Is "Small City Urbanism" an Oxymoron? 10 Undervalued Cities to Ponder

Ғылым және технология

There are a lot of reasons you might want to live in a smaller city. Getting to know familiar faces, having a voice that carries more relative weight in your community, often a lower cost of living. But if you're an urbanist, can you live those values in a smaller city?
This video investigates that question, and then gives you the ten US cities where you're most like to succeed in living the urbanist life of your dreams, at a reasonable price.
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Previous CityNerd Videos Referenced:
- none this time, but check out my other videos on affordable and undervalued cities!
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Resources:
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie,_P...
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Bed...
- www.zillow.com/research/metho...
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Images
- Burlington, VT thumbnail By Kenneth C. Zirkel - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
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Music:
CityNerd background: Caipirinha in Hawaii by Carmen María and Edu Espinal (KZread music library)
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Пікірлер: 1 600

  • @neolithictransitrevolution427
    @neolithictransitrevolution427 Жыл бұрын

    Small City urbansim is really what we need most heavily. The StrongTowns key target. Creating a local downtown, either in true rural areas or suburbs, is the only way to make these places fiscally sounds and actually provide affordable housing that doesn't suffer extreme building and land acquisition costs.

  • @linuxman7777

    @linuxman7777

    Жыл бұрын

    We had this before big box stores and supermarket killed downtowns across america

  • @neolithictransitrevolution427

    @neolithictransitrevolution427

    Жыл бұрын

    @@linuxman7777 I like the Stong Towns phrasing that they mine our public infrastructure investments. It's worse than box stores killing investment, our cities made the "investments" in roads and water and electrical infrastructure to connect them, which was then opperated at a loss, while they hollowed out our downtowns and destroyed our tax base.

  • @linuxman7777

    @linuxman7777

    Жыл бұрын

    @@neolithictransitrevolution427 I read strong towns all the time, and what you are saying is true for the town that the walmart relocates to, outside of that town, but walmart kills towns within a very large radius and strips them of retail as well, even if they didn't invest in the walmart, but a town 15mi away did.

  • @neolithictransitrevolution427

    @neolithictransitrevolution427

    Жыл бұрын

    @@linuxman7777 Fair point

  • @user-xsn5ozskwg

    @user-xsn5ozskwg

    Жыл бұрын

    I agree. The lack of places like this also mean whenever Yankees hear about cities they imagine dense, sprawling masses of concrete and skyscrapers rather than what a well-planned and managed town naturally grows into. Plus the representation and sense of greater community is often stronger than at any other scale; too small and it's easy to be seen as an outsider, too large and niches form dividing the area's fabric.

  • @johnburns8680
    @johnburns8680 Жыл бұрын

    Have you ever considered breaking down some of your lists in the US by region? Maybe Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Mountain, and Pacific? It might present a more well-rounded list, including some lesser known places of value. Just a thought.

  • @kyrareneeLOA

    @kyrareneeLOA

    Жыл бұрын

    Agreed!!!!

  • @j_asch_

    @j_asch_

    Жыл бұрын

    This would be great.

  • @ehoops31

    @ehoops31

    Жыл бұрын

    This would be great! The west coast has a bad rap for being unaffordable, but there are small cities that are better relative to their neighboring big city and still have decent transit/walkability.

  • @scottseaman5927

    @scottseaman5927

    11 ай бұрын

    Yes, please. For example, maybe a friend wants to relocate to a place with good XC skiing and would like to know about small cities in the Rockies or the NE USA.

  • @elguapo90

    @elguapo90

    11 ай бұрын

    Agreed. These lists just end up being the same places in the Eastern half of the country.

  • @daniel-wood
    @daniel-wood Жыл бұрын

    The mythical factoid about the green over red traffic light in Tipperary Hill is that, when the light was initially installed the right way up, the local Irish community took some offense to the color of England (red) being put over the color of Ireland (green), and so repeatedly broke the light until it was installed upside down

  • @rashakor

    @rashakor

    Жыл бұрын

    That is hilarious! They could have gone the japanese route and make the green light blue (putting hence England over France instead!)🤣

  • @scpatl4now

    @scpatl4now

    Жыл бұрын

    Just an FYI...those backward traffic lights don't play so well with those that are colorblind...just sayin'

  • @HAIckes

    @HAIckes

    Жыл бұрын

    What mythical factoid he's grinning)? When I started at Syracuse U. in 1967, that was part of Orientation (he grinned)!

  • @CityNerd

    @CityNerd

    Жыл бұрын

    Yeah, I was gonna tell the story but it seemed too long-winded. Plus I'm Irish and it made me feel dumb

  • @HAIckes

    @HAIckes

    Жыл бұрын

    @@CityNerd Hahahahaha! Thanks, Ray! And don't worry about the Irish thing - have to keep up the tradition of "Blarney", you know (I have Connelly-s on my mother's side). I also had cousins living in North Syr. for a long time, and they told me the same story. It gives a city more character. Please keep 'em coming!

  • @cjapplebaum6423
    @cjapplebaum6423 Жыл бұрын

    I'd argue that not only is "Small City Urbanism" not an oxymoron, small cities are in some ways more urbanist than large cities. We're all familiar with the concept of the "fifteen minute city," but it's often meant to mean "everything you need is in your neighborhood" and not "you can literally reach the whole city in fifteen minutes. But when you're in a big city like NYC or CDMX, travel from one part of the city to another can be an absolute nightmare. You want to go from the Bronx to Brooklyn to grab lunch? As New Yorkers say, fuhgeddaboutit. That trip will take you well over an hour, even by car. Small cities, on the other hand, don't have this problem. In many of them, you can access the whole city within 30 minutes using public transit. They also don't have severe traffic problems the same way that big cities do, so buses don't get clogged in downtown traffic and can better stick to a schedule. This makes commute times shorter, giving residents more time to spend actually interacting with the community rather than traveling hours to work or school. Sure, you won't get all the same world class cultural attractions, and maybe the city doesn't have an airport, but they VERY often connect to Amtrak, and you'd be shocked by the cultural offerings available. In short, small cities are great, and they're not a "downgrade" from big cities--just different!

  • @CityNerd

    @CityNerd

    Жыл бұрын

    I like this framing

  • @kellywelz5398

    @kellywelz5398

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for providing this defense! I currently live in a "city" of 100k ppl, but have lived in 50k and even 16k towns. The smaller towns often lacked interesting amenities or helpful infrastructure, but here has surprised me! A useful bus system and even a streetcar! Wow! It is also between two major metro areas, so the benefits of those places, such as large cultural amenities and also job opportunities are within reach, if one doesn't mind the commute. I've never been excited to live in a big city, it is too noisy and busy and crowded for me, so where I am not is a sweet spot for my preferences.

  • @thebestbaseballguy

    @thebestbaseballguy

    Жыл бұрын

    Most New Yorkers stay in their neighborhood, besides their commutes. It is a 15 minute city because each neighborhood typically has everything you'd need. There's no reason to go from the Bronx to Brooklyn for lunch; every neighborhood in the Bronx has plenty of lunch places. If you wanted to apply that argument to a city like Phoenix or Houston where you have to get in your car to go anywhere, then I'd agree. But it just doesn't apply as well to a city like New York which generally does function as a 15 minute city for most residents. Now that said your argument about shorter commutes is absolutely correct. When I lived in New York I knew a lot of people with absolute nightmare commutes of 90 minutes or more. Now that I live in the much smaller city of Pittsburgh it's rare to hear of anyone who lives and works in the city with a commute over 30 minutes.

  • @kdempsey36

    @kdempsey36

    Жыл бұрын

    As an Erie resident, I can confirm that everything you pointed out is true for cities of this size. It's a great way to think about the advantages. I take Amtrak trips to Chicago and NYC regularly, there is no such thing as traffic here, and there are cheap, livable neighborhoods near the downtown amenities. I walked to the library yesterday with my lunch hour and stopped by the cat cafe mentioned in the video :-)

  • @Clowanda

    @Clowanda

    Жыл бұрын

    You don’t get the same culture in small cities.

  • @strongtowns
    @strongtowns Жыл бұрын

    Ithaca was an interesting choice to add to this list, especially considering its lack of high-quality, luxurious and chaotic cheesecake experiences. Disappointed that this list didn't weigh maximalist cheesecake dining establishments more prominently on the grading scale. How would someone in Ithaca plan a last-minute mothers' day dinner? -Mike

  • @rashakor

    @rashakor

    Жыл бұрын

    The Texas roadhouse was mentioned though, that is definitely what took it over the edge. 😀

  • @chiefenumclaw7960

    @chiefenumclaw7960

    Жыл бұрын

    I simply refuse to dine at any establishment that has less than 300 menu items.

  • @brianjonker510

    @brianjonker510

    Жыл бұрын

    Here are some interesting numbers for Ithaca, NY from a google search. Pop of Ithaca is 32k and the county (Tompkins) it is located is 100k. The student pop @ Cornell is 20k and @ Ithaca College is 5k. Fully 1/4 of the population are students. Ithaca would be nothing without the colleges and its 10k workforce.

