What other big cities have you lived in?

[dubone]

I have lived in many places internationally, including a mega city, Seoul, which has almost 24 million people in the metro area. I've also lived in Singapore, which had 3 million people then, and now 4.5 million.

Cultures and political situations are vastly different than here, but I think there are a few practical things I'd love to bring to Charlotte.

In the case of Seoul, there isn't too much I'd wish were in Charlotte. It was a horribly polluted place and hyper-crowded. I'd say, though, that even though it is a massive sprawling city, the level of density is astounding. I do wish people in Charlotte would end the personal demand to have their home take up 1/3-1/5 acre as a standard. Even though a significant percentage of the city are houses, most of those houses do not have a yard to speak of. Even most of the mansions there have only modest amounts of extra land around the homes. My theory is that in Charlotte and the rest of the US, that the theory of having a yard is much more enticing that how it is actually used. Significant effort is spent maintaining the yard, yet most people spend time in the yard only periodically. I think if the standard were 1/5 of an acre, little kids would still be able to have a playset and a small yard, but older kids would then need to play in a park.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&...p;z=12&om=1

In the case of Singapore, it is faily close to an urban utopia in many cases, it is hard to know what I would not want out of Singapore to be in Charlotte. While to a degree, Singapore can do so many things to improve the city because they have complete autonomy, being a city-state. Singapore has solved a lot of urban issues, while having considerable population density. They solved traffic by setting up large fees for car ownership, in many times doubling the cost of car ownership there compared to here. They have been firmly committed to possibly the strongest type of city planning, with the setting up of tremendously dense 'new town's that are connected to the rest of the city primarily by transit. Their transit numbers are staggering as a result of both the planning and the reduced car ownership (due to elastic demand due to fee prices). I would love Charlotte to have the costs of car-related expenditures to be fully covered by car owners, with higher gas taxes or ownership fees to help further discourage the extreme dependency on cars that our culture has. I also wish that the city would elevate the power of planning staff to apply the practice of urban planning to the codes much proactively. A lot more should be focused in increasing overall density and transit supportiveness because that is the only way to maintain quality of life as the city grows.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&...p;z=11&om=1

[cltheel.sdl]

I've only lived in Charlotte (other than college here in Chapel Hill), but I've visited most major American and Canadian cities. Of those that I've visited, I think Charlotte can learn the most lessons in planning from Portland, Vancouver, and Quebec City. They are all very dense cities with great public transit and walkability. Unfortunately I haven't been out of North America, but I plan to go to Europe and Australia soon.

[Miesian Corners]

I lived in Los Angeles. Not sure if this is practical, but I'd love to bring LA's acceptance of good design and architecture to Charlotte.

[atlrvr]

Besides Charlotte, I've lived in Atlanta and now Boston.

Atlanta

Not much I'd bring back from Atlanta, with their best attribute, impossible to replicate, which is a good stock of historic factories/warehouses near the urban core. As far as things I would incorporate.

1. Subterranean mass-transit system. MARTA maybe be maligned, heavy-rail may be overkill, but putting much of it below grade is a tremendous positive.

2. A metropolitan wide planning agency (ARC). While there are still many issues with their planning, they is at least a comprehensive body that helps bridge municipal (and county boundaries).

Boston

1. Zoning regulations that are a combination of form-based and use-based.

2. Strict adherence to urban-design pricipals. (Met Midtown would have been laughed out of the planning office_

3. Requirement of all commercial buildings >50k to adhere to LEED guidelines.

4. The city is very proactive in recruiting specific retailers to the city. This would be actual government officials soliciting retailers, rather than taking Charlotte's "wait for it" approach.

5. A EXTREMELY mayor-strong government, though this could be good and bad.

6. Very strict building standards regarding materials and design,

[Charlotteman]

I lived in Jacksonville, Fl and the main success there that I would recommend to Charlotte is the consolidation of city/county. For Jacksonville, it proved a godsend and helped the city lift itself up from the gutter it found itself in the 60s.

I lived in Seattle a few years and moved an hour away across the water. One thing I admire about Seattle, is that the government insures a diverse, lively downtown by making sure anyone of any economic class can live there. It is accomplished by the city buying or building downtown apartments and renting them utilizing sliding scale.

