United States

What do you call u?

2007-04-30T07:30:00.001-07:00

No US university is referred to by its oficial name but by some shorter, preferred name.

What name is most proferred when people in your state refer to their local universities?

For example, here in Chicago, the University of Chicago is the U of C, the University of Illinois (Urbana) is U of I; the University of Illinois at Chicago is UIC. period; nothing else. Most people would refer to the University of Wisconsin-Madison as Madison and the University of Iowa as Iowa. Indiana University is more commonly called IU.

Cal would seem to be the Bay Area's choice for what it calls the Univ. of California, Berkely. I've heard Angelenos use both USC and SC for the Univ of Southern California. I don't think any Mississipian calls the University of Missisippi anything else but Ole Miss. Don't Atlantans refer to Georgia Tech as Tech? Mpls-St. Paul's University of Minnesota is far more often just the U (as opposed to U of M) locally.

How about your own local universities? What names are preferred locally.>

Which state has the biggest sense of "State Pride"

2007-04-30T06:30:00.001-07:00

Well, which state has many people thinking they are from their state first and then our country, or Which state people refer to themselves the most.... etc.

I believe it is Texas. You know, you always see those "Don't mess with Texas" bumber stickers. The other day, I saw a little sign on a door that said "Hi, I'm from Texas, what country are you from?" LOL. That's funny.
I have relatives in Texas and they are always telling me how great Texas is and how it's the "best". I mean, are they brainwashing them down there or is it really that great? LOLOLOL

Well, please reply. Thanks!
-macon4ever>

We're not what you think.

2007-04-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

Often times perception of what a city is like lag far behind the reality of what the city is today. People's image of your city may be 5, 10, 15 or more years out of date.

Share with us some of the ways that your city today differs from the paradigms people have about it based on the way it used to be.

Why would we be surprised if we vistied your hometown and end up saying, "I had no idea that ______ has become such a terrific city."

What don't we know about what you have become?>

How do your suburbs make your city what it is?

2007-04-30T05:30:00.001-07:00

For all the talk we get into here on how large our cities are, it is metropolitan population that is a far more salient statistic in what makes a city tick than the city's own population. All the acolades that we pour on cities like San Francisco or Boston that manage to be so major, so vibrant, and yet so small are meaningless if we don't consider the huge size of the Bay Area and metropolitan Boston.

So why not examine our cities by looking at their suburbs, too.

Those suburbs are separated from the city by little more than an arbitrary city limits. Under then municipal services, there is no real distinction between the city and the towns that abut it.

Let's talk about your city. What contributions do your suburbs make due to their size or their offerings that largely impact the nature of your city itself, the beneficiary (or the victim) of the suburbs that surround it?

Does LA, as a city, benefit by having Disneyland, the Rose Bowl, Rodeo Drive, Malibu, the Santa Monica pier in its surroundings? How influenced is Detroit as a city by the attitudes of subrban Detroiters to it? Can you really understand DC if you do not understand VA and MD? Is part of what makes us take Miami so seriously lie on the beaches that run from Miami Beach to perhaps as far north as Palm Beach? Does Dallas's money and power get muted if you don't look at north Dallas, beyond city limits or to University Park (SMU), Irving (Cowboys), Arlington (Rangers)? Are Clayton's high rises park of what makes St. Louis work the way it does? Is Marin's mellowness and Silicon Valley's technology integral parts of what makes San Francisco tick? Can even mighty New York City be fully understood without getting an understanding of the Jersey towns and cities on the Hudson's west bank?>

is there something to do in phoenix?

2007-04-30T04:30:00.001-07:00

well i posted this question on the west coast forum but since noone answer lets posted here.

i am planning a trip to phoenix and i wanted to see how exactly is it?

any thoughts oh btw i am planning this trip on august.

my guessing is that is provably really hot. but how does the temperature feel does it feel the same as miami or worst?>

Does city influence what suburb is like?

2007-04-30T04:00:00.001-07:00

Can you tell anything about a suburb by knowing the size (and other factors) of the city to which it is a part?

In other words, are two suburbs, each with a population of, say, 20,000, and are located in a section of suburbia developed at the same time and are made of up subdivisons and sprawl, in the same region,but one is a suburb of a city of 2,000,000 and the other a suburb of a city of 750,000 very much alike or do they differ in nature because of the size (and importance?) of the city to which each is attached?>

Does city influence what suburb is like?

2007-04-30T03:30:00.001-07:00

Is Washington DC USA's most European like city?

2007-04-30T03:00:00.001-07:00

What do you think? Its a really really beautiful city and it reminded me of the pictures of the European cities that I have seen.

The architecture was amazing and the planning and everything, truly one of my favorite US cities.

Your opinions?>

How big is religion in your city?

2007-04-30T02:30:00.001-07:00

Honolulu is one of the rare cities in the world that religion isn't wildly spread among its citizens.

New statistic shows that only 33% of the people in Hawaii's main city is religious. I thought this was quite shocking and there are numerous sites about Honolulu's strong atheism.