  • @neolithictransitrevolution427

    @neolithictransitrevolution427

    Жыл бұрын

    Ugh, I used to be the guy who made comments refrencing Strong Towns on these videos. I take it back I no longer like your new active and effective communication strategy

  • @jennifersvitko5997

    @jennifersvitko5997

    Жыл бұрын

    @@brianjonker510 I live in Ithaca. The 32k is the permanent population. With students (which many no longer all leave for the summer, darn them) the population climbs to over 50k. Enough leave that we do have a celebration after many are gone. We also appreciate we can get into restaurants after the students take off! ;-)

  • @Westlander857
    @Westlander857 Жыл бұрын

    I moved back to my old college town for a new job 3 years ago, and I’ve never been happier. If you want a close-knit community and a lot of excitement, plenty of things to do, and a city feel that isn’t too chaotic, they’re the way to go. I’m actually giving car-free living a try, and so far it’s better than I expected.

  • @pams3176

    @pams3176

    Жыл бұрын

    Where do you live?

  • @mykki.d

    @mykki.d

    Жыл бұрын

    I agree! I actually like the presence of a university because it influences the surrounding culture to value education and progressive ideas. Oh and I like to see the students walking around so I can get a sense of what's 'hip' and trendy in fashion. :P

  • @whoopydingdong3138

    @whoopydingdong3138

    Жыл бұрын

    that’s soooo embarrassing lmao.

  • @HTV-2_Hypersonic_Glide_Vehicle

    @HTV-2_Hypersonic_Glide_Vehicle

    Жыл бұрын

    ​@@whoopydingdong3138🤔 how?

  • @christopherscot3785

    @christopherscot3785

    Жыл бұрын

    I love college towns too. Do you mind sharing which one you are loving? I have lived in Charlottesville, VA and San Luis Obispo, CA and loved both.

  • @knutthompson7879
    @knutthompson7879 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for including home value. Too many urbanist sorts of presenters are all about playing up hyper expensive, unattainable rich peoples' playgrounds and looking down on all of the unclean masses who have to take pause at the concept of a $1.5 million studio apartment.

  • @CityNerd

    @CityNerd

    Жыл бұрын

    Yeah I actually looked at it without an affordability factor at first and the list I was coming up with was absolutely not something I was comfortable with. Although it does say something interesting (troubling) that a lot of our most walkable, transit-rich small cities are ruinously expensive to live in.

  • @knutthompson7879

    @knutthompson7879

    Жыл бұрын

    @@CityNerd Oh without a doubt. It says volumes. And it is disheartening to us normal folks who watch urbanism videos and often just feel depressed how we will never be able to experience it (expect maybe in a Disneyland kind of way).

  • @markweaver1012

    @markweaver1012

    Жыл бұрын

    @@CityNerd I'm afraid that what it says is that while basic, run-of-the mill car-dependent suburbs are generally easy to build and govern, transit-rich, walkable, dense, affordable, low-crime cities and neighborhoods with vibrant businesses and good schools are MUCH harder. I live in Ann Arbor, which ticks all the boxes (except affordability). In Michigan, there are many other cities of a similar vintage that originally had similar urban fabric, but aren't going to make anybody's top 10 list: Flint, Saginaw, Jackson, Pontiac, Muskegon, Benton Harbor. Even your honorable mention, Lansing, has struggled as has Kalamazoo, despite the largesse of local billionaires who funded 'The Kalamazoo Promise' and other programs. The few successful examples of small-city urbanism are expensive because they are rare. Which is also true of big-city urbanism. The country is full of not-what-they-used-to-be big cities with low average housing prices.

  • @sipes23

    @sipes23

    Жыл бұрын

    I was watching this and wondering where Santa Fe, NM, was, and then I realized that it was probably unaffordable.

  • @coltonnorman5238

    @coltonnorman5238

    Жыл бұрын

    @@CityNerd Would love to see that list as well just for fun :)

  • @alialiyev6168
    @alialiyev616811 ай бұрын

    HM1. Eugene, OR 1:28 HM2. Lansing, MI 2:00 10. Burlington, VT 4:08 9. Madison, WI 4:48 8. Ann Arbor, MI 5:20 7. Athens, GA 5:54 6. New Bedford, MA 6:38 5. Ithaca, NY 7:31 4. Williamsport, PA 8:24 HM. Charlostville, VA 9:29 3. Syracuse, NY 10:01 2. Champaign, IL 11:03 1. Erie, PA 12:07

  • @Nickelini

    @Nickelini

    11 ай бұрын

    Oh, all US cities. He didn't say that in the title. Thanks for saving me from wasting my time watching this

  • @maxziactg9756

    @maxziactg9756

    10 ай бұрын

    State college,PA also a honourable mention...

  • @bombusaffinis

    @bombusaffinis

    10 ай бұрын

    tl;dw -- live in a college town. :P

  • @BrentsTreehouse

    @BrentsTreehouse

    6 ай бұрын

    thank you!!!

  • @unclebozo9845

    @unclebozo9845

    5 ай бұрын

    Also, Burlington is in Vermont (VT), not the Virgin Islands (VI).

  • @jeffbowser5896
    @jeffbowser5896 Жыл бұрын

    I’m from the southern New England area and can confirm those facts about New Bedford are true. The whaling industry led to New Bedfords brief time in the sun as the wealthiest city in the world. When whale oil was at its height, New Bedford was the capital of the whaling industry. There is even a whaling museum in the city .

  • @parkmannate4154

    @parkmannate4154

    Жыл бұрын

    Which is in conjunction with the National Park Service. Its a pretty nice town for walking and eating seafood

  • @moomoome42

    @moomoome42

    Жыл бұрын

    I really enjoy the bike route up on the hurricane wall! Is so unique and fun

  • @elizabethregan120

    @elizabethregan120

    Жыл бұрын

    I agree about what I know of the wealth generated from the whaling industry for the country and New Bedford in particular. Tons of money there back in the day. Also true about abolitionism from what I know. Frederick Douglass lived there for a while, and the most heavily travelled segment of the Underground Railroad was the maritime effort where NB may have been the biggest harbor of all. It was major anyway. More black freemen worked on ships and docks than any other industry in the early-mid 1800s. There were black whaler Captains too.

  • @ow4744

    @ow4744

    Жыл бұрын

    Somebody needs to add this as a citation on the wiki article

  • @zachretien

    @zachretien

    Жыл бұрын

    Hey New Bedford! Scallop capital of America! Also largest Portuguese feast / festival outside of Portugal.

  • @guitardude412
    @guitardude412 Жыл бұрын

    Erie is currently fighting a huge highway expansion PennDOT is trying to thrust on them, would really put some of these great traditional neighborhoods at risk 😢 I feel like a top 10 potential highway boondoggles would make for a good video topic, especially to draw attention to the ones we can still maybe stop!

  • @doingbackflips9265

    @doingbackflips9265

    Жыл бұрын

    I live in erie ! Where can I find more info? I don't get the top ten-ness but I attend Penn State Behrend, so I am a bit away from downtown. I would love to fight the expansion to the death though

  • @vertov76

    @vertov76

    Жыл бұрын

    Can you post some links to information about how this is a bad thing? I agree that increasing traffic on the bayfront connector is a bad thing and that improvements might have that effect, but I've also seen elements of traffic calming and pedestrianization that could improve things (particularly the stroadish State street interchange) I'm utterly on the fence on this one and I've tried to learn more.

  • @Amir-jn5mo

    @Amir-jn5mo

    Жыл бұрын

    this is sad. How many more years until these state DOT's understand to not destroy urban fabric with these moneysink highways?

  • @amandagates5721

    @amandagates5721

    Жыл бұрын

    The Bayfront connector expansion only has one pedestrian crossing, it is going to be at Holland Street. People aren’t going to want to walk that far out of the way so they will just be dodging cars to get down to the Bayfront. This project cuts our most valuable resource off from the rest of the city. when asked during a public comment section about how bicyclists would navigate this, the response was that bicycles are vehicles in Pennsylvania and they can navigate the roundabouts. I am an experienced biker, and I will tell you I am not going out into a 40 mph roundabout with cars. There are plenty of examples of cities around the world, actually taking out their waterfront highways, because they realize putting highways there was a mistake. Waterfronts should be for people, not commuters.

  • @TAP7a

    @TAP7a

    Жыл бұрын

    Why do all these state DOTs not seem to understand the concept of a bypass and loop? Like does it not cross their mind that simply depositing cars into downtown is, in fact, a deeply stupid thing to do?

  • @99_Planet
    @99_Planet Жыл бұрын

    Glad to see Champaign get some recognition! I’ve been spoiled by Chicago’s transit for the past few years so it always seems much worse by comparison (which it is) but the moment you journey to any other central Illinois town you realize what a small gem downtown is

  • @CityNerd

    @CityNerd

    Жыл бұрын

    Yeah, other central Illinois towns are pretty good too -- I think I featured Decatur in a video at some point!

