5 ms·

By America, you mean Chicago, right? That's the only well planned city I can think of off the top of my head.

by zatkin 10y ago

gxs 10y ago
Agree whole heartedly. When I visit Chicago, I get the distinct sense that things were done deliberately, with beautiful architecture to boot. I suspect it has to do with the fact that the city burned down and they got a redo - twice.
- pessimizer 10y ago
  First plan, 40 years before the fire: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thompson_Chicago_plat_1830.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thompson_Chicago_pla... Brennan's street numbering and naming reform: https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/the-unsung-hero-of-urban-planning-who-made-it-easy-to-get-around-chicago/43dcf0ab-6c2b-49c3-9ccf-08a52b5d325a https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/the-unsung-hero-of-urba... The Burnham Plan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnham_Plan_of_Chicago https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnham_Plan_of_Chicago The U of C "community area" divisions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_areas_in_Chicago https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_areas_in_Chicago edit: I generally think of other cities as places where people put their garbage in the street and streets turn back on themselves.
  - dghughes 10y ago
    And lifted up 6 feet. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raising_of_Chicago https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raising_of_Chicago
    - jandrese 10y ago
      At first I read that article going "No way, that's crazy", then it gets to the part about moving all of the wood framed structures out of town and my mind was blown. That had to be staggeringly expensive.
      - krallja 10y ago
        Chicago also made its river run backwards: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_River#Reversing_the_flow https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_River#Reversing_the_fl...
      - selectodude 10y ago
        Chicago has one of the craziest histories of any city in the last 150 years that I can think of.
hexane360 10y ago
I don't have much knowledge of many cities, but Milwaukee always seems well designed to me.
- kazinator 10y ago
  I've never been there, but I recently had a great time with some Milwaukee brand cobalt drill bits going through stainless steel like butter. So it must be a heck of a city.
macintux 10y ago
Indianapolis was designed from scratch, similar mold to Washington. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Ralston https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Ralston
- Retric 10y ago
  DC is a horribly laid out city. Indianapolis adds 2 diagonals which is tolerable, but DC is a mess. Top 10 worst traffic for X years running, which is sadly an improvement it used to contend for #1. It does not even have an interesting pattern with roads at seemingly random angles. http://www.apco2015.org/hotel-travel/shuttles-and-parking/ http://www.apco2015.org/hotel-travel/shuttles-and-parking/
  - jandrese 10y ago
    DC gets a lot of flak about its traffic (which is deserved), but much of it is outside of their control. I66 for example is outrageously undersized for an artery into a major city, but that mess is in Virginia and outside of DC's zone of control. The whole I95 and 270 mess is also a state issue. That said, the undersized DC Metro system is largely in the hands of the local government, although not directly controlled by the city council (like most metro boards). It was somewhat unlucky in that their initial buildout happened right as the car boom took hold and killed metrorail expansions all across the US. Even cities with well regarded systems like New York have suffered from a lack of expansion to cover growth since the 50s. Just look at how badly underserved Queens is.
    - Retric 10y ago
      A main artery heading north aka 29 would do a lot to relieve congestion. GW parkway to 495 - 270 is a huge choke point. It's also got excessive parks with a poor layout. Rock creek park for example is a great location for a major road surrounding it with housing and you could dramatically reduce the need for commuting. I mean really a public golf course, yea that's a great use of space.
  - dccoolgai 10y ago
leviathant 10y ago
Philadelphia was built as a grid in the 17th century, with five public squares, four of which are now parks, the fifth is city hall, in the center of the city. It's old enough to have respectable (for an American city) transit infrastructure - electric trains, subways, trolleys, buses, an active ferry to Camden, and more. Fairmount park is one of the largest urban parks in the world, although getting a straight answer about acreage can be a little tricky.
hbosch 10y ago
I think Savannah, GA is the most beautiful laid out city in the country. The perfect grid, symmetry, and plentiful squares and architecture are second to none.

