[DaveofCali]

I was reading some of the responses from the other thread on "whats the big deal about urbanism to you", and I noted that most responses seem to be about the urban lifestyle.

So then I'm asking now, what is the meaning of the word: "urbanism" to you. Is it simply the lifestyle? Or is it about density and the built environment only? Is the pedestrian factor a critical requirement? Is it the "bustling" factor? Does the word "urbanism" to you also include places that are not traditionally considered as urban?

Are there certain rules that a city must adhere to in order to be labeled as an urban city in your opinion as well?

I'm asking because the definition of urbanism can vary between people. Also, some elements like "bustling" can apply to both urban and suburban environments as well (example: suburban retail strips w/heavy traffic and lots of people coming in and out of stores, and malls packed with people.)

[Attrill]

I think the first question that needs to be answered for the meaning of the word is - are people talking about studying urban areas or living in urban areas? I always thought "urbanism" meant reading Lewis Mumford and Castells, not living in an area of a certain density.

That said, I think the environment makes lifestyles possible, and the two can't be seperated. I take public transportation home from work and can buy anything from a custom made suit to a whole goat or pig during that trip. I can walk to 20 restaurants or 10 bars within 10 minutes of my house. That is a lifestyle, but it is not possible without the density, or "bustle", to support those businesses.

[rich1077]

I was reading some of the responses from the other thread on "whats the big deal about urbanism to you", and I noted that most responses seem to be about the urban lifestyle.

So then I'm asking now, what is the meaning of the word: "urbanism" to you. Is it simply the lifestyle? Or is it about density and the built environment only? Is the pedestrian factor a critical requirement? Is it the "bustling" factor? Does the word "urbanism" to you also include places that are not traditionally considered as urban?

Are there certain rules that a city must adhere to in order to be labeled as an urban city in your opinion as well?

I'm asking because the definition of urbanism can vary between people. Also, some elements like "bustling" can apply to both urban and suburban environments as well (example: suburban retail strips w/heavy traffic and lots of people coming in and out of stores, and malls packed with people.)
Urbanism to me has to do with convenience.
I used to live in north Austin (wells branch/metric area) and to me it wasn’t urban because it wasn’t covenant to walk, there was no city feel or personality, just suburbia.
But this is just part of it, one thing is I hate the way most US cities builds their street/sidewalks, it’s not inviting and it feels like work to walk, the cement is a light color and it reflects the light and makes it uncomfortable during the day, most the streets are also too wide and speed limits too high.
I used to walk with my wife in Austin and between the condition of the sidewalk the distance and heat from speeding cars and stupid rude guys whistling at my wife I just gave up walking until after I moved.
There are good areas in Austin to walk, just not where I lived one area was down on Guadalupe across from UT and south congress but urbanism is not something you drive to its something you walk out your door to, so to me Austin and most US cities have a long way to go before they can offer real urbanism.
I now live in Japan (Yachiyo-shi/Tokyo area) and I have everything I need within walking distance but also just walking is fun and interesting, I always see small streets lined with shops and houses and it brings out my curiosity and I want to continue walking and exploring, this is urbanism to me because I’m interacting with my urban environment not speeding past it in my car.