Are most US cities actually suburban?

[murksiderock]

I recognize your name from there

I don't think an area has to look like NYC to be urban, I consider the Jersey cities, Philly, Baltimore, and others to be largely urban.

But I think an area that looks like Levittown can't be urban even if it's in a major city.



NYC started going quasi-suburban in the 50s so I'm not surprised it's that high. Manhattan is 100% urban, but the postwar neighborhoods in the outer boroughs are not purely urban and cater a lot to drivers.

Your mistake is comparing someplace to a Levittown because it has a similar population density as a Levittown, when it doesn't function like a Levittown...

 

[Cave Savage]

Your mistake is comparing someplace to a Levittown because it has a similar population density as a Levittown, when it doesn't function like a Levittown...

I don't think population density is everything, I'm not saying that Levittown is more urban than Baltimore.

But I don't see how the majority of neighborhoods in places like Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, etc. are more urban than Levittown

 

[El Bombi]

Most southern cities are really suburban. The hoods ain't concrete jungles like on the east coast. You got trees and grass.

Good chart at the bottom showing the most suburban cities. NY is dead last at 46% suburban. The only US city that is more urban than suburban.

America's Most Suburbanized Cities | Newgeography.com

Damn, I thought Memphis would be way down on the list. I surprised it's in the Top 20.

 

[Kyle C. Barker]

Damn, I thought Memphis would be way down on the list. I surprised it's in the Top 20.

I think it's the detached homes with grass on every side that bumps it up on the list

 

[Savvir]

I use the hood definition of urban and suburban. San Francisco is suburban.

white people defined those terms in the way you are saying it....
nikka you brainwashed and don't even know it...

 

[El Bombi]

I think it's the detached homes with grass on every side that bumps it up on the list

 

[Kyle C. Barker]

I'm saying though, does memphis have a sea of rowhomes once you leave the downtown/skyscraper area?

 

[KingJudah2]

Growing up in New York, I've always thought of urban areas as being like NYC (most of it at least). But then I realized that in most of the country, the cities are filled with neighborhoods where everyone lives in a detached house with a driveway and has a car. Basically a very similar lifestyle as somewhere like Levittown, NY. Low public transit use, strip malls, bars with parking lots, etc. Even most of LA seems to be like this and it's the 2nd largest city in the country.

I guess that these cities were mostly built after WWII, when the public largely wanted a suburban atmosphere.

I'm not counting the downtown areas in this, just the residential ones.

I always said this being from Brooklyn. Unless it's Chicago, NY, Jersey, Philly, Boston, DC, Bodymore.. Miami., Bay, and LA, all the other cities just suburbs facts

 

[Canada Goose]

Hell naw. Most people don't want to raise a family in apartment buildings or a rowhouse with someone right next to them with no space.

Those ppl can live in rural areas or suburban areas of said city.


I wish most cities in the US was like NYC as well. Then maybe the real NY rents wouldn't be as high if it had a bunch of clones around the country

 

[UberEatsDriver]

It depends.

The Northeast and parts of the south and west that have very old cities are mostly urban.

Most cities that were developed in the 1900s probably have that suburban feel all over.

 

[UberEatsDriver]

And it is compared to most major cities. Only NY, Boston and Buffalo are more urban.

Buffalo is more urban than San Francisco?

 

[UberEatsDriver]

Most southern cities are really suburban. The hoods ain't concrete jungles like on the east coast. You got trees and grass.

Good chart at the bottom showing the most suburban cities. NY is dead last at 46% suburban. The only US city that is more urban than suburban.

America's Most Suburbanized Cities | Newgeography.com

46% is still almost half the city. So that tells me America is very suburban.

Also unlike Philly and Baltimore, NYC to me does a great job of having a lot of trees for a concrete jungle.

 

[KodeBlue]

NYC
San Francisco
Chicago
Philly
DC
Boston

are the only true urban cities in the country

Everything else is either a replication or suburban mess

I wouldve added Baltimore but they have transit system outside of buses.

Baltimore has a subway, light rail, water taxis, commuter rail.

not just buses

 

[Cave Savage]

It depends.

The Northeast and parts of the south and west that have very old cities are mostly urban.

Most cities that were developed in the 1900s probably have that suburban feel all over.

Which Southern cities? New Orleans might be more urban than Fort Worth but it doesn't seem that urban to me once you leave the French Quarter/Downtown area

 

[Cave Savage]

46% is still almost half the city. So that tells me America is very suburban.

Also unlike Philly and Baltimore, NYC to me does a great job of having a lot of trees for a concrete jungle.

A lot of Queens is urban in that it's very dense/walkable, but still has suburban traits like catering to car owners (driveways in front of all the rowhouses). The only parts of Queens I would say are purely urban layout wise are LIC and Ridgewood.

Even South Jamaica is mostly detached houses with driveways and yards