I fear Uptown Charlotte will become for rich folks only. Things get boring when only one socio-economic class is represented.

[1979Heel]

Atlanta: Ditto comments on MARTA. It also helps to have a US President who can steer federal dollars your way, of course. Atlanta reminds me a lot of Charlotte just much larger.

New York/New Jersey: I lived on a palisade in New Jersey overlooking Hoboken and Manhattan and worked in Manhattan. Charlotte has already set about duplicating one thing New York has, its financial industry. The other thing which I'll call cultural ferment is a result of money meeting a global populace. So I would wish for Charlotte more openness to other cultures & ideas about how to live a fulfilling life.

Los Angeles: Oddly, Los Angeles reminded me of Charlotte. Hancock Park especially reminded me of Charlotte since it's of the same vintage as Myers Park. I think it's because both cities really started to grow around the time of the automobile's debut and are geared toward cars. Los Angeles' center city also reminds me of Charlotte's, at least the north and west sides-Figueroa Street and Bunker Hill. I'm not sure what I'd bring back from there. Few people use the Red Line but the major flow of traffic west of downtown is east-west and there's no subway for that pattern, at least not yet. The predominant residential architecture in Los Angeles is largely junk and does not age well. It's stucco city, you know. (Of course, I am not speaking of Beverly Hills and and the other hillside neighborhoods west of downtown.) I think LA's city government struggles with uneven success every day to provide a decent city for way too many Angelenos.

I enjoyed the cheap delicious eats at California Chicken Cafe.

San Francisco: I have spent most of the last 12 years in SF. As I am now preparing to leave it and return to Charlotte, I have been trying to think of what I will miss. MUNI is poorly run, plagued by breakdowns and late arrivals. BART is just like MARTA and much better and more reliable than MUNI. SF is the gay mecca of the planet, but that does not (for me, anyway) make up for the ridiculously-priced housing, much of it substandard, the feces and urine in the streets, the City's propensity to dwell on things that do not impact one's daily life, the $7 billion annual budget that somehow cannot keep streets clean, well-paved, and also provide an appropriate response to homelessness. The Ferry Building is wonderful and like Seattle's Pike Place, a huge draw to the Center City. (I know City Fair failed, but it would be great if Charlotte could find a way to replicate something like the Ferry Building or Pike Place.) The restaurants are among the world's best. Frustratingly, California cannot come to grips with current & future transit needs-the languishing bullet train, the impossibly crowded freeways, 3 airports in the Bay Area but no coordinated use of them, etc.

One caution about MUNI's streetcars: one of the reasons they are unreliable is that they have to compete with automobile traffic. I would urge those who want street cars from Beatties Ford Road out to Eastland to think long and hard about that. SF is constantly in a lather, and should be, about MUNI's unreliability but people keep using it because the alternatives are worse. In Charlotte the street car experience must be far superior to driving in order to gain acceptance. Otherwise, people will just continue to drive their cars.

What America's sexiest cities often (not always) have in common is being a port. NY, LA, SF, Seattle, Portland, Miami, Boston all face an ocean. (Well, Portland's back a bit on a river.) So it's critical for interior cities like Charlotte to keep excellent links to the world such as their airports. You can't hide from the world, it eventually finds you, so you must seek to engage it.

[voyager12]

Singapore The city does run like clockwork as Dubone says. Being a benevolent dictatorship helps in that regard. The transit connections are fantastic and they have perfected dense urban living while also creating a feeling of openess and green space. Changi is one of the few airports you would want to stay in and not transfer through.

Philadelphia I have always loved Philly's long boulevards especially along the Schuykill leading into the city with The Philadelphia Museum of Art ( The Rocky Run up the steps is a can't miss !! ) and Boathouse Row. It would be fabulous for Charlotte to have iconic architecture such as this to help brand the city. As other posters have noted we are landlocked and waterscapes are integral to most great cities. The Nascar and Bechtler Museums could help give our city some more flavor. I also miss Philly's bustling and wonderfully diverse ethnic neighborhoods : Chinatown, Little Italy. I know these neighborhoods are mostly unique to older Northeastern cities because of the early immigrant inflows but I have hope that East Charlotte will evolve into a more identifiable and thriving ethnic corridor. Philadelphia also have a very welcoming and progressive outlook regarding diversity of all kinds and wish Charlotte could be more openminded in this regard.