  • @jameshamilton2480

    @jameshamilton2480

    Жыл бұрын

    @@CityNerd WOW! Just WOW! I ah...I've lived here 20 years...and sigh..Bus gets stuck in traffic...only run every 40 minutes or longer, don't run after 9pm or on holidays..and all "bike lines" are painted bike gutters. I was hoping you'd roast CU for being proud of their shite network

  • @jameshamilton2480

    @jameshamilton2480

    Жыл бұрын

    decent family houses are 300k or more unless you drive an hour from a bedroom community

  • @yousefnoori

    @yousefnoori

    7 ай бұрын

    @@jameshamilton2480 Most important bus routes run until 3am. Some routes have horrible frequency (5/50 Green for example) during certain times, but generally, I think we have a decent bus network. Definitely can improve on some aspects though.

  • @jameshamilton2480

    @jameshamilton2480

    7 ай бұрын

    important bus routes run until 3am. ABSOLUTELY A FALSE STATEMENT! MTD HAS NEVER RUN THAT LATE FOR ANYONE!@@yousefnoori

  • @randy7928
    @randy7928 Жыл бұрын

    You urbanists would love Iowa City. I'm kinda surprised I haven't seen any videos on it yet. Small, dense, and a perfect marriage of walkability and car access. If you cut the downtown area of a mid size city and dropped it in the middle of a cornfield, you have Iowa City.

  • @__-fu5se

    @__-fu5se

    Жыл бұрын

    You had me up to "car access"

  • @kiosk5595

    @kiosk5595

    Жыл бұрын

    He mentions it in his 10 small cities with good transit video along with Ames

  • @incredulouschordate
    @incredulouschordate Жыл бұрын

    Love this concept. I love big cities but it isn't an option for everyone. But everyone deserves great urbanism.

  • @thebravesirrobin.

    @thebravesirrobin.

    Жыл бұрын

    If you're enthralled by small town urbanism, check out Strong Towns (if you aren't already familiar). It's a nonpartisan advocacy group that believes in "urbanism for middle America" and every size of city. Personal aside, their research and case studies need to be talked about MUCH MORE in the wider urbanism movement because they make a strong argument that urbanism is the only cure for the absolutely fucked state of infrastructure costs in the US.

  • @CityNerd

    @CityNerd

    Жыл бұрын

    Agree

  • @himbourbanist
    @himbourbanist Жыл бұрын

    Madison absolutely SLAMS for a small city. Really excellent design and the terrain is so well used. It seems to have really forced some interesting density onto the isthmus making for a remarkable city. I think the city has a solid bus system now but I would LOVE to see a clean little light metro or streetcar network get constructed, would make it the best designed city in the midwest

  • @SarahRenz59

    @SarahRenz59

    Жыл бұрын

    Now, if y'all can only break the Republican stranglehold on the state legislature so you can have a fighting chance at getting Amtrak to extend the Hiawatha service from Milwaukee to Madison!

  • @misteryA555

    @misteryA555

    Жыл бұрын

    @@SarahRenz59 Next door neighbor Michigan has been rolling out some awesome legislation lately, just keep pointing to them and saying "Don't we want that? That looks awesome!" and people might start getting jealous and demand the same in Wisconsin

  • @BitGladius

    @BitGladius

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes, but have you considered how much better it could be if they paved lake Monona?

  • @himbourbanist

    @himbourbanist

    Жыл бұрын

    @@SarahRenz59 Amtrak service to Madison would be a godsend. Being able to take the train into Chicago on the weekend would be incredible

  • @jonathanstensberg

    @jonathanstensberg

    Жыл бұрын

    Madison should focus on getting actual service Amtrak. It could easily serve host two routes to Chicago: one via Milwaukee and MKE and the other via Rockford and ORD.

  • @stevengordon3271
    @stevengordon3271 Жыл бұрын

    What keeps a small city from becoming boring (or dwindling into a ghost town) is lots of people moving in from other parts of the country. This is why I would give a bonus to college towns instead of a penalty.

  • @bagenstb
    @bagenstb Жыл бұрын

    Speaking from experience, Champaign is a really nice place to live, even if you're not a college student. It has a public transportation system that far exceeds what you'd expect from a town its size, some really good restaurants, plenty of walking areas, and lots of friendly people.

  • @CityNerd

    @CityNerd

    Жыл бұрын

    Agree with all of this

  • @bethhull8463

    @bethhull8463

    Жыл бұрын

    It also has a fabulous public library.

  • @weirdfish1216
    @weirdfish1216 Жыл бұрын

    i love how you always explain your methodology in such a thorough and easy to understand way

  • @CityNerd

    @CityNerd

    Жыл бұрын

    To be honest I probably under-explained on this one but yeah, I just feel like a list doesn't mean anything unless you tell people what you considered and how you measured it!

  • @liamtahaney713
    @liamtahaney713 Жыл бұрын

    To me 250,000-500,000 is perfect. This feels like a weirdly uncommon size in the us but extremely common in Europe. Really impressed to see Williamsport. Incredible nature to the north as well.

  • @thedirtybubble9613

    @thedirtybubble9613

    Жыл бұрын

    250k-500k is more a large city.

  • @jhfridhem

    @jhfridhem

    Жыл бұрын

    @@thedirtybubble9613 Surely you mean large town, right? Although I'm not super familiar with the English language.

  • @thedirtybubble9613

    @thedirtybubble9613

    Жыл бұрын

    @@jhfridhem Consider cities like Miami, Tampa, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Orlando, Atlanta, New Orleans, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and Pittsburgh have city proper populations less than 500k.

  • @usernameusername4037

    @usernameusername4037

    Жыл бұрын

    @@thedirtybubble9613 City proper population is meaningless with this stuff. 250k-500k urban area ranges from Anchorage, Lincoln, and Peoria to Des Moines, Wichita, and Worcester.

  • @HessianHunter

    @HessianHunter

    Жыл бұрын

    ​@@thedirtybubble9613 You gotta look at density of the whole metro area to say anything meaningful. If Minneapolis were like most other similar cities it would have annexed it's neighboring suburbs long ago so the population of just "Minneapolis" or even "Minneapolis plus St. Paul" makes it seem smaller than it actually is. Local politics of decades long gone dictated where the arbitrary city lines were drawn.

  • @jack2453
    @jack2453 Жыл бұрын

    Have you ever thought of adding arts infrastructure to your urbanism criteria? The big 4 i.e. professional opera, theatre, dance companies and symphony orchestra and also reasonable art and/or historical museum?

  • @TheOfficialChillClan
    @TheOfficialChillClan Жыл бұрын

    pumped that Syracuse made the list. Graduated from SU last year and spent my senior year living downtown. It was my introduction to urban living and public transit use. I absolutely loved fell in love with the city and the great bars and restaurants (4 triple D alumni in like a 3 block radius). It has incredible bones and a lot of potential. They're building a $100 billion dollar microchip plant just outside the city and tearing down I-81 which is a textbook redlining relic. Can't wait to visit in a few years!

  • @AJTLfilms
    @AJTLfilms Жыл бұрын

    Erie PA’s weather is actually way better than other cities because I don’t like the heat. The wikipedia article said Erie averages just 4 days at or above 90 which is a miracle for someone who grew up in the south. 90 and above is normal for months at a time in Tennessee and Virginia.

  • @vertov76

    @vertov76

    Жыл бұрын

    Especially if you live near-ish to the lake. The lake lowers the summer temperatures a noticeable amount from even five miles south.

  • @tylerannis7544

    @tylerannis7544

    Жыл бұрын

    @@vertov76 I think being near the lake raises the temp in the winter too or at least makes it more tolerable. Edinboro usually gets dumped on with snow while the city itself gets way less.

  • @Hippiekinkster

    @Hippiekinkster

    Жыл бұрын

    Yeah, I'm just about ready to move back to or near my hometown of Rochester NY. I've quite gotten over Atlanta. I cannot enjoy hot and humid anymore. It was a pretty good town back in the '75 -'79 years I was here (I frequented the Little Five Points Pub frequently; only time I've ever been picked up by a delightfully perverted L... 🔄 🌈 🔥 ) Moved to Houston 11/79, moved back to ATL 8/89. Big change. I can handle cold-ish weather.

  • @vertov76

    @vertov76

    Жыл бұрын

    @@tylerannis7544 For sure. I used to live within a mile of the lake and we wouldn't even have snow. 5 miles south would have many inches. (Not always, but enough to notice the difference!)

  • @notstarboard

    @notstarboard

    Жыл бұрын

    The downside is it's one of the cloudiest cities in the US; it's sandwiched between Cleveland and Buffalo, which are both fixtures in just about any top 10 list for cloudiest US cities. I don't like the heat either, but there are lots of places in the north with similar summers and much more sunlight during the winter.

  • @hngldr
    @hngldr Жыл бұрын

    I recognized that thumbnail of Burlington, VT instantly! My wife and I spent just a couple days of our travelling honeymoon there and have never loved a place more - we'd move there in a HEARTBEAT if we could find jobs there such that we could afford it! Good free transit, GORGEOUS surroundings and lake, beautiful and useful bike paths, incredible pedestrianized area, wonderful compost program (including some awesome restaurants that literally don't have trash because everything is composted by the town), incredible restaurants, and the best food co-op I've ever been to. Now I have to watch the video to see if I was right about the thumbnail...

