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  #21  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 7:50 PM
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Originally Posted by Crawford View Post
For NYC, no good answer. There isn't dramatic variation between core-adjacent neighborhoods. Maybe North Williamsburg?

There's an easy answer for New York: Greenwich Village. While basically all of Manhattan and core Brooklyn are roughly equivalent insofar as density of services, access to transit, and pedestrian traffic go (with varying levels of 24-hour activity); the walkability of the Village stands out a little higher for its intimate, leafy streets & comfortable scale - it makes for slightly more pleasant of a pedestrian environment than most of the rest of Manhattan.

The Lower East Side and Soho and their general vicinities could also make a good case for being "the best" pedestrian neighbourhoods as well though.
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  #22  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 7:52 PM
LouisVanDerWright LouisVanDerWright is offline
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Originally Posted by Steely Dan View Post

it's obviously not an alpha level urbanism city or anything like that, but it's a solid sleeper hit of a city that's all too often hidden/overlooked in the mighty shadow cast by that obnoxious, loud-mouthed city 80 miles to the south.
You can take the FIB out of Illinois, but you can't...

Actually please don't, let the FIBs stay in Chicago.



East Side is probably the right choice, but will ultimately fall to the 5th ward South of the river once that area finishes gentrifying. It's going to be way more interesting than the 3rd ward because its warehouses fade directly into dense urban residential areas to the South and West.
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  #23  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 7:59 PM
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For San Francisco, I'd probably say Chinatown or Tenderloin, but one could argue they're considered part of downtown SF, so instead I'll go with the Mission.

Mission District:

Area: 1.481 sq. miles

Population: 45,039

Density: 30,408 ppsm

Overall Walk Score: 97 (Chinatown is 100)

Mission District and Downtown San Francisco [OC][4567x3045] by Reddit Pics, on Flickr

Mission District • San Francisco by bbishoff, on Flickr

Mission District Mural by joeonthefly, on Flickr

Mission Dolores Park, San Francisco by egenn, on Flickr
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  #24  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 8:04 PM
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For San Francisco I'll have to say North Beach. It has an official "walk score" of 99 (only Chinatown got 100 but Chinatown is not very residential even though plenty of people do live there).


https://sf.funcheap.com/free-comedy-...th-beach-sf-2/


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_(San_Francisco)


https://www.curbed.com/ad/maps/san-f...tecture-design


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...h_Beach_CA.jpg
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  #25  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 8:05 PM
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Originally Posted by McBane View Post
I'm confused b/c in the OP, you describe a utopian mixed use neighborhood where one could live without a car and then state downtowns should be omitted. But in the above reply, you've limited the definition of downtown to just an office district or CBD. That's all well and good but no one would ever nominate a boring Mon-Fri 9-5 office district (e.g., NY's Financial District) as a city's #1 walkable neighborhood, which then makes your guideline to not include your city's downtown (CBD?) - somewhat odd.

For many cities - Philadelphia included - the CBD is just one part of a historically mixed use downtown (Center City) that would definitely include Rittenhouse Square.

Perhaps you need to clarify the stipulations for this thread a little more.
OK. For the purposes of this thread, consider "downtown" to mean "the skyscraper core." Many cities have skyscraper cores that are not just 9-5 office districts, but have a mix of office and residential towers and are perfectly livable neighborhoods. Also, for many cities the skyscraper core is by-far the most walkable place, but I'm specifically interested in answers beyond that.

So just think of it this way: The cluster of tall buildings in the very center of your city is not eligible. Nearby or adjacent places that are clearly a different character are eligible, regardless of how your particular city draws its subdivision boundaries.

Does that clarify the intent? I'm not sure how more simply to say it but it seems very straightforward to me.
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  #26  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 8:06 PM
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Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin View Post
There's an easy answer for New York: Greenwich Village. While basically all of Manhattan and core Brooklyn are roughly equivalent insofar as density of services, access to transit, and pedestrian traffic go (with varying levels of 24-hour activity); the walkability of the Village stands out a little higher for its intimate, leafy streets & comfortable scale - it makes for slightly more pleasant of a pedestrian environment than most of the rest of Manhattan.

The Lower East Side and Soho and their general vicinities could also make a good case for being "the best" pedestrian neighbourhoods as well though.
Yeah, one could argue the Village. The West Village is slightly lower scale than the rest of Manhattan, but I'm not sure how marginally lower density would make for "better urbanity". It's just kinda more Brooklyn-like, within Manhattan.

To me, the best part of the Village is the Central Village, around University Place, but it's on a rough grid and much denser.

