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When people describe cities as "real", what are the qualifications? I live in Little Rock and I don't consider this a "real city" because its not only tiny but there is nothing unique or interesting about it to set it apart from Anytown, USA and it lacks attractions and cultural amenities you would expect in an urban area. Whats your "checklist" if you will for what a real city is?
When people describe cities as "real", what are the qualifications? I live in Little Rock and I don't consider this a "real city" because its not only tiny but there is nothing unique or interesting about it to set it apart from Anytown, USA and it lacks attractions and cultural amenities you would expect in an urban area. Whats your "checklist" if you will for what a real city is?
Any city that's not in the South/Sun Belt is a "real city" in my book! They should really come up with a term to distinguish "real cities" from "fake cities."
Any city that's not in the South/Sun Belt is a "real city" in my book! They should really come up with a term to distinguish "real cities" from "fake cities."
Not sure I agree with that. I would consider Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Austin, Phoenix, etc to be real cities even though they are auto-centric.
- At least one urban business area with tall buildings and urban character, fewer cookie-cutter suburban style houses and more density of hi-rise apartments and condos
- At least 2 pro sports teams
- A large airport
- World class attractions
- Big freeways
- A decent public transport system (by U.S. standards), meaning at least 2 rapid or light rail lines to cover the 4 directions
- Lots of nightlife options
- International and multicultural feel: Restaurants of various cuisines, TV and radio stations of different nations and cultures, shops, etc.
- Generally leaning to the left politically, progressive, and open-minded people
-weather sucks so you can always don a scarf and peacoat
-nobody uses cars but there's still traffic
-double the coffee shops with wifi for your Macbook
-"indie" rock that's featured in every commercial on TV
A city is a collection of neighborhoods, with a history. Each neighborhood is different. They might have different architecture, different ethnicity (Italian, Irish, Hispanic), different vibes to them. Sometimes neighborhoods feel like little cities of their own. Since the 1950s, most of these neighborhoods have seen decline. Some are seeing gentrification.
Generally these neighborhoods were not recently planned. They kind of sprang up on their own. In the late 19th century perhaps to the 1930s, houses were built. No matter the style, or what the home is made of (brick perhaps?), these homes were built usually slightly differently from their neighbors. The owner built his house to be sturdy, to keep his family warm, protect them from the rain. He built his home with character, and he built it to last.
Unfortunately, since the 1950s, we have forgotten these homes. We knock them down to build a block of homes that all look the exact same, and probably won't last as long. We deemed these homes, and their memories, obsolete. To me it seems that old homes have more of a warmth to them. Kids grew up here, young couples began their lives here, old people retired and died here. You ever walk by a brick building that's been sitting in the sun? You can feel the heat from it. I feel like memories are almost the same. And it doesn't have to be brick. But these homes hold memories. They hold stories. These homes have seen the move to the cities, the Great Depression, Civil Rights marches and prejudice, and eventually most of these homes saw their neighbors (and possibly themselves) abandoned. Now these homes are seeing some more people move back to the cities. Let's hope the move back continues. These homes have been built, maintained, rendered obsolete, abandoned, some demolished, some restored.
To me, that's what makes a city. It's not gimmicky new shopping malls. It's not just sports teams (though often sports teams are ingrained into the city). It's not always just about population. What makes a city is the neighborhoods. It's the people. Its stories. The history. It's density. Skyscrapers are fine, and they can be part of a city. But to me, isolated skyscrapers without anything around them don't seem like the hustle and bustle of a city. Often a city's skyline is what we notice. That is part of the city. However, the neighborhoods, the heart and guts of the city, we usually don't bother to see.
I hope that sums up my thoughts.
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