  • @raoulduke8003
    @raoulduke8003 Жыл бұрын

    As a lifelong resident of Erie, PA, I wanna invite all of you! Erie is a climate "safe haven". When the south is too hot to live and the coasts are inundated...come live in Erie! Our beaches are beautiful. We have tons of clean fresh water. No earthquakes, droughts, or tornadoes.

  • @jacoblaw2044
    @jacoblaw2044 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for including Burlington VT on this list!! So excited to see some representation for my state.

  • @CityNerd

    @CityNerd

    Жыл бұрын

    Yeah, first time for Vermont on the channel, I think! It's a very different US state, isn't it?

  • @NoTimeForNoodles

    @NoTimeForNoodles

    Жыл бұрын

    ​@@CityNerd It is... but I can assure you that there are urbanists here, too!

  • @PS987654321PS

    @PS987654321PS

    Жыл бұрын

    @@CityNerd It's also cloudy and grey 90 percent of the time, outside of July and August.

  • @m.e.3862

    @m.e.3862

    Жыл бұрын

    Very close to Montreal too for quick trips for fun!

  • @geisaune793

    @geisaune793

    Жыл бұрын

    I wish we could know Vermont's secret to having a mostly white, mostly rural population and still being pretty politically liberal because no other majority white and rural state can do it except maybe New Hampshire which is right next door so that doesn't count

  • @JL-hn6hi
    @JL-hn6hi Жыл бұрын

    Charlottesville VA def not a walkable town all over. Car required.

  • @angellacanfora

    @angellacanfora

    Жыл бұрын

    Espesh around the stroad that is route 29

  • @angellacanfora
    @angellacanfora Жыл бұрын

    Lived in C'ville, VA for several years and loved it though not the humid summers. Wonderful cultural offerings, especially around the Downtown Mall - mom & pop coffeehouses, art galleries, bistros, bars, music venues, etc. Once you get away from the mall, though, you need a car to get around, for sure.

  • @Skip6235
    @Skip6235 Жыл бұрын

    I’m completely biased as a former employee of the City of Ann Arbor’s engineering department, but I’m so happy to see it has finally made one of your lists! I love Ann Arbor so much, and I always say that if I were ever forced to move back to Michigan for some reason, the only place I’d even consider living is Ann Arbor (or maaaayyyyybe Ferndale/Royal Oak)

  • @tomrogue13

    @tomrogue13

    Жыл бұрын

    Ann arbor has done so much recently too

  • @AlRoderick

    @AlRoderick

    Жыл бұрын

    It's great if you can afford it. As it stands, most people can't.

  • @robgeach8105

    @robgeach8105

    Жыл бұрын

    as long as I don't have to work on the rail or mine iron I'll take marquette.

  • @CityNerd

    @CityNerd

    Жыл бұрын

    I'm surprised it took this long to get Ann Arbor into a video!

  • @ednorton47

    @ednorton47

    Жыл бұрын

    @@tomrogue13 It is gradually being destroyed by all the new 6-story type buildings downtown. The 2 and 3 story buildings from the 1880's will eventually all be demolished.

  • @alexconrad2904
    @alexconrad2904 Жыл бұрын

    I was almost 100% sure Lancaster, PA would be #1 on the list and was surprised it wasn't until I looked up the metro area population. 550,000 people are in the metro area, which consists of only Lancaster county. There are only 430,000 people in the urbanized area, which I think is slightly better for measuring metro populations, but I digress. I think Lancaster would be the perfect city for any urbanist looking for a smaller town. It's one of the oldest cities in the country, and has an incredible central market. It has a station on the Keystone Service, which is about 1 train/hour to Harrisburg or Philadelphia and New York. Its walk score is an 81, which is higher than any other town in PA, including Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Lancaster is kind of my dream city. If only it was a little closer to the Rocky Mts, but I guess the Appalachians would scratch the outdoors itch.

  • @sebastienhardinger4149

    @sebastienhardinger4149

    Жыл бұрын

    I was surprised that more PA cities didn't make it. Lancaster is the nicest and wealthiest of the small/midsize PA cities but Allentown, Bethlehem, Harrisburg, Scranton, and Reading all seem to be perfect fits for this list

  • @XTRABIG

    @XTRABIG

    Жыл бұрын

    @@sebastienhardinger4149 greater walk score than Phili and Pittsburgh is suprising.

  • @de-fault_de-fault
    @de-fault_de-fault Жыл бұрын

    Erie, PA, has a nonzero number of diners spelled as “dinor.” Valencia doesn’t have that.

  • @jevandezande
    @jevandezande Жыл бұрын

    I spent 4 years in Athens for grad school and really enjoyed it. The public transit was impressive for such a small town (helped out by the free transit cards given to UGA students). The proximity to the Atlanta airport was nice, and there are private shuttles that bring you there. That said, the lack of light rail to Atlanta was absurd. I knew many people who commuted over an hour each way into Atlanta. Sadly, while there were plans to extend MARTA, the suburbs didn't want it.

  • @supersnivy48

    @supersnivy48

    Жыл бұрын

    For the rail connection to Atlanta, there is a planned new rail line from Atlanta to Charlotte that's either high-speed or will have the possibility to be upgraded to it, and Athens is a planned stop. It's probably many many years away from being built, but it would be awesome for Athens to finally get a rail link to Atlanta that rivals the ~90 mins drive that currently exists.

  • @nellwarnes7273

    @nellwarnes7273

    Жыл бұрын

    I'm starting grad school at UGA this fall in their Urban Design program. My area of focus is going to be on rail in the area. There have been many attempts at running passenger rail between Athens and Atlanta in the past. It's really a political issue and with the state legislature being predominantly republican and in major donations from freight rail means this will continue to be an uphill battle.

  • @overcaffeinatedengineering
    @overcaffeinatedengineering Жыл бұрын

    Weird. I'm from Erie and I never expected to see it on any list on this channel, let alone #1 🤯 I'm honestly not sure how I feel about it. It definitely feels more rust belt than urbanist.

  • @orrsh2049

    @orrsh2049

    Жыл бұрын

    I watched this video with a couple of my friends yesterday and we're all from Erie, we had our minds blown when we saw it was # 1 too! I agree with you, I lived up on 38th street when I was still there and it never felt really "urban" or walkable to me living there.

  • @marykuhn337

    @marykuhn337

    Жыл бұрын

    We just left Erie for Madison Wisconsin and never been happier. I was 😩to see it in this list. He obviously hadn’t been there.

  • @jeremyhillaryboob4248
    @jeremyhillaryboob4248 Жыл бұрын

    New Bedford is actually getting a Commuter Rail line later this year! I think it most definitely deserves it's place on this list.

  • @Phoenixz33
    @Phoenixz33 Жыл бұрын

    Ithaca is great! With local ordinances, they kept the stroadiness to the state route that curves around the city, so the downtown area and pedestrian commons have a very community-oriented feel that is centered around local businesses. Excellent bus service (TCAT, as you had mentioned in an earlier video) and a phenomenal homegrown carshare system (Ithaca Carshare) help keep car usage down as well.

  • @rashakor

    @rashakor

    Жыл бұрын

    I live in Ithaca. It is a shadow of itself, though. It used to have airport connections that would be the envy of cities 10 times its size, the best school district for the money in the NorthEast USA, The Commons are slowly being invaded by "art glass shops" and county and town authorities seem hellebent into sprawling into the surrounding hills. Hopefully that eyesore of a mall in Lansing dies soon, and they finally rezone NY13 (the Stroad you mention) to include mix development.

  • @brianjonker510

    @brianjonker510

    Жыл бұрын

    Here are some interesting numbers for Ithaca, NY from a google search. Pop of Ithaca is 32k and the county (Tompkins) it is located is 100k. The student pop @ Cornell is 20k and @ Ithaca College is 5k. Fully 1/4 of the population are students. Ithaca would be nothing without the colleges and its 10k workforce

  • @rook1196

    @rook1196

    Жыл бұрын

    @@brianjonker510 Any college town is fully supported by said college(s).

  • @ryanyoung8364

    @ryanyoung8364

    Жыл бұрын

    @@rashakorthere are plans to redesign 13 from Cascadilla up to the high school. I really wish the development stretched further south to down around Wegman’s, but I suppose it’s better than nothing.

  • @goldenstarmusic1689
    @goldenstarmusic1689 Жыл бұрын

    I gotta love the repeat feature of Madison, as well as seeing underrated gems like Champaign-Urbana and Ithaca. That being said, Rochester MN, Duluth MN, and St Cloud MN I think all deserve honorable mentions on their own right. Rochester MN is probably the smallest city in the US that's building a properly dedicated lane BRT line, that will be opened by 2026. Rochester is home to the Mayo Clinic and U of MN, providing world class healthcare and education that is a literal lifesaver for millions of people every year across the whole US. Duluth MN has also built up their own BRT-lite bus network upgrades with one of the best waterfronts in America, and St Cloud MN was the first city in the entire country to put transit signal priority on all fixed bus routes. Each of the three cities have charming downtowns with plans to improve even further, as Duluth wants to tear down the overbuilt section of I-35 along the waterfront, and Rochester MN pedestrianized some parts of their downtown with plans to further infill the city with proper density and TOD. St Cloud MN is also home to New Flyer's main manufacturing base for buses in the US, with orders only increasing for more Xcelsior buses across the country. Once again another banger video!