By America, you mean Chicago, right? That's the only well planned city I can think of off the top of my head.

by zatkin 10y ago

By America, you mean Chicago, right? That's the only well planned city I can think of off the top of my head.

gxs 10y ago

Agree whole heartedly. When I visit Chicago, I get the distinct sense that things were done deliberately, with beautiful architecture to boot. I suspect it has to do with the fact that the city burned down and they got a redo - twice.

pessimizer 10y ago
First plan, 40 years before the fire: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thompson_Chicago_plat_1830.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thompson_Chicago_pla... Brennan's street numbering and naming reform: https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/the-unsung-hero-of-urban-planning-who-made-it-easy-to-get-around-chicago/43dcf0ab-6c2b-49c3-9ccf-08a52b5d325a https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/the-unsung-hero-of-urba... The Burnham Plan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnham_Plan_of_Chicago https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnham_Plan_of_Chicago The U of C "community area" divisions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_areas_in_Chicago https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_areas_in_Chicago edit: I generally think of other cities as places where people put their garbage in the street and streets turn back on themselves.
- dghughes 10y ago
  And lifted up 6 feet. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raising_of_Chicago https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raising_of_Chicago
  - jandrese 10y ago
    At first I read that article going "No way, that's crazy", then it gets to the part about moving all of the wood framed structures out of town and my mind was blown. That had to be staggeringly expensive.
    - krallja 10y ago
      Chicago also made its river run backwards: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_River#Reversing_the_flow https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_River#Reversing_the_fl...
    - selectodude 10y ago
      Chicago has one of the craziest histories of any city in the last 150 years that I can think of.

hexane360 10y ago

I don't have much knowledge of many cities, but Milwaukee always seems well designed to me.

kazinator 10y ago
I've never been there, but I recently had a great time with some Milwaukee brand cobalt drill bits going through stainless steel like butter. So it must be a heck of a city.

macintux 10y ago

Indianapolis was designed from scratch, similar mold to Washington. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Ralston https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Ralston

Retric 10y ago
DC is a horribly laid out city. Indianapolis adds 2 diagonals which is tolerable, but DC is a mess. Top 10 worst traffic for X years running, which is sadly an improvement it used to contend for #1. It does not even have an interesting pattern with roads at seemingly random angles. http://www.apco2015.org/hotel-travel/shuttles-and-parking/ http://www.apco2015.org/hotel-travel/shuttles-and-parking/
- jandrese 10y ago
  DC gets a lot of flak about its traffic (which is deserved), but much of it is outside of their control. I66 for example is outrageously undersized for an artery into a major city, but that mess is in Virginia and outside of DC's zone of control. The whole I95 and 270 mess is also a state issue. That said, the undersized DC Metro system is largely in the hands of the local government, although not directly controlled by the city council (like most metro boards). It was somewhat unlucky in that their initial buildout happened right as the car boom took hold and killed metrorail expansions all across the US. Even cities with well regarded systems like New York have suffered from a lack of expansion to cover growth since the 50s. Just look at how badly underserved Queens is.
  - Retric 10y ago
    A main artery heading north aka 29 would do a lot to relieve congestion. GW parkway to 495 - 270 is a huge choke point. It's also got excessive parks with a poor layout. Rock creek park for example is a great location for a major road surrounding it with housing and you could dramatically reduce the need for commuting. I mean really a public golf course, yea that's a great use of space.
- dccoolgai 10y ago

leviathant 10y ago

Philadelphia was built as a grid in the 17th century, with five public squares, four of which are now parks, the fifth is city hall, in the center of the city. It's old enough to have respectable (for an American city) transit infrastructure - electric trains, subways, trolleys, buses, an active ferry to Camden, and more. Fairmount park is one of the largest urban parks in the world, although getting a straight answer about acreage can be a little tricky.

hbosch 10y ago

I think Savannah, GA is the most beautiful laid out city in the country. The perfect grid, symmetry, and plentiful squares and architecture are second to none.