London I lived in London my junior year in college and it's hard to pick an aspect since as a World City there is so much to choose from. I love all the parks scattered throughout the city. I like that neighborhoods have distinct identities. The tube is a great convenience but I don't Charlotte is destined for that extensive a system....A great melting pot of culture and Paris being under two hours away by Eurostar would be a great amenity to bring to Charlotte

Charleston While Charleston may not be a "big city" it's urban core is one of the oldest in the country and has many of the great characteristics of other older but larger seaports such as Boston. I love Charleston's inescapable sense of "place". Charlotte need's this vibe although I am not sure what our sense of "place" is. Great walkability and an increasing determination to provide mixed income housing on the peninsula through tax credits to developers. Finally the creation of a Quality of Life Livability Court for city residents are ideas worthy of study by Charlotte.

[Neo]

Chicago This is the only other city I have lived in other than being in the Charlotte metro. There are a slew of things I would wish for Charlotte to incorporate that has won residents of Chicago over. The remaking of the Grant Park area by the creation of Millenium Park was an exceptional choice for the city and has won the hearts of locals and tourists. This is truly a park design that should be looked at in awe by cities around the world. The lakefront placement of Chicago obviously can't be recreated elsewhere but it is one of the biggest draws to the area as is a natural water feature to many places. For this reason I think it is a necessity to restore our local creek system and milk it for all that we can. We may not have huge features such as Lake Michigan by our side but what we do have we should really make worthwhile.

[HopHead]

Chicago - I think it was Neo that mentioned it, but creating Millenium Park was a godsend. I know some that still live there and they are just in love with it. I think keeping landmarks like Wrigley Field is huge too. Even if you aren't a baseball fan, it's an experience like no other in sports. There are so many positives in this city, that it's hard to list them all. The only thing I don't miss are the winters there

Jersey City, NJ - Being able to look at Manhatten is about the only positive I think of. I was also born in South NJ, but was too young to really remember much of it.

Richmond, VA - Charlotte should avoid allowing the people that run the local gov't there from ever setting foot here. There is so much in-fighting there that it prevents the city from ever moving forward. They do have low unemployment though, but I think it's statewide too.

[orulz]

Hiroshima

Hiroshima is of course a Japanese city so there's a lot about the city that doesn't really apply to NC or the US in general. But being a smaller city (1.1 million people, 10th largest in Japan) makes it more applicable than mega cities like Tokyo or Osaka.

The one thing that I would like - more than anything - to copy from this city to Charlotte/Raleigh/anywhere in the US - is to make the city center, the central shopping district of town. I'd much rather see flagship department stores be located downtown, than at South Park, Crabtree Valley, etc.

Another thing that I would copy is that there is always adequate and appropriate pedestrian infrastructure. Even in sprawling suburban areas, pedestrians are accomodated with "short cuts" like stairways up hills where cars have to wind around and around to gradually change elevation, so as to make things as convenient as possible for folks who walk. In NC, developers generally include pedestrian infrastructure only to satisfy city regulations, and then they build the very bare minimum that are allowed by regulations.

[elvigy]

Besides Charlotte, the biggest cities I've lived in were Houston and Edinburgh, Scotland.

I can't comment on Houston since I was too young to get out and about.

Edinburgh (the "burgh" part is prononuced like "burra" btw, not "burg") on the other hand, is where I did most of my growing up. There is a lot there that would be great to see here, but much of it would be impossible. It's an extremely old city with a lot of great monuments from the past, including both an old castle (Edinburgh Castle) and a palace (Holyroodhouse). I've visited both a lot. If either of those were in Charlotte, they'd probably have been torn down to make room for a 7 bedroom, 4 bath McMansion. So that's my first wish-stop demolishing things just because they're more than 10 years old.

Secondly, much of Edinburgh is more oriented to pedestrians than cars. There is a huge (and I mean huge) amount of street retail. No strip malls, no enclosed shopping malls, etc. You can walk down the street to the butcher, the bread shop, a nearby grocery, etc using your rolling shopping buggy. Granted, a lot of this is due to the density of the place which was built up over centuries of no cars. But something similar could be achieved with zoning restrictions, policies, etc that encourage density rather than sprawl. The bus system is great too, with almost everything on or very close to a bus line. They don't have a subway or rail system though, but seem to do fine without it.

