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That's where we differ on what is urban versus suburban. To me, the built environs of a Shepard Park and how it functions in the city is not suburban. I have seen serene areas of Queens but I would not call it suburban like stretches of Rockville Pike. But I do understand what you are saying.
Shepherd Park doesn't function quite like a suburb because it's only a few miles from downtown and people do ride transit there. But it's more spread out and I can tell you that the car ownership (and usage) rates are much higher there than in other parts of the city. So in that sense, it is "suburban." Nobody in Shepherd Park is walking out of their door, hitting the street, grabbing a pizza, and then coming back home. It doesn't function like that. There are not many pedestrians around because it's more of a driving area. I would say the same thing about Brookland.
That is where I have to disagree... how could it? LA's suburbs are more dense than the suburbs on the East Coast (or anywhere else in the US save Bay Area), and most everyone that lives in the LA area can see quite a difference between Lakewood and Hollywood. I just have a hard time seeing the similarities, other than on a very superficial level.
Once again, I am talking about LA's aesthetics. The look and feel of the place without the people. I know LA is dense but the built environs look like east coast suburbs.
Once again, I am talking about LA's aesthetics. The look and feel of the place without the people. I know LA is dense but the built environs look like east coast suburbs.
The point is not these TOD (which are admittedly pretty impressive, no knock on them) but the areas immediately around them is extremely low-density and what people would call a "leafy suburb". Bethesda looks like a more transit-oriented version of Downtown Glendale - the biggest difference is outside of that mini-CBD suddenly you are in tranquil residential neighborhoods: silver spring, md - Google Maps .
Outside of Glendale there is no change in the grid, and you still have these high density tracts (many around 20k in Glendale): glendale, ca - Google Maps (most unflattering I could find): glendale, ca - Google Maps
What you can't tell is there are a lot of apartments mixed in there. So it does have a suburban appearance with SFH and apartments.
The point is not these TOD (which are admittedly pretty impressive, no knock on them) but the areas immediately around them is extremely low-density and what people would call a "leafy suburb". Bethesda looks like a more transit-oriented version of Downtown Glendale - the biggest difference is outside of that mini-CBD suddenly you are in tranquil residential neighborhoods: silver spring, md - Google Maps (which makes sense as that is what the buyers are looking for). Outside of Glendale there is no change in the grid, and you still have these high density tracts (many around 20k in Glendale): glendale, ca - Google Maps (most unflattering I could find): glendale, ca - Google Maps
If someone else mentions density...... I am talking about the built environment. Not the people. When people from back east see LA for the first time in the air, they marvel at its vastness, which seems to go on forever. However, stepping off of the plane and riding into DT is another story. The built environment looks very similar to the built environment of east coast cities suburbs. Most cities dont have 6 lane boulevards like Wilshire. East coast cities are much more compact. LA is not. East coast cities have rowhouses. LA doesn't. Most of the houses in LA have front yards and back yards. Most of the houses in LA are not connected. LA also has telephone poles close to it's DT area. Most of the telephone lines in east coast cities are not in the DT core areas. They bury them. LA has huge freeways that run through the city from all directions. East coast cities don't.
If someone else mentions density...... I am talking about the built environment. Not the people. When people from back east see LA for the first time in the air, they marvel at its vastness, which seems to go on forever. However, stepping off of the plane and riding into DT is another story. The built environment looks very similar to the built environment of east coast cities suburbs. Most cities dont have 6 lane boulevards like Wilshire. East coast cities are much more compact. LA is not. East coast cities have rowhouses. LA doesn't. Most of the houses in LA have front yards and back yards. Most of the houses in LA are not connected. LA also has telephone poles close to it's DT area. Most of the telephone lines in east coast cities are not in the DT core areas. They bury them. LA has huge freeways that run through the city from all directions. East coast cities don't.
Most of the houses in LA are apartments.
But yeah, LA doesn't look like East Coast cities. Oh well.
The point is not these TOD (which are admittedly pretty impressive, no knock on them) but the areas immediately around them is extremely low-density and what people would call a "leafy suburb". Bethesda looks like a more transit-oriented version of Downtown Glendale - the biggest difference is outside of that mini-CBD suddenly you are in tranquil residential neighborhoods: silver spring, md - Google Maps .
Outside of Glendale there is no change in the grid, and you still have these high density tracts (many around 20k in Glendale): glendale, ca - Google Maps (most unflattering I could find): glendale, ca - Google Maps
What you can't tell is there are a lot of apartments mixed in there. So it does have a suburban appearance with SFH and apartments.
Glendale was the first city that came to mind when I saw those clips. No way does Bethesda (density: 4,200 ppsm) touch its development.
If someone else mentions density...... I am talking about the built environment. Not the people. When people from back east see LA for the first time in the air, they marvel at its vastness, which seems to go on forever. However, stepping off of the plane and riding into DT is another story. The built environment looks very similar to the built environment of east coast cities suburbs. Most cities dont have 6 lane boulevards like Wilshire. East coast cities are much more compact. LA is not. East coast cities have rowhouses. LA doesn't. Most of the houses in LA have front yards and back yards. Most of the houses in LA are not connected. LA also has telephone poles close to it's DT area. Most of the telephone lines in east coast cities are not in the DT core areas. They bury them. LA has huge freeways that run through the city from all directions. East coast cities don't.
If I ever become an architect I'm gonna make a neighborhood with rowhouses and see how that works out.. It would be interesting..
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