty old. Nothing else you rattled off has anything to do with this.

Actually, you opened up the door to this. I merely pointed out that person was comparing two different things (core city and metro area). Somehow you took that as an offense, which is why I think you're too sensitive and can't separate location from your identity. I can't even see how you took that as an insult when it was just a factual error. The negativity is a two-way street... that saccharine blindness toward reality of yours is pretty nauseating as well.

Now, to the subject at hand, Atlanta's core kills that of Phoenix. There's hardly a contest there. Atlanta's core feels more urban than that of Phoenix. Atlanta does have a lot of suburban areas, but generally has a more urban look and feel to it. If you moved Chase Tower (tallest in Arizona) from Phoenix to Atlanta, it would be the 20th tallest building in town. Now, rather than seeing areas in which Phoenix could stand to improve, take that as an insult as you always do and fixate on defending Phoenix.

[KurtAZ]

Other: Why does it matter?

[More Rock]

Originally Posted by Finger Laker

So obnoxious

Phoenix had a suburban and spread out layout, but is very much a real city

Urban does not define real - it defines urban and even within that score there is a giant spread.

I agree. Southwestern US cities are horizontal. Paris also is spread-out with few skyscrapers.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by dvxhd

Actually, you opened up the door to this. I merely pointed out that person was comparing two different things (core city and metro area). Somehow you took that as an offense, which is why I think you're too sensitive and can't separate location from your identity. I can't even see how you took that as an insult when it was just a factual error. The negativity is a two-way street... that saccharine blindness toward reality of yours is pretty nauseating as well.

Now, to the subject at hand, Atlanta's core kills that of Phoenix. There's hardly a contest there. Atlanta's core feels more urban than that of Phoenix. Atlanta does have a lot of suburban areas, but generally has a more urban look and feel to it. If you moved Chase Tower (tallest in Arizona) from Phoenix to Atlanta, it would be the 20th tallest building in town. Now, rather than seeing areas in which Phoenix could stand to improve, take that as an insult as you always do and fixate on defending Phoenix.

The downtown cores make up an extremely small part of both urban areas and a tiny part of the population. You can go off on whatever irrelevant points you want, it doesn't change the fact that most people in Phoenix live in a denser area than Atlanta. Period.

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by new2colo

Atlanta and Phoenix are both suburban. Atlanta has more skyscrapers which make people think Atlanta is more urban than Phoenix. Atlanta's density is 3360 people/square mile. Phoenix's density is 3025 people/square mile. Given that there are enormous swaths of vacant land on the north side of Phoenix, I would argue that the populated portion of Phoenix is actually comparable if not more dense than Atlanta. The urban density of the Phoenix area is actually greater than the urban density of metro Atlanta, so the OP's daughter might have a point. Phoenix's development is a lot more continguous than Atlanta's. There are heavily forested, undeveloped areas in the middle of Atlanta that make you feel like you're in a rural area. This really isn't the case in Phoenix, except for the northern reaches around the 303, New River Road and Sonoran Desert Drive.

I agree except there are some large desert areas in Phoenix and not just on the fringes.

They're mostly in the form of preserved parklands like South Mountain and North Mountain but regardless, they still seem rural and uncitylike.