  • @chicagoakland

    @chicagoakland

    Жыл бұрын

    I lived in Rochester for a while and I think it flies under the radar so much because of that other Rochester. I loved it there, but my Lord, Mayo has just exploded the home prices there.

  • @goldenstarmusic1689

    @goldenstarmusic1689

    Жыл бұрын

    @@chicagoakland this is why Rochester is desperately trying to upzone and infill on housing construction, densifying the downtown even more. It's gotten to a point there's better vacancy rates in the Twin Cities than Rochester LOL

  • @CubeApril

    @CubeApril

    Жыл бұрын

    Duluth, MN is incredible but Rochester feels more like a big suburb than a small town. So much stuff is stretched out along the highway, and the downtown core is missing a lot of living amenities. It's a real shame because there is so much money in the town, but I'd choose Duluth over Rochester pretty much every time.

  • @goldenstarmusic1689

    @goldenstarmusic1689

    Жыл бұрын

    @@CubeApril Duluth I feel has the better downtown for sure, but Rochester is certainly on the up. As mentioned, much needed infill and street design upgrades to make the city denser and build upon those bones is gonna be great. That being said, at least Rochester doesn't have I-35 running through its downtown, which hopefully soon will also be fixed thanks to the Duluth Waterfront Collective.

  • @jazzcatjohn

    @jazzcatjohn

    Жыл бұрын

    Way too cold.

  • @oceanlnr9414
    @oceanlnr9414 Жыл бұрын

    My home town of Sitka, Alaska might be a bit small to be considered a city, at only 10,000 people, but it has bike friendly and walk friendly certifications, a trail network that runs the length of the road system, a strong mixed use downtown, and a coastal layout that has mostly prevented sprawl. Road system is only about 15 miles of total pavement, and no roads wider than 2 lane with turning lane. 2 roundabouts and one kind-of-a-roundabout-surrounding the historic church located right in the middle of the Main Street

  • @misteryA555

    @misteryA555

    Жыл бұрын

    Your comment sent my down such a rabbit hole... I should be working but all I've done for thirty minutes is research a tiny Alaskan town

  • @TheAmericanCatholic

    @TheAmericanCatholic

    Жыл бұрын

    Sounds great It was built by the Russian empire so I’m not surprised it’s walkable

  • @PhDsquared

    @PhDsquared

    Жыл бұрын

    @@misteryA555 If you really want to go down a rabbit hole read about the Slattery Report, an interesting piece of history. There is also a novel “ The Yiddish Policemen’s Union” based of an alternate history in regards to the Slattery Report.

  • @Rehearsal3434

    @Rehearsal3434

    Жыл бұрын

    Sitka was my favorite stop on my Alaskan cruise. I could almost imagine living there. Beautiful town.

  • @mhollis1231

    @mhollis1231

    Жыл бұрын

    Lol, from the proposal?

  • @stencil_ized
    @stencil_ized Жыл бұрын

    In a similar vein as your “most improved cities” video, maybe you could talk about “vision zero” and which cities have actually made improvements on traffic/pedestrian safety. Right now it seems like pedestrian safety is getting worse in a lot of big cities like LA. Maybe there are some places doing the right thing. Or if it’s really just getting worse across the board, I’d settle for top 10 most unsafe cities for pedestrians, too.

  • @FunkBison

    @FunkBison

    Жыл бұрын

    THIS

  • @karlahovde

    @karlahovde

    Жыл бұрын

    This would be great!

  • @CityNerd

    @CityNerd

    Жыл бұрын

    Yeah, I have a couple ideas around Vision Zero. Depressing topic though -- so many plans, so few good results (so far). We really are going backwards on pedestrian safety.

  • @amfm889

    @amfm889

    Жыл бұрын

    @@CityNerd And kind of a depressing name, really: Vision Zero??

  • @soerenbo
    @soerenbo Жыл бұрын

    As someone from central Europe (Germany to be precise) its always interesting to see what americans think of their own cities and their qualities or advantages. Some of these sound very interesting and nice, i love small towns, but these videos also make me realise how different the standards are compared to where i'm from. Having "a car free place" and "some walkability" would just qualify as a normal town over here, and the amount of cars and parking spaces inside the city center is unbelievable compared to most towns here. Don't get me rwong, Europes cities are NOT perfect or better in every way, they are just very different. I still think its great how you found the qualities of these places and what makes them unique and good places to live in. Generally i have a feeling that more and more people realise what actually makes a good town/city these days, not just in the US but also here in Europe, which ultimately will improve places and how we all live.

  • @cchip55

    @cchip55

    10 ай бұрын

    I am American but have lived in 6 other countries and completely agree that car free and walkable is any normal town in Europe. I have been looking for a place to go for my last move and my U S friends have said my criteria is long and picky and my response has been that I had all of those things in Europe and the UK and one big city in the US. It saddens me that my country is so big, yet I have been struggling to find any smaller cities or towns here that have the things that create a great quality of life.

  • @enjoystraveling

    @enjoystraveling

    6 ай бұрын

    @@cchip55 I agree with this. I lived overseas also and in my normal medium sized city was easy to bike walk or take public transport with my friends or to work. And on the weekend I bicycled with my friends to the next village or so.

  • @JacyndaMinor

    @JacyndaMinor

    3 ай бұрын

    @@cchip55how are you able to move to new cities, are you moving for work or do you find work when you get there? And do you make new friends using some kind of plan or technique when you move somewhere? How do you do this? I’m in my late 30s and I haven’t had to start over before and I’m just trying to imagine what that would even look like. Are you single? Do you spend a lot of time going out to eat, drinking, etc? How do you find a decent doctor in every new place you live?

  • @DuncanAdkins
    @DuncanAdkins Жыл бұрын

    Would love to see a video on the best cities/towns in the southeast US that buck the trend of being stroad- and highway-blighted hellscapes. Some I'd bet on would be Gainesville FL, Savannah GA, and Athens GA as mentioned in this video.

  • @croatia0728

    @croatia0728

    Жыл бұрын

    I would love this too, the southeast rarely gets mentioned on this channel (which tbf we kinda deserve lmao)

  • @bonne_vie

    @bonne_vie

    Жыл бұрын

    ​@@croatia0728 agreed. Has he done a affordable US cities with warm weather? Maybe then lol.

  • @johnmossawir3314
    @johnmossawir3314 Жыл бұрын

    Your Erie description is very distinctly Pennsylvania. There are probably six cities in Pennsylvania that are Erie-like in that they are walkable - hipster-y - college-y with decent infrastructure. Thinking Scranton, Easton, Bethlehem, even Pittsburgh.

  • @bobgardin2347
    @bobgardin2347 Жыл бұрын

    Lifetime Clevelander here. Interesting high rank for Erie, PA. In addition to the points you make, we love the historic and natural amenities the city has to offer. The highest being Presque Isle with several ecozones that enclose the city with a beautiful inland bay and a line of wonderful beaches on its lake Erie side.

  • @PerksterVermont
    @PerksterVermont Жыл бұрын

    An important QOL indicator that would put Burlington, Vermont, over the top: microbrewpubs per capita! This, combined with a high bike/walk index would be pretty interesting.

  • @bmeares
    @bmeares Жыл бұрын

    I could have sworn Greenville, SC was going to be #1 on this list! Still waiting with baited breath for Greenville's time in the spotlight on this channel...

  • @VidClips858

    @VidClips858

    Жыл бұрын

    Extremely car dependent cities tend not to do well on these kinds of lists. I'm pretty sure Greenville's transit system still shuts down completely on Sundays.

  • @andrewhubbard5535

    @andrewhubbard5535

    Жыл бұрын

    I was going to say the same. I'm surprised it wasn't on this list. The park there is gorgeous and Main St is so walkable.

  • @bmeares

    @bmeares

    Жыл бұрын

    @@VidClips858 Greenlink runs all week long! Downtown is extremely walkable and bikeable, and the city just rezoned a lot of commerical property to mixed-use. We've loved living car-free over the last few years!

  • @AmberGalea

    @AmberGalea

    Жыл бұрын

    Is our cost of living is still competitive lately? And I agree that we’re car dependent. I commute here on my bike almost daily, and it often feels dangerous. Not sure if I should keep it up.

  • @VidClips858

    @VidClips858

    Жыл бұрын

    @@bmeares Their website doesn't list any Sunday hours, though. And your life never takes you anywhere on Woodruff Road, or Simpsonville, or Taylors, or Easley? Everything has shifted east and south so much over the last 40 years there. I remember when that downtown was really thriving. All of the major department stores were located there, before McAllister Square and the subsequent malls went in and started ruining everything.

  • @zedlyfe
    @zedlyfe Жыл бұрын

    I'd love a similar style video but limited solely to NYC neighbourhoods. Top ten "cheapest" neighbourhoods but with walkability, bike score, and transit score factored in.

  • @CityNerd

    @CityNerd

    Жыл бұрын

    Oh man that's actually a great idea haha

  • @1ACL

    @1ACL

    Жыл бұрын

    Do philly, too!