Charlotte city is bigger than Edinburgh city but the Charlotte metro is about the same size as the Edinburgh metro, yet Edinburgh feels much bigger and most of it is fairly dense. And even despite it's size, it's a beautiful place. Yards are often tiny but beautifully maintained (which is easy when you only have a few square feet, lol).

I hate to say it, but I think the drought does have that silver lining-it may force us to rethink some of our wasteful ways in Charlotte. Huge yards with golf course-like lawns are a real waste of resources. I don't expect any of this stuff to happen though. Charlotte is too addicted to cars and fescue.

[Nomanizan]

I have lived in:

Durham, NC

Raleigh, NC

Tulsa, OK

Dallas, Tx

Los Angeles, Ca

Phoenix, AZ

Charlotte, NC

I LOVE Charlotte!!!

[mh10809]

Philadelphia: While Philadelphia was not one of my favorite places to live I can say that Charlotte could learn a lot from this city. I would love to see the mass transit that Philly had to offer. The ethnic markets were great I wish Charlotte could get a market like the Reading Terminal Market and Italian Market together. The historic nature of the city. Walking around Philadelphia history was everywhere and they embraced it, I wish that Charlotte could really make a better effort into saving its old structures rather than tearing them down and building something newer and shinier. The things I didnt like about Philadelphia was the abosolute filthiness of the city. I hope Charlotte does not become like this with trash on the streets everywhere, I hope Charlotte will take more pride in keeping the city beautiful. The blighted and decayed neighborhoods. Once vibrant neighborhoods in Philadelphia now sit decaying and falling apart struggling with crime and poverty. These neighborhoods were dying due to white flight, suburban sprawl, corrupt city government, a lack of concern from the state government, high taxes, loss of jobs, bad planning, etc. etc. While Philadelphia was a hugh college city with Drexel, Temple, UPenn, Chestnut Hill, Villanova, St. Josephs, Rutgers, West Chester, Swarthmore, Bryn Mawr all being within or close to the city it was not able to keep its college graduates and had a hugh brain drain. Unlike other great college cities like Boston who are able to retain their graduates. I hope that here in Charlotte we dont make the same mistakes as Philadelphia and keep our city viable, and an attractive place to live for everyone that wants to live here. I think that Charlotte does a good job of this right now but I hope that lasts into the future. Also, lets keep our population here in Charlotte not in our suburbs.

New York City: While I cant say much here because lets face it Charlotte will never be NYC. But I loved the diversity of the city, the international flavor of the place, the great museums, the world reknown restaurants, and the access of mass transit. Truely a city that has it all. That being said it is ridiculously expensive and many people have to leave because they cant afford to live there anymore. I hope that Charlotte keeps the cost of living in check. High taxes (which I dont care what anyone says about Charlotte are very low right now), and high real estate prices will ruin a city of our size fast, and lead to sprawl which I know we dont want to see. Lets keep our city affordable because that is one of the draws to moving and relocating here in the first place.

Asheville: Ok this is like comparing Charlotte to NYC but I do think Charlotte could learn a lot from downtown Asheville. This is a city that is not even comparable population-wise to Charlotte but it is a city who has a vibrant 24-hour downtown unlike Charlotte. I know that we are getting to a point that we will become a more 24-hour downtown but what we are missing is the diversity factor. Asheville has a neat, eclectic, funky downtown with bookstores, restaurants, bars, antique shops, art galleries. Charlotte seems to be filling itself up with McCormick and Schmicks, Capital Grills, Ruth Chris's, Dean and Delucas, and trying to attract the same retail as what you find in SouthPark Mall. I can eat or shop at any of these places anywhere in the country. For a city that is trying so hard to find a sense of place and culture lets take a look at Asheville that has a definate sense of place and vibrant culuture. Lets stop filling our center city with upscales chains and start making an effort to become a little more eclectic and different. I understand that we have our funky little neighborhoods tucked away from downtown but lets bring some of that to our center city. Charlotte has a reputation of being conservative, and full of bankers lets show outsiders that we have much more to offer here than good paying jobs and a good place to raise the family (although both are true). Lets show off our artists, our diversity, our history, our food, our culture, our music, and our heritage for that is what truely sets cities apart from one another and makes them interesting places to live and work.

