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.
And yet Mgyeldell is apparently from Clayton County, which i am very familar with and it is dirtier than a lot of the denser cities I have been to. That and they are about to loose the only public transportation they have next spring due to bad leadership. I found no sense of walk-ability there whatsoever unless you consider going across a 6 lane road like Tara Blvd. with no real place for pedestrians and subdivisions with very large lots where everyone drives to get anywhere walkable. That and the the lack of density has not stopped the section 8 housing from continuing to go in there and the crime rate to shoot up (20 murders per 100,000 last year).
Okay so your just ignorant. Clayton county looks no different than the other counties that make up the Metro Area.
And how can you talk about a place being dirty you live or stay in "Dis"gusta, it has a weird smell to it and there was lots of trash on the side of the road when I was there 2 months ago.
I'm a fan of density. It's fun to get lost in a huge, dense city and explore all kinds of neat places on foot. You can't really do that in spread out suburbia. It isn't fun to walk along the highway or walk to an ugly strip mall with yourself being the only one walking around. In a dense place, you can feel some anonymity and meet new people everyday. I envy Europe and Asia where most people live in dense places and enjoy it. They can step out of their house and be a short walk from countless museums, shops, restaurants, parks, street shows, fantastic architecture, statues/monuments, festivals, vendors, bars, nightclubs, sports venues, etc. You can do something everyday, whereas in suburbia, more times than not, you go to work and then come home and watch TV. You don't have much of a chance to go out and do stuff on the weekday because everything is so spread out and you have to drive to get there. In dense places, walking is prominent. You get a lot of exercise without thinking much of it by walking to places. That is why Europeans and Asians are in general very healthy people. New Yorkers in general keep their weight in check because they have to walk all over the place.
In general, I think most Americans are claustrophobic because most of us grew up in suburbia, sprawling neighborhoods, or the countryside.
A lot of people seem to have misconceptions about dense places. In the US, many dense places are run down or dirty, but in Japan and Europe, many cities are as clean as can be. Dense places can be clean, friendly environments, however many people think that they are dirty, crowded, and hectic. Yes, in some dense places that is true, however you can always avoid such places by walking through a quieter neighborhood or choosing different times to go out and about.
On a last note, people are attracted to cities for travel. The U.S. hasn't built many great dense cities in the past 30-40 years. I guess are legacy left to the generations after us will be very little architecturally. Most suburban developments will be in disrepair or already torn down before the generations after us get to see them (not that there will be much to see). Not long before and after the Great Depression, we were gifted tons of great architectural buildings, still standing today and looking as great as ever. Currently New York is one of the most important cities in the world and millions flock to it to see its magnificent architecture and cultural amenities that came along with its density.
Last edited by LiveUrban; 12-05-2009 at 04:44 PM..
Walkability and density go hand in hand IMO. A walkable suburb (which is rare) means you actually have sidewalks and you don't have to drive to take Johnny to the neighborhood playground. A walkable downtown puts you in walking distance of stores, restaurants, bars, parks, and perhaps even your job. It creates an energy and aesthetic appeal you can't find when buildings are low and spaced out. Low density generally means less interaction with people and businesses and creates a more car-centric, generally boring (though coldly clean) environment.
I think Density is so overated. Density is so dirty and crowded.
And What is good Walkability? because living in surburbia I feel I had good walkability.
WTF? Density is dirty and crowded?!?
I live in an area of 30,000 people/sq mile and the last thing I've ever heard my neigborhood called is dirty. There are people walking down the street all the time, but its hardly ever annoyingly crowded walking through areas with high residential population density. Sidwalks are normally only crazy packed and crowded in tourist areas, or places with high employment density.
With this density thing is it "the more the better" or would there be a point where it's "too much." If a modern city was as densely populated as Dhaka, Bangladesh would that be ideal or not?