  • @queens6583

    @queens6583

    Жыл бұрын

    As long as you remember that Manhattan is not NYC in totality. There are 5 boroughs which all have great neighborhoods. Queens being the largest with the most diversity in the whole country.

  • @thexalon
    @thexalon Жыл бұрын

    I live not too far from Erie PA, and have friends there. It's a nice little place, and while there is the occasional big snow it's not as big a factor in daily life as you might think.

  • @stats1330
    @stats1330 Жыл бұрын

    I feel slighted that you didn't mention the horrible weather of Syracuse. It generally ranks as one of the snowiest cities in the Country. With that however, the State and County do not prioritize snow removal on bike lanes and even close them down. One of the main arteries, Empire State trail does not have any snow removal and for parts they close it off. Biking within the city itself is pretty decent though and is getting better every year albeit at a slower pace than I would like. They are also planning to remove one of the two highways that cut the city (it would honestly make a pretty decent video. A video on the backlash of an objectively good project. Furthermore, Syracuse itself would be a decent topic. Within the city you have basically what people point to as natrual hurdles to bike ability and walk ability. The snow and it is a very hilly city. It fortunely has the backbone of a good city and there are projects to reclaim itself from car dependency). It does have decent train and bus access to NYC and bus access to Ithaca. Skunk city is a terrible place to live. It has an insanely high crime rate and basically no urban amenities within walking distance.

  • @legatus_newt

    @legatus_newt

    Жыл бұрын

    I grew up outside Syracuse and generally can't say I've spent too much time in the city proper. But growing up suburban in the 90's means your parents probably thought the cities were bad and in my case for very racist reasons. So although the Syracuse "metro" was my home for 20 years I've never truly experienced the city itself outside of the museums and the occasional trek out to see an SU football game. Rochester is my preferred upstate NY city but it's probably a bit too big for this list but I always found the bones of Rochester's older neighborhoods to be solid and the music scene / arts scene to be top tier.

  • @alexisdetocqueville9964

    @alexisdetocqueville9964

    Жыл бұрын

    Agree with all these points - grew up right outside Syracuse as well. Westcott area feels like the only true urbanist walkable area in the city. Tipp Hill is just good for bar crawls. I get the feeling he's never visited or spent much time in Cuse... unfortunately it has very high crime, poverty, and addiction issues. You mentioned not plowing bike lanes, and I would also add the huge problem of not plowing sidewalks either, leading to multiple people being killed every single winter because they're forced to walk in the street. Heck, even Rochester has a system for plowing sidewalks but apparently Syracuse can't figure it out. Personally I would have put Buffalo on this list and removed Syracuse altogether.

  • @soccerking100100

    @soccerking100100

    Жыл бұрын

    Just this year the City has invested a lot in new snow removal infrastructure and technology for both roads and sidewalks. Hopefully these type of investments can continue by the county for the surrounding communities.

  • @TimothyHalkowski
    @TimothyHalkowski Жыл бұрын

    Good shout out for Madison, WI. Alas, rapidly becoming quite expensive.

  • @bobsykes
    @bobsykes Жыл бұрын

    A great one! I love this content, and I can't wait for your visits to some of these cities over time.

  • @tomgeorge2917
    @tomgeorge2917 Жыл бұрын

    I'm grew up in Erie and my girlfriend is from Syracuse. We currently live in Tucson. While the weather is fabulous, we could never own a home comparable to where we're from for the price. They have unbelievable affordable housing. Erie is by far a gem in summer. Presque Isle beaches are great. Yeah, you want to flee South in Jan/Feb if you can.

  • @isaacsteen4828
    @isaacsteen4828 Жыл бұрын

    Loving the recent focus on affordability recently. I've already signed a lease in Madison WI, glad to see it getting shouted out here :)

  • @lauramurphy
    @lauramurphy Жыл бұрын

    Burlington vt has covered bus stops everywhere because of how much the public transport is actually used (which surprised me) and while there should be more trains, it does at least have an amtrak to new york city

  • @lauramurphy

    @lauramurphy

    Жыл бұрын

    Also the world's tallest filing cabinet is a work of art in complaint about the opposition to allowing the interstate to go all the way to downtown lol

  • @tnickknight

    @tnickknight

    Жыл бұрын

    Should have mentioned its proximity to Montreal

  • @blankface_
    @blankface_ Жыл бұрын

    I would also recommend Corvallis, Oregon, not in terms of transit but simply very well-built bike infrastructure.

  • @heymikey1981
    @heymikey1981 Жыл бұрын

    After I moved to London, UK from Canada, I visited a small city (or big town) called Salisbury. I remember thinking to myself "this town feels more urban and buzzing than Calgary (my home city in Canada)".

  • @rexx9496

    @rexx9496

    Жыл бұрын

    A city of 100,000 in Europe feels more lively than a city of a million in the US.

  • @tomfields3682

    @tomfields3682

    Жыл бұрын

    My first experience with small European cities were Freiburg and Colmar. Wow! Vieve la difference to US😮

  • @IndyGuy65
    @IndyGuy65 Жыл бұрын

    I lived on the Urbana side of Champaign IL for 12 years. It is a great small city and I am going to consider moving back when I retire. I moved from Champaign for a job opportunity where I had the boss from hell. Champaign is a place I would like to move back.

  • @ashleymott8944
    @ashleymott8944 Жыл бұрын

    Might be challenging, but would be neat to see a similar list restricted to the Sunbelt.

  • @danielkelly2210

    @danielkelly2210

    Жыл бұрын

    Hmmm... 1). Sunbelt 2). Walkable Urbanism 3). Affordable. Pick two! :D

  • @CowWithBeef
    @CowWithBeef Жыл бұрын

    Presque Isle State Park in Erie is delightful in the summer.

  • @ryand2389
    @ryand2389 Жыл бұрын

    I'm really surprised that Burlington, Vermont made the list. Especially with how high the student population is, the roaring home prices, and 0.5% vacancy rate. But I guess that speaks to how good everything else is! Train service to NYC was just restored last summer. Service to Montreal is still in the works. Just a two hour drive to Montreal, and four to Boston. Six beaches, all of which are along the bike path. Ample kayaking and hiking opportunities. Alpine skiing and rock climbing within an hour's drive. And a way bigger arts and music scene than we deserve. But no homes available, please don't anybody try to move here, lol.

  • @MrBirdnose

    @MrBirdnose

    Жыл бұрын

    It can't be an example of urbanism if it's affordable, I guess. ;)

  • @wahlgreengirl7459

    @wahlgreengirl7459

    Жыл бұрын

    Burlington VT is a beautiful town, but it's far from an urbanist municipality. The winters are brutal. It's a very car-centric city. Very few non-students use public transportation. Even fewer commute by bike. Yes, Church St. is car-free but the surrounding streets are jammed with cars. The TOTAL property taxes are $20. That translates to about $6,000 per year on a $300k home. It's a lovely town and a great place to raise a family but the vast majority of Burlingtonians are living suburban lifestyles.

  • @meleeham
    @meleeham Жыл бұрын

    Thank you City Nerd, this was the video I've been waiting for.

  • @gerberjoanne266
    @gerberjoanne266 Жыл бұрын

    I think it's the Norwegians who are fond of saying that there is no such thing as bad weather, only inadequate clothing.

  • @ronnix23
    @ronnix23 Жыл бұрын

    @CityNerd I would love to see you start a series where you list your top 5 cities in each state. I realize for some states it might be a challenge finding 5 cities, but I still think it would be interesting.

  • @sebastienhardinger4149
    @sebastienhardinger4149 Жыл бұрын

    Nice! Was very surprised to not see Allentown, Bethlehem, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Scranton or Reading to make the list. PA really is the king for small/midsize cities If you are struggling for content at some point you could do a state-by-state ranking, or maybe not ranking but just a state by state spotlight of lesser known cities

  • @itsnick37

    @itsnick37

    Жыл бұрын

    Could not agree more! Eastern PA is gonna get popular with a lot of the east coast just becoming not affordable at all. Looking to get out of NJ and will consider this list for sure if I don’t move to better (winter) weather state

  • @mariogalindez7427
    @mariogalindez7427 Жыл бұрын

    As someone who went to UM in Ann Arbor and recently moved to Madison, WI, the bikeability is not even comparable. Sure, Ann Arbor put up one or two protected bike paths, and getting around the university area is fine with a bike (sidewalks and neighborhood roads), but Madison has a massive network of properly separated bike paths that actually take you to all corners of the city. I actually feel very safe biking there. Ann Arbor has recently improved, but it is not even close to Madison yet.

  • @markweaver1012

    @markweaver1012

    Жыл бұрын

    Ann Arbor also has a riverfront bike path that runs for about 15 miles now and will span the whole county when completed in a few years (and which already connects to city and county parks along the river). There are also a number of excellent bike MTB trails in the area and a fantastic network of gravel roads to ride outside the city. As for protected bike lanes downtown-Iwish we hadn't built them. They weren't really needed. I preferred riding the low speed city streets before. Is this better than Madison's network? Dunno, but I really feel spoiled for biking options here. Lastly, I'll take Ann Arbor because it's not also the state capitol and has less 'grit', crime and unrest. Unlike Madison, there were no riots, toppled statues, or smashed shop windows here.