[swampfox43]

Houston, TX- this was back in '88-'89. I couldn't wait to get back to Charlotte so I can't think of anything I liked about that flat, humid, and VERY crowded city. Of course, it has been 17 years and there may be some positive changes in the city I am sure. Note, I moved there just when Houston was on the tail end of the oil bust. Housing was dirt cheap but there were skyscrapers that were totally empty, apartment complexes were being bulldozed and malls and shopping centers were closing right & left. Unfortunately, that is the image of Houston that I will always have.

[UptownNewOrleans]

I was born and raised in New Orleans, LA. Every weekend I'm in Houston or Memphis.

[Jettanout]

A reply to 'mh10809'

Asheville: Ok this is like comparing Charlotte to NYC but I do think Charlotte could learn a lot from downtown Asheville. This is a city that is not even comparable population-wise to Charlotte but it is a city who has a vibrant 24-hour downtown unlike Charlotte.

They can have that 24-hr downtown because they have the staffing to do so. That town thrives off of hospitality and tourism, Charlotte cannot staff late night coffee shops because most of the patrons would rather be in bars and clubs.

Charlotte seems to be filling itself up with McCormick and Schmicks, Capital Grills, Ruth Chris's, Dean and Delucas, and trying to attract the same retail as what you find in SouthPark Mall. I can eat or shop at any of these places anywhere in the country.

Charlotte has these restaurants because that is what the bank industry has demanded. Wealthy 20-30 somethings working in the core of Uptown tend to prefer the style and allure of the cosmopolitan scene that large cities offer. And with the cost of renting store fronts in uptown, small mom and pop shops cannot afford a spot on trade or tryon.

For a city that is trying so hard to find a sense of place and culture lets take a look at Asheville that has a definate sense of place and vibrant culuture. Lets stop filling our center city with upscales chains and start making an effort to become a little more eclectic and different. I understand that we have our funky little neighborhoods tucked away from downtown but lets bring some of that to our center city. Charlotte has a reputation of being conservative, and full of bankers lets show outsiders that we have much more to offer here than good paying jobs and a good place to raise the family (although both are true). Lets show off our artists, our diversity, our history, our food, our culture, our music, and our heritage for that is what truely sets cities apart from one another and makes them interesting places to live and work.

Though I agree the culture in Asheville is great, I doubt that funky vibe will creep from NODA to center city. That is why people like you and I must show those areas to visitors. Sure the buildings are pretty and sleek, but there is much more to Charlotte than that.

[NcSc74]

Tokyo-The main thing is I would do is create live where you work zones that depend on mass and public transportation. Now I know that you cannot even begin to amass the type of humanity that a mega metro of 33 mil has but in order to have sufficient sustainability more folks have to live in areas of freedom of choice zones where the mass transit serves the whole metro and works on an eventual 24 hour basis. Once that critical mass is reached then the "vibe" grows and that whats lures more and more people in to that kind of living. That is why if light is Meck counties answer then all must support it. Not only that but it must be be flexible and serve the metro region with an intergrated system.

[Temeteron]

Boston- Some advantages and disadvantages. But for some reason I was unhappy. I liked the culture, and the accents (there's not just one Boston accent, there are several). But the weather sucks, and the houses are horrible and way too overpriced. THe "T" commuter rail and the subway system was great though. Hopefully Charlotte will become more transit friendly and not rely on the automobile as much. There is another thing, that was mentioned by someone earlier is that, like most other cities up north and in Canada, Europe, and Asia, the main retail of the city is in Downtown. I really wish Charlotte was like that, instead of having all the big brands in SP. Which don't get me wrong I love SP and think it is a wonderful mall, but I think it would be much better for downtown if it had that kind of retail. Charlotte is doing great things to catch up to other bigger, and older cities. Yeah, I also wish CLT had a "CHinatown" or Greektown, Little Italy...etc.......they should name South Blvd. Little Mexico or something from the TYvola side down towards Pineville. Why not?

