5 ms·

This seems like such a strange comment, since generally it's the cities that are failing in the US while the suburbs do pretty well. Suburbs, by definition, ar

This seems like such a strange comment, since generally it's the cities that are failing in the US while the suburbs do pretty well. Suburbs, by definition, are already medium density, by the way.

azemetre 9y ago
I've never heard of a single suburb being an economic center, what would be examples of it in the US(?) because when I think of economic centers I think of NYC, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Miami, Atlanta, or Los Angeles. What do you also consider as failing?
- ghaff 9y ago
  In many of those places you list, much of the economic activity--maybe most of it--is actually spread out over the suburbs associated with the city rather than being within the city limits. And this was certainly true prior to a lot of large businesses moving into places like San Francisco and Boston over the past 10-20 years. [ADD: And if you do go back a few decades, there were lots of examples of prosperous suburbs and cities which, if not failing, weren't in great shape.]
  - cannonedhamster 9y ago
    Boston that people talk about is really Boston and surrounding cities, much like New York City is made up of the 5 boroughs with Manhatten being New York County, Boston proper includes a few different cities inside of it like Mattapan, South Boston, Roxbury and the Greater Boston area includes Somerville and Cambridge. Many people outside of NYC would easily confuse Long Island as being part of NYC since it's part of the metro area. Ironically, part of the reason traffic in Boston is so poor is due to not wanting to destroy poorer areas when roads were being built.
    - lakkal 9y ago
      Route 128, "America's Technology Highway", is at the edge of the Greater Boston area. It would certainly have qualified as an 'economic center' back in its prime (through the 1980s at least). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Route_128#.22America.27s_Technology_Highway.22 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Route_128#.22Ame...
      - cannonedhamster 9y ago
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwest_Corridor_(Massachusetts) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwest_Corridor_(Massachuse... This is the unfinished road I was referencing.
- amyjess 9y ago
  > I've never heard of a single suburb being an economic center, what would be examples of it in the US(?) Silicon Valley, for one. Most SV companies are in the suburbs. Google in Mountain View, Facebook in Menlo Park, Apple in Cupertino, EA in Redwood City, etc...
smogcutter 9y ago
Examples besides Detroit? That generally doesn't seem to be the case. Also, there's suburbs and there's suburbs. There's a huge gulf between a town like Elizabeth NJ or Newton, Mass, and a Temecula housing development.
- ucaetano 9y ago
  Downtown Detroit is actually doing very well, thank you. The problem is the poor suburbs, which are unsustainable. That's why Detroit is buying the homes in those suburbs and demolishing them.
  - smogcutter 9y ago
    Fair enough
gerbal 9y ago
That was true 30 years ago, but is not longer the case.

This seems like such a strange comment, since generally it's the cities that are failing in the US while the suburbs do pretty well. Suburbs, by definition, are already medium density, by the way.

azemetre 9y ago

I've never heard of a single suburb being an economic center, what would be examples of it in the US(?) because when I think of economic centers I think of NYC, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Miami, Atlanta, or Los Angeles. What do you also consider as failing?

ghaff 9y ago
In many of those places you list, much of the economic activity--maybe most of it--is actually spread out over the suburbs associated with the city rather than being within the city limits. And this was certainly true prior to a lot of large businesses moving into places like San Francisco and Boston over the past 10-20 years. [ADD: And if you do go back a few decades, there were lots of examples of prosperous suburbs and cities which, if not failing, weren't in great shape.]
- cannonedhamster 9y ago
  Boston that people talk about is really Boston and surrounding cities, much like New York City is made up of the 5 boroughs with Manhatten being New York County, Boston proper includes a few different cities inside of it like Mattapan, South Boston, Roxbury and the Greater Boston area includes Somerville and Cambridge. Many people outside of NYC would easily confuse Long Island as being part of NYC since it's part of the metro area. Ironically, part of the reason traffic in Boston is so poor is due to not wanting to destroy poorer areas when roads were being built.
  - lakkal 9y ago
    Route 128, "America's Technology Highway", is at the edge of the Greater Boston area. It would certainly have qualified as an 'economic center' back in its prime (through the 1980s at least). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Route_128#.22America.27s_Technology_Highway.22 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Route_128#.22Ame...
    - cannonedhamster 9y ago
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwest_Corridor_(Massachusetts) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwest_Corridor_(Massachuse... This is the unfinished road I was referencing.
amyjess 9y ago
> I've never heard of a single suburb being an economic center, what would be examples of it in the US(?) Silicon Valley, for one. Most SV companies are in the suburbs. Google in Mountain View, Facebook in Menlo Park, Apple in Cupertino, EA in Redwood City, etc...

smogcutter 9y ago

Examples besides Detroit? That generally doesn't seem to be the case. Also, there's suburbs and there's suburbs. There's a huge gulf between a town like Elizabeth NJ or Newton, Mass, and a Temecula housing development.

ucaetano 9y ago
Downtown Detroit is actually doing very well, thank you. The problem is the poor suburbs, which are unsustainable. That's why Detroit is buying the homes in those suburbs and demolishing them.
- smogcutter 9y ago
  Fair enough

gerbal 9y ago

That was true 30 years ago, but is not longer the case.