  • @mariogalindez7427

    @mariogalindez7427

    Жыл бұрын

    @@markweaver1012 I appreciate the Ann Arbor love. It's a great city, and those paths are great for recreation, but not for everyday chores or commuting. Michigan is like that in general; I grew up in Plymouth MI and we had some beautiful bike trails too, but they were clearly only useful/meant for recreation. They didn't lead anywhere except the park; not that there is anything wrong with that, but the city of Madison has actually invested in bike paths that mean you can travel through very built up areas unimpeded (we also don't have many protected bike lanes). Also, I can't speak to riots since I've only been here two years, but Madison is simply larger than Ann Arbor and it isn't as much of a college town, so that tracks. To conclude, both cities are great, and both need to do a better job catering to bikes.

  • @markweaver1012

    @markweaver1012

    Жыл бұрын

    @@mariogalindez7427 I never had any trouble getting around Ann Arbor before the first protected bike lane was built. There are really only a handful of higher-speed, 4-lane roads that I thought were unsafe, but I never felt any need to ride on them -- there's always been a way to get where I was going using low-speed streets (often cutting through neighborhoods). In my view, the protected bike lanes downtown were built more out of a sense of 'big city envy' than necessity, and tend to confuse cyclists and drivers alike (and may make things less safe). As for commuting, the 'border-to-border' trail along the river connects to Ypsilanti (where housing is more affordable) and actually is used to commute. It also runs very close to the University Medical Center which is a major employer (with limited, expensive parking), so it's not just a recreational trail. The main impediments to greater usage are weather and, frankly, culture. But maybe the fact that pedal-assist eBikes are allowed on the trail will get more people out there.

  • @mariogalindez7427

    @mariogalindez7427

    Жыл бұрын

    @@markweaver1012 yeah I agree with everything you said (my experience is colored by only being a student in Ann Arbor) except for the protected bicycle lanes being "big city envy." There are a certain group of people who will not feel safe, and will bike less or not at all if they have to share the road with cars. If you want to get anywhere in Ann Arbor you will eventually have to use at least a medium traffic road, and it is nice that the city is protecting some of those. I disagree that they make things less safe, but I did notice that in Ann Arbor they were not properly designed as to prevent cars from using them as places to idle randomly.... That DOES make things worse and can easily be fixed with bollards.

  • @Pistolita221

    @Pistolita221

    Жыл бұрын

    @@markweaver1012 Ann Arbor isn't ideal for bikes, imo for the above stated reasons, but our transit system isn't bad and the city layout has neighborhood grocery stores, which aren't walkable for the whole neighborhood, but do make a major improvement on traffic congestion. imo, where A2 shines is the night life/activities, it's super safe, has events all the time, often with big names, at great venues. That, being walkable from a picturesque midwestern neighborhood puts A2 in a unique position for being walkable, not affordable, and cozy. A very unique place, with nothing quite like it in the USA, from my understanding. Austin TX and Madison WI have been compared, but they're not as cozy, safe and engaging at the same time. And they don't fuse natural beauty with urban planning like A2 does with its parks system, and joint efforts with the state, county and metro area.

  • @theeggreat4
    @theeggreat4 Жыл бұрын

    Ann Arbor is really dope and they have an amazing festival in the summer around the university. Also Charlottesville and Roanoke are amazing small towns if you like Virginia it was a pleasant surprise.

  • @pegwatts6120
    @pegwatts6120 Жыл бұрын

    We just moved it to every six months ago. In the dead of winter and it wasn’t miserable. We love it here! Presque Isle and the beaches are amazing, downtown is lively, and there’s arts and lots of food and the bayfront redevelopment is beautiful. Don’t tell everyone! It’s our hidden gem.

  • @tinitrifle
    @tinitrifle Жыл бұрын

    So excited to see my home town on a list! The firm I work for did the structural design for the World's Tallest Filing Cabinet, which has a genuine urbanist backstory. Thanks!

  • @starzzzy22
    @starzzzy22 Жыл бұрын

    This list was actually very helpful! These are cities I could actually see myself living in.

  • @amandagates5721
    @amandagates5721 Жыл бұрын

    I was really surprised to see Erie on the list. I live in Erie, on the lower west side, and I walk and bike pretty much everywhere although my family does own one car that we share. But here’s the thing. I’m one of the only ones! Even though the part of town I live in is very flat, and there are attractions in walkable distance in either direction, the majority of the people in the city take their car, even if they are only traveling two or three blocks. People regularly tell me I’m crazy. Another thing is that we have one bike lane that has been in place for over 10 years. It goes from the wealthier neighborhood to the peninsula where those people can ride their bikes around it and ride home. No actual connectivity. A couple years ago, the city put in another maybe five blocks stretch of bike lane on parade street that also doesn’t really connect to anything. The residents here are fighting hard against any Bike infrastructure and pedestrian upgrades. Another reason I was surprised to see Erie on the list is that we don’t have any grocery stores in our downtown area. The local co-op recently opened a small satellite store, downtown, and there are different ethnic markets in the lower Eastside neighborhood. But no grocery stores where you could get everything you need. Those are all outside of city limits and very difficult to get to without a car. But other than that the weather is not as bad as people say. Yes, sometimes we do get 5 feet of snow during one storm but it’s usually gone within a few days. No one leaves the house during that time, and then it’s right back to biking and walking for me.

  • @joshk5686
    @joshk5686 Жыл бұрын

    It's funny how a lot of college towns I've been too are extremely walkable around the college and then drop off quite quickly in the case of new development at the edges of town.

  • @adamsterdam9049
    @adamsterdam9049 Жыл бұрын

    Sold on the Purrista Cat cafe

  • @debidousagi
    @debidousagi Жыл бұрын

    I had an unjustified feeling of pride seeing my home town of Eugene get an honorable mention at the top of the video! XD I think growing up and then going to college there really informed my views on urbanism. It's a wonderful place to walk and bike, most of the older parts of the city have a traditional grid, and shopping/restaurant streets tend to be pretty accessible to a lot of neighborhoods... I was also lucky to live in the college area as a young child which meant a ton of things were easy to walk to! It was great! Also as a child I played a lot of frisbee with college kids lol

  • @microcosm1957
    @microcosm1957 Жыл бұрын

    Would love to see a video on the classic cities on the southeast coast! Charleston, Savannah, and St Augustine (the oldest cities in the USA) because they seem to be the perfect representation of the premodern urban vision of America. Walkable, mixed use downtowns with amazing and ornate architecture, tons of small shops and restaurants, with perfect grids dotted with green spaces. Went recently and thought of the things I learned from this channel!

  • @nicoleboland4132
    @nicoleboland4132 Жыл бұрын

    I’m in Syracuse, the green on top traffic light is there because in the old days the Irish kids would consistently break the red light because to them the red represented the English and the green represented the Irish and they didn’t want the English “above” the Irish so the city put the green on top because Tipperary Hill is an Irish neighborhood both then and now.

  • @Pistolita221

    @Pistolita221

    Жыл бұрын

    That's a cool piece of history, ty for sharing. F the toreys!

  • @robthetraveler1099
    @robthetraveler1099 Жыл бұрын

    8:23 Watch out for Williamsport. The city may be perfectly fine, and the surrounding area may be pretty, but it's in the middle of nowhere (1.5-2 hrs north of Harrisburg, hours from Philly and Pittsburgh) and it's in the midst of DARK red central PA.

  • @WinstonSmithGPT

    @WinstonSmithGPT

    Жыл бұрын

    Oh horrors. What if they speak to you?!??😮😮😮

  • @robthetraveler1099

    @robthetraveler1099

    Жыл бұрын

    @@WinstonSmithGPT Exactly.

  • @MatthewZiarnik
    @MatthewZiarnik Жыл бұрын

    Bethlehem PA would be a great add on to this list!

  • @AndrewChernauskas
    @AndrewChernauskas Жыл бұрын

    Great video! Come visit us in Erie, PA anytime! Lots of great resources here that are atypical for a city of its size. If you live close to the lakeshore, you don't get nearly as much snow as those living south of I-90.

  • @brandonmcclain6476
    @brandonmcclain6476 Жыл бұрын

    Hey🎉 We got an honorable mention!!! "Old Town" Northside of Lansing, Michigan has a good vibe, and the busses run regularly.

  • @deloreandorian
    @deloreandorian Жыл бұрын

    Feeling very fortunate to be graduating with a degree in urban planning in your no. 2 city! I really hope they update the google earth rendering for the city, that current form is from 2015 and the difference in what it looks like today in 2023 is incredible.

  • @CityNerd

    @CityNerd

    Жыл бұрын

    I know! I'm gonna have to go back and visit soon so I can take photos

  • @alexisdetocqueville9964
    @alexisdetocqueville9964 Жыл бұрын

    As someone who grew up and until recently lived in Syracuse, I was pretty shocked it was on this list, let alone at #3. I've got to disagree with it being an urbanist city, however. There is little walkability outside of a tiny stretch on Westcott street and downtown (Armory Square). Very much a car-dependent, car-centric city. Extremely high crime and a bad economy with one of the highest poverty rates in the country (top 10) the last time I checked. On paper it looks much better than it is in reality. I would have replaced #3 with Ithaca and put Buffalo, NY in Ithaca's spot.