[JerseyBoy]

New York / New Jersey - I lived in suburban Bergen County, New Jersey (about five miles from New York) and Upstate New York for a few years. Like everyone else has said, Charlotte will never be a New York but it can replicate some of the things that make NYC a great place. I'd like to see Charlotte take an approach to banning trans-fats in foods like New York has done. One thing I think Charlotte would greatly benefit from would be on-street markets selling produce and seafood. I can't explain in words how great it was to hop on the PATH and take it into Manhattan to buy some fresh shrimp right off the boat.

[appatone]

I'm actually glad to see that smaller cities have been brought into this discussion despite the title being "big cities" as I don't always ascribe to the common thought that bigger is better when it comes to cities. I've never lived in any of the aformentioned cities but have been to many of them and would like to add a thing or two.

Atlanta: Sometimes we hear about it so much it makes us crazy. And yes, most of us, including me, don't particularly care for it but that doesn't mean it's not without its charms and good ideas. One of those is its embracive of its Southerness. Atlanta loudly touts the fact that it is a Southern city. It has not allowed anyone to fool it into thinking that being Southern is something to be ashamed of. Atlanta's Southerness has made it unique on the national scene. The South is a wonderful place and embracing the region which we are in is crucial to establishing our unique identity and that ever elusive soul we so desperately need.

Edinburgh: One of my favorite cities in the world. No we can't replicate medieval buildings but, there are a few things we could learn. 1) The closes in Edinburgh make it unique and I believe allot of tours are given underground in those closes. We have Gold Mines running beneath uptown, couldn't a portion of those be fixed up to allow tours in a similar fashion to Reed Gold Mine in Cabarrus Co.?

Edinburgh/Charleston: Not having much historic stock now doesn't stop us from building out of quality materials to ensure that we will have an historic building stock 100 years from now. We need to take pains to ensure that Styrofoam stucco stops. Screw banning trans fats, ban EFIS or Vinyl siding! I'm a young guy with a pretty good diet, lots of fishh and fresh fruits and veggies, not a lot of sweets, no cholesterol problems, good blood pressure. If I want to eat the occasional dosage of trans fats in a restaurant than I think I should be able to without the government babysitting what I eat. Ban EFIS, I can keep myself from having a heart attack, I can't stop myself from getting Plastic Cancer.

Charleston/Atlanta: This goes back to embracing our heritage of being a Southern city. Charleston knows its history. It is a city very much in touch with its oral traditions, citizens past and present, and its overall sense of community. We need to take a look at ourselves as a city, take into account where we are geographically and from the perspective of our past to define our present and use that to take us uniquely into the future. We need to think about that from an architectural heritage perspective in an attempt to define a Charlotte look that isn't like another city

[totheskies]

Houston, TX- this was back in '88-'89. I couldn't wait to get back to Charlotte so I can't think of anything I liked about that flat, humid, and VERY crowded city. Of course, it has been 17 years and there may be some positive changes in the city I am sure. Note, I moved there just when Houston was on the tail end of the oil bust. Housing was dirt cheap but there were skyscrapers that were totally empty, apartment complexes were being bulldozed and malls and shopping centers were closing right & left. Unfortunately, that is the image of Houston that I will always have.

[FromCityToRural]

I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, California (though closer to San Jose - aside from the odd concert or shopping trip, San Francisco was hardly the center of life there), metro area ~6.5 mil.

My freshman year in college, I lived in Chico, CA, metro area (if you really stretch it out) ~400.000, more immediate area ~145.000

Now I live in Tyler, TX, metro area ~145.000 or so - the US Census tract is so spread out that I can't really take its metro population count seriously.

[nowensone]

Thank you for sharing that perspective. That's very insightful to someone that has difficulty understanding why Houston can conjure up such negative images with people sometimes, whether they're in Texas or not.

My Largest cities...

Kansas City, MO-

[Subway Scoundrel]

Shanghai, China If you count 3 months stay. Get to be local in that amount of time

[Skyybutter]

Philadelphia- 5+million. Gritty city, but I would bring some of the history to Charlotte. The architecture is amazing in Philly. If you visit make sure you dont forget to look up. The old buildings have very ornate architecture. Excellent restaurants.

Washington DC. Baltimore area. 7+million. For the most part I hated DC. Snooty people. Like being in a huge J.Crew store. Not that I dont like J.Crew. But too much of a good thing isnt good. You think Charlotte has sprawl you havent seen anything until youve been to DC. Traffic jams at the strangest times of the day. Just a big mess.