With this density thing is it "the more the better" or would there be a point where it's "too much." If a modern city was as densely populated as Dhaka, Bangladesh would that be ideal or not?
Of course too much is a bad thing but so is too little. It's like eating food.
I'm a fan of density. It's fun to get lost in a huge, dense city and explore all kinds of neat places on foot. You can't really do that in spread out suburbia. It isn't fun to walk along the highway or walk to an ugly strip mall with yourself being the only one walking around. In a dense place, you can feel some anonymity and meet new people everyday. I envy Europe and Asia where most people live in dense places and enjoy it. They can step out of their house and be a short walk from countless museums, shops, restaurants, parks, street shows, fantastic architecture, statues/monuments, festivals, vendors, bars, nightclubs, sports venues, etc. You can do something everyday, whereas in suburbia, more times than not, you go to work and then come home and watch TV. You don't have much of a chance to go out and do stuff on the weekday because everything is so spread out and you have to drive to get there. In dense places, walking is prominent. You get a lot of exercise without thinking much of it by walking to places. That is why Europeans and Asians are in general very healthy people. New Yorkers in general keep their weight in check because they have to walk all over the place.
In general, I think most Americans are claustrophobic because most of us grew up in suburbia, sprawling neighborhoods, or the countryside.
A lot of people seem to have misconceptions about dense places. In the US, many dense places are run down or dirty, but in Japan and Europe, many cities are as clean as can be. Dense places can be clean, friendly environments, however many people think that they are dirty, crowded, and hectic. Yes, in some dense places that is true, however you can always avoid such places by walking through a quieter neighborhood or choosing different times to go out and about.
On a last note, people are attracted to cities for travel. The U.S. hasn't built many great dense cities in the past 30-40 years. I guess are legacy left to the generations after us will be very little architecturally. Most suburban developments will be in disrepair or already torn down before the generations after us get to see them (not that there will be much to see). Not long before and after the Great Depression, we were gifted tons of great architectural buildings, still standing today and looking as great as ever. Currently New York is one of the most important cities in the world and millions flock to it to see its magnificent architecture and cultural amenities that came along with its density.
You bring up some good points. Actually, many American cities and city neighborhood that look like crap today were much more aestehically pleasing, lower crime, better walkability and easier to navigate when they were 2 or 3 times more dense than they are today! Some prime examples are Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo.
After reading the comments of the anti-density posters here, I think many completely understand the meaning and the concept.
High density symbolizes a true urban feel that most people want. Generally, denser cities have more culture, amenities and diversity then less dense cities (New York, San Francisco, Chicago etc...). Although I prefer high density, any city over 15,000 people per sq. mile is too crowded in my opinion. 10,000 people per sq. mile is ideal.
As I asked in another thread, how does it translate to diversity of opinion? Which one of the cities you mentioned has the best 50/50 split between liberals and conservatives?
Density to me is something I like for many reasons. I think that density promotes walkability, although density if planned using a suburban sprawl style (no mixed use, still need a car) like condominiums you find in Las Vegas are not that good either. I like density if it is planned properly like what you would see in New York City because it supports local small businesses and not all chain stores. I don't like seeing Walmart and McDonalds all over the place all the time. Without density, many of those small restaurants or stores would not survive. Therefore, I think density in some sense supports American values which is that is supports small family owned business.
The more dense places they are in America like NYC that are able to attract families with children, the more rural places can be rural and the more wilderness can be saved so that future generations can enjoy them. Low densities eat up the land, destroying the very thing that people go to the suburbs to find, which is nature and space. Imagine if you take a fast maglev train ride of 300 mph from your dense neighborhood (25,000 ppsm) out to the countryside into a forest where there is no one in sight (besides other fellow campers) and you can camp in the wilderness and not see an endless sprawl of suburban houses. Everyone can enjoy wilderness and the thought of being out alone where you can see the stars at night in a pine tree forest, but they can only do so if everyone chooses to live close to each other.
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.