  • @rnggall9640

    @rnggall9640

    11 ай бұрын

    Yup SYR is a walkers nightmare. The driving is bad too. Yes Tipp Hill is nice but you can't walk there from any where.

  • @alberickarina-plun72
    @alberickarina-plun72 Жыл бұрын

    As a resident and planner in Cville, loved seeing it on the honorable mention list! I've been here almost a year and love it so far, very walkable downtown, and lots of cool spots to check out.

  • @ousamaabdu794
    @ousamaabdu7949 ай бұрын

    Glad to see some non-trendy towns on the list (Williamsport, Erie, New Bedford). Your right about Pennsylvania having plenty of smaller, older towns with good bones, historic downtowns and walkable access. Williamsport is quite dense, but surrounded by beautiful scenery. Really does hit on many of the metrics that you speak about. Great video!

  • @michaelimbesi2314
    @michaelimbesi2314 Жыл бұрын

    Loved to see VA mentioned. Also, the stuff about New Bedford is true. It was the capital of the New England whaling industry and was full of wealthy ship captains.

  • @missybarbour6885
    @missybarbour6885 Жыл бұрын

    This is so crazy. I never thought I'd ever see Erie mentioned on this channel because what I remember from living there is massive highways and sparse bus routes. While I'm sure the highways are still there, I'll have to take a look and see if the bus situation has changed the next time I'm up to visit family!

  • @valpix7007
    @valpix7007 Жыл бұрын

    I'm from rural northeast PA originally, but I went to UVM in Burlington for four and a half years and words cannot express how much that city feels like home to me.

  • @ethanshelton2261
    @ethanshelton2261 Жыл бұрын

    Great vid! I can’t wait to see what you do if you go to Barcelona. Would love to see something on their super blocks

  • @dmcinerney6841
    @dmcinerney6841 Жыл бұрын

    Madison had the highest year over year rent increase last year of any city in the US, so don’t think it would make this list in a year or two 😬

  • @1973HST
    @1973HST Жыл бұрын

    Halifax, Nova Scotia fits your bill, here. In particular, the South End of the city, on the peninsula.

  • @noahgude4739
    @noahgude4739 Жыл бұрын

    Always loved your videos! Great content

  • @jonathanstreeter2205
    @jonathanstreeter2205 Жыл бұрын

    Some of the places mentioned here are brutally cold in winter, unbearably hot & humid in summer, or both. As a person who prefers to bike and walk whenever possible, I found my two years in Madison WI to be soul-crushing. I did exercise outdoors daily, but often at my own physical peril. Places like Lansing, Syracuse, and Burlington are the same. I'm an urbanist who doesn't want to die of exposure walking to pick up some groceries.

  • @ryand2389

    @ryand2389

    Жыл бұрын

    I walked to work every day in Burlington last year. It wasn't that difficult 🤷‍♂about 17,000 students walk to classes, the gym, stores, and bars every day too. I think the length and height of the hill is more limiting to walking and biking than the weather, lol.

  • @ebrim5013

    @ebrim5013

    Жыл бұрын

    The only real answer to this problem is California and that comes with a significant price tag. But worth it if seasonal extremes are too much. I suspect that from this list Charlottesville might be pretty decent climatically. Yeah, it'll have some really hot (and some really cold) days in a year but more of the year will be nice than a place further north or south.

  • @kmetz878

    @kmetz878

    Жыл бұрын

    I've heard that's a negative for some people. I've lived in NY my whole life, so that's just how the seasons work - I look forward to a brisk cold in the winter as well as the hot summers (although they've been getting hotter than I like in recent years). They each have their charms, you just need to make sure you dress appropriately.

  • @mattcrwi

    @mattcrwi

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ebrim5013 Yeah, I'm from PA and I wouldn't want to move to WI or MI because of the winters. The vid downplays the weather in Erie too much. The lake effect snow is very frequent all winter.

  • @WinstonSmithGPT

    @WinstonSmithGPT

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ryand2389 I’m glad you’ve decided to remain 28 the rest of your life.

  • @emilymclean6541
    @emilymclean6541 Жыл бұрын

    Appreciate the emphasis on affordability! I'm 24, just starting my career, and want to live somewhere walkable, well-planned, with good transit options where I can potentially afford a house in a few years. I'm also a smaller city fan so this video is perfect for me. Burlington is high on my list.

  • @sandhyadesai6318
    @sandhyadesai6318 Жыл бұрын

    Would love to see urbanism content about the Spanish cities you are visiting, particularly how the Madrid metro compares to other cities' metros.

  • @kennielsen3896
    @kennielsen3896 Жыл бұрын

    Envious of you broadcasting from Spain. I was a teaching assistant last year in the Valencian Community at a public school, assisting the English Teachers as a Native Speaker. Was a blast. I'm now planning on a move there with a target date of September.

  • @AaronSmith-sx4ez
    @AaronSmith-sx4ez Жыл бұрын

    I'm surprised that you felt Ann Arbor had better bike trails than Madison's. Madison bike trail network is quite good. Madison is actually a planned city with a number of designed rail connections...but most have been converted to exceptional bike paths that are reasonably separated from traffic. There are also intercity bike trails that let you bike almost continuously to Milwaukee, Chicago, or the Twin Cities. Wisconsin is a pretty bike friendly state with among the most rails-to-trails paths in the country.

  • @AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH

    @AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH

    11 ай бұрын

    Madison is bike paradise, they even plow the bike lanes

  • @everestjarvik5502
    @everestjarvik550210 ай бұрын

    I live in Eugene and I love it here- big enough that there’s plenty of stuff to do, small enough that it’s close to nature, not too loud or polluted, and has a vibrant local culture The public transit kinda sucks but a nice thing about a smaller city is that you can just bike everywhere so that’s what I do

  • @texaswunderkind

    @texaswunderkind

    10 ай бұрын

    Is racism an issue? Oregon was founded as a haven for whites, you know.

  • @wolfgangotium2777
    @wolfgangotium2777 Жыл бұрын

    Fayetteville, AR needs to be on this list! I moved from Fayetteville to Athens, GA (which is not walkable whatsoever, but is slowly implementing bike trails, and public busses are free ). Fayetteville has TONS of biking and walking trails that span south fayetteville all the way to northern Bentonville through multiple cities that are all interconnected. The downtown area is well connected to the college and the campus is dense; and it is also one of the easiest drive able college towns and cheap rent/home costs! I miss living within a 10 minute drive/30 minute bike ride to the entire town.

  • @linuxman7777

    @linuxman7777

    Жыл бұрын

    Ironic because Walmart based out of Fayetteville killed most of the walkable towns in America

  • @wolfgangotium2777

    @wolfgangotium2777

    Жыл бұрын

    @@linuxman7777 Walmart is based out of Bentonville and is who bankrolled 75% of the walking/biking trails along with L.L Bean. But yes, it is very ironic lol I despise Walmart with a passion

  • @ChristianoOwen
    @ChristianoOwen Жыл бұрын

    Always love seeing PA make the list @citynerd ❤

  • @ryanevans2655
    @ryanevans2655 Жыл бұрын

    Was in Sevilla when they won the UEFA Europa Cup in summer 2015. Made for an epic night out, both during and after the game

  • @jamescoulson7729
    @jamescoulson7729 Жыл бұрын

    If Canada was allowed on this list I’d say both Victoria and Halifax should be here but Victoria is a bit expensive so it might not count. But what’s nice about both these cities is that they have a very urban feel to them, where people walk and bike or bus to work or school, where the nightlife is pretty good and there’s always stuff to do

  • @melissahalle8398
    @melissahalle8398 Жыл бұрын

    Wish you could include more Canadian cities in your videos, would be nice to hear your opinion.There is a lot of good urban design to be found

  • @jamescoulson7729

    @jamescoulson7729

    Жыл бұрын

    I was waiting for Victoria and Halifax

  • @trevorvanderwoerd8915

    @trevorvanderwoerd8915

    Жыл бұрын

    @@jamescoulson7729 No way they would have passed the affordability threshold. Unfortunately, affordable cities in Canada are almost entirely gone.

  • @marklittle8805

    @marklittle8805

    Жыл бұрын

    ​@@jamescoulson7729 housing prices in Canada do them all in. If they were adjusted (Canadians live with different priorities and universal healthcare so our expenses are different) to some sort of metric; then Halifax, Victoria and Kingston might come into some sort of measure

  • @smokinjoe4684
    @smokinjoe4684 Жыл бұрын

    Crazy how fast this channel is growing! I was here before 100k and happy to see exponential growth

  • @evanobrien2429
    @evanobrien24299 ай бұрын

    Another great video, thanks

  • @fabes89
    @fabes89 Жыл бұрын

    OH NO Williamsport: Bury that monstrosity!! Look at all that riverfront just screaming out to be accessible!

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