If I had to pick one neighborhood, and Manhattan were allowed, I would probably pick Flatiron, because you're walkable to almost everything in Midtown and Downtown, east-west streets are all narrow, scale is extremely intense and mixed-use, fantastic amenities even for Manhattan standards, and subway access on every avenue.
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  #27  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 8:09 PM
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Please limit replies to no more than 3 embedded photos, to keep the thread readable.
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  #28  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 8:11 PM
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Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright View Post
East Side is probably the right choice, but will ultimately fall to the 5th ward South of the river once that area finishes gentrifying.
i dunno, i think that's gonna take some time.

the urban fabric down that way is still pretty badly swiss-cheesed.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/No...!4d-87.7260058
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  #29  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 8:16 PM
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Originally Posted by destroycreate View Post
Capitol Hill, Seattle (where I live)

It's extremely walkable, vibrant, and actually quite a large area with about 5 separate commercial/nightlife corridors. I live right off Broadway which is I'd argue the main thoroughfare of the neighborhood for residents. All of the action in Seattle tends to happen here to. Quality of life is excellent and I'd argue it's one of the best urban neighborhoods in the country right now.
Impressive! I stayed in Capitol Hill once and found it very enjoyable and walkable. Kind of reminds me of a hybrid between Hayes Valley and Dogpatch.
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  #30  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 8:22 PM
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I'll drop in Richmond, which would be The Fan neighborhood. Since The Fan is a large area, I'll specify the section of it closer to Virginia Commonwealth University.

In this image you can see Broad Street, the commercial spine, running across the top. Broad Street is patchy, mixing some blocks of really great urbanism with some blocks of strip malls. Below Broad Street it's a dense residential area, dominated by rowhouses to the west and highrises to the east, with VCU's buildings interwoven throughout. The downtown skyscraper core is roughly a mile to the east.


Image from Google Maps.


My image.
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  #31  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 8:42 PM
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Hmm... if I were to do the entire state of Illinois...

People in Shaumburg can walk from one end of a parking lot, to the other, without much obstruction. That seems very walkable to me, but it still has nothing on Shermer, Illinois.
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  #32  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 8:57 PM
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That would be West Asheville, not to be confused with East West Asheville -- a fact I noted because I happen to think East West Asheville is one of the greatest neighborhood names of all time. West Asheville, also sometimes called Westville, is the part of West Asheville located west of I-240. East West Asheville is the part located east of it.

Anyway, West Asheville is a streetcar suburb with a main drag lined with shops, bars, music halls, and restaurants. The surrounding areas are mostly single-family homes but there are a few small apartment buildings, and even an extremely rare (for Asheville) strip of rowhouses of unusual design. The people in the residential areas north and south of the main drag of Haywood Road can easily walk to eat, work, shop, or hang out on Haywood and the area is served by the city bus system. What really makes the neighborhood self-sufficient though is the presence of a full-service grocery store at the corner of Haywood and Louisiana. The store itself is of suburban design with a parking lot in front, but it's still accessible by sidewalk and there are thousands of residents who can walk to it. For extra urban cred, there's also a Family Dollar -- a downmarket department store for those who eschew the fancy, citified offerings of Walmart -- which means you can technically buy everything you need for daily living, from groceries to clothing and never have to leave West Asheville.

Assuming, of course, you would be caught dead wearing anything from the Family Dollar.

It's worth noting that a particular street in West Asheville, Virginia Avenue, so perfectly encapsulates the concept of traditional streetcar-suburb walkability that it's the go-to street for trick-or-treaters from all over the region at Halloween. Virginia Avenue is such a perfect street for trick-or-treating, in fact, that other neighborhoods buy candy to donate to the residents of that street.


Source.
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  #33  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 9:55 PM
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For LA, it's the Historic Core. But since that's such an obvious answer, I'll go with Koreatown. It's residentially dense (although mostly poor and not well-designed), served by four heavy rail stations, and has plenty of basic amenities within walking distance:

Starbucks / Coffee Bean (five of each)
Ralph's / Vons
CVS / Walgreens / Rite Aid
Bank of America / Chase / Wells Fargo / Citibank
24 Hour Fitness
Verizon / AT&T / T-Mobile / Sprint
Denny's / IHOP
Staples
UPS / FedEx

And other recognizable chains and mom-and-pop businesses.

Last edited by Quixote; Jul 12, 2018 at 10:14 PM.
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  #34  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 10:27 PM
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If it doesn't count as downtown, I'd nominate the South Loop in Chicago, which is at least primarily residential. You can easily walk to multiple full-service grocery stores and Target. Fewer restaurants than I'd like but enough to keep you busy. And there's a movie theater and big park and a bunch of museums.
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  #35  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 10:32 PM
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Originally Posted by Quixote View Post
For LA, it's the Historic Core. But since that's such an obvious answer, I'll go with Koreatown. It's residentially dense (although mostly poor and not well-designed), served by four heavy rail stations, and has plenty of basic amenities within walking distance:

Starbucks / Coffee Bean (five of each)
Ralph's / Vons
CVS / Walgreens / Rite Aid
Bank of America / Chase / Wells Fargo / Citibank
24 Hour Fitness
Verizon / AT&T / T-Mobile / Sprint
Denny's / IHOP
Staples
UPS / FedEx

And other recognizable chains and mom-and-pop businesses.
I'm actually surprised you selected that. And the reason is being, as much as I like K-town, and yes it is dense, it's still not very a pedestrian friendly environment. The blocks are extremely long, the boulevards are very wide, and it's not particularly intimate. Any reason why you didn't count Santa Monica, Hollywood or West Hollywood instead? I feel like WeHo is much more walkable.
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  #36  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 10:53 PM
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For Los Angeles, I choose the Fairfax District. It doesn't fit the "urban" bill that many here would rather subscribe to, but it's only a little over a square mile, is walkable, and has plenty amenities... even a high school and TV studios.

According to Wikipedia, the part of Melrose Avenue I always considered to be part of Hollywood is in the Fairfax District, so for this purpose, I'll accept that definition. A lot of LA neighborhoods bleed into each other anyway.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairfa...t,_Los_Angeles


Here's a Roy Purdy video shot in the Fairfax District---on Fairfax Avenue, no less:

Video Link
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Last edited by sopas ej; Jul 12, 2018 at 11:41 PM.
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  #37  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 11:01 PM
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Like most European cities, it’s hard to define a “downtown” for London (no, it’s not the City of London), and so I have arbitrarily decided to exclude the entire Congestion Charge Zone*.

I think the clear answer is Chelsea and South Kensington (and yes they should be considered as one). They are directly adjacent to the CCZ, of course, are mixed use, have great public transit, and importantly, as the city’s traditional “favored quarter”, the historical built environment is remarkably intact and not marked by the postwar development disasters that East and South London are.

South Kensington tube station is near the bottom left of this photo (where several roads meet). Sloane Square is just to the right of dead center. The right side is the King’s Road, Chelsea:




You’ve probably all seen photos. There are a lot of different built environments, from commercial streets to brick mansion blocks to terraced housing to mews with converted stables. It’s an extremely pleasant place to walk around, that much is certain.


*For reference, that is this:



It’s a fairly big area, but the residential population is less than 150k out of London’s nearly 9m residents.
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  #38  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 11:03 PM
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I'm actually surprised you selected that. And the reason is being, as much as I like K-town, and yes it is dense, it's still not very a pedestrian friendly environment. The blocks are extremely long, the boulevards are very wide, and it's not particularly intimate. Any reason why you didn't count Santa Monica, Hollywood or West Hollywood instead? I feel like WeHo is much more walkable.
Agreed. I don't find Koreatown to be very pleasant to walk around in. For the best walkable urban neighborhood in LA, I would either say it has to be West Hollywood, though it is a separate city. In LA proper, I'd say Los Feliz is pretty good. Walkable to the Red Line, several grocery stores, two commercial districts (Vermont and Hillhurst), parks, movie theaters, etc.
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  #39  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 11:06 PM
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Originally Posted by destroycreate View Post
I'm actually surprised you selected that. And the reason is being, as much as I like K-town, and yes it is dense, it's still not very a pedestrian friendly environment. The blocks are extremely long, the boulevards are very wide, and it's not particularly intimate. Any reason why you didn't count Santa Monica, Hollywood or West Hollywood instead? I feel like WeHo is much more walkable.
West Hollywood has a much nicer scale for sure, but is lacking in transit accessibility.

Santa Monica (west of Lincoln) has the best urban design of any neighborhood outside Downtown, but is a little too shopping-focused IMO. It doesn't have enough neighborhood-serving joints.

Hollywood has the best transit service (by far) of the three, but lacks cohesion and critical mass.

All three areas have enormous potential.
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  #40  
Old Posted Jul 12, 2018, 11:16 PM
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central west end, st. louis.

everything from mid-atlantic style rowhouses, to 1920s doorman apartment buildings, mid century condos, old school high end grocers, 1920s luxury hotel deco tower, 90s infill, 2000s luxury towers, 2010s TOD condo cubes with urban whole foods, dive bars, a 1200 acre park RIGHT THERE, light rail stops, a basilica, massive hospital complex, endless restaurants, old money, new money, college students, a late 10s studio gang skyscraper under construction, etc etc etc.

it may be the most serious, authentic, properly layered (across time), properly urban neighborhood between chicago and denver, although i was just in denver and didn't find anything quite like it. it has that kind of swagger that an important, historic but intensely developing urban american neighborhood has.

pinterest.com



squarespace.com

more photos...

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