"33.32% of the people in Honolulu, HI are religious, meaning they affiliate with a religion. 17.55% are Catholic; 7.35% are Protestant; 3.36% are LDS; 4.26% are another Christian faith; 0.73% in Honolulu, HI are Jewish; 0.00% are an eastern faith; 0.07% affilite with Islam."

So is religion big in your city? (No religious debates or battle, this is a clean thread, no prejudice).>

Metro areas in more than one state

2007-04-30T02:00:00.001-07:00

Do metro areas in more than one state operate differently than those in just one state? Do the state boundaries make a difference in how the parts interelate? on perceptions.

Is there a fundamental difference between places like

Miami, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Denver, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Indianapolis, Phoenix, Cleveland, etc.

-and-

New York (NY, NJ, CT), Philadelphia (PA, NJ, DE), Chicago (IL, IN, WI), Boston (MA, NH), St. Louis (MO, IL), Kansas City (MO, KS), Cincinnati (OH, KY, IN), Washington (DC, MD, VA), etc.

...or do they tend to function the same way??????

(special note: obviously San Diego's relationship with Mexico and Detroit's with Canada is a HUGE difference when compared to other metro areas....my interest here was more about the subtler influence of being in more than one state)>

The Chicago Flag

2007-04-30T01:30:00.001-07:00

As a native Chicagoan, I've always had a warm feeling towards our city's flag. At college, I even had one on my walls. All of my friends from other parts of the country/world thought this was rather odd.

Question is, is Chicago alone in this way, ie having a flag that virtually all of its citizens are aware of?

>

Post WWII Years: Bad for the US?

2007-04-30T01:00:00.001-07:00

How negative was the effect of the post-World War II years in the United States?

America emerged from the war as the only major economic power. Its industries, supplying the war effort for the US and her allies, is what drew our economy out of the Depression...far more than the *** Deal did. The devastation of the war crippled the industrial power of Britain, France, Germany, Japan, etc. US factories went into overdrive in peace as they did during war.

The war woke up a pent up need for consumer goods...and every major appliance seemed to have developed in time for that huge shhift to suburbia. Although in their waning days, the 1950's were still a time of colonialism and the US benefitted from the raw materials of these colonies as did their European "owners".

The US population was still relatively low due to immigration laws from the beginning of the 20th century that kept their numbers under strict control and with a quota system to determine which countries sent us immigrants. In addtion to that relatively low population density was a land loaded with resources, one of the most favorable pieces of land for any nation...and remarkably for one so large.

Add to this all the largest-by-far generation in the history of the United States, the Baby Boomers, who grew up in the only world they k***: safe, afluent, spoiled to a degree by parents who had been through depression and war and wanted to give all they could to their children in this *** age of affluence.

Thus "life was good" (for many) in the 1950's and into the 1960's before the decaying of our industries and the social ills and inequalities of society finally being addressed during the civil rights movement.

But the salient point here is this: the huge group of baby boomers, a group that seemed to be "empowered" from birth, grew up in the only world that they k***: A WORLD OF UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS THAT IT WOULD LAST.

Lasting or not, it became the mind set that we could have it all, all that we wanted, that supply and demand did not have to exist, that affluence was open for all, that the world outside our shores could be held at bay.

How ultimately did that mind set that the world would always remain our oyster, that we could always have what we wanted color the way the US sees economic issues today? How much did living in fantasyland make us ill-prepared for what happens when fantasyland closes down?>

FORBES BEST CITIES FOR BUSINESS AND JOBS

2007-04-30T00:30:00.001-07:00

Best Places For Business And Careers
04.05.07, 6:00 PM ET

For a state with just over 8 million, NC seems to blow the competition away with 5 metros in the top 25 and 2 in the top 10. Amazing. Is it something in the water?

Rank Metro/Cost Of Doing Business/Job Growth Educational Attainment/Population (thou)
1 Raleigh NC 27 35 12 978
2 Provo UT 67 17 30 465
3 Boise ID 19 19 84 560
4 Des Moines IA 49 64 50 531
5 Knoxville TN 14 49 88 662
6 Albuquerque NM 34 56 53 813
7 Durham NC 33 124 6 462
8 Fayetteville AR 11 8 140 417
9 Nashville TN 42 47 82 1,438
10 Olympia WA 113 21 40 233
11 Ogden UT 58 33 96 499
12 Gainesville FL 52 67 13 243
13 Naples FL 79 3 46 317
14 Richmond VA 26 72 64 1,193
15 Lincoln NE 15 114 24 284
16 Edison NJ 174 93 25 2,323
17 Tallahassee FL 81 68 16 339
18 Mercer County NJ 156 46 20 368
19 Omaha NE 69 113 60 821
20 Spokane WA 47 60 97 447
21 Charlotte NC 44 91 54 1,563
22 Tampa-St. Petersburg FL 104 26 129 2,691
23 Asheville NC 10 70 127 398
24 Winston-Salem NC 7 121 110 455
25 Atlanta GA 119 100 36 5,064>

Feeling Doomed.

2007-04-30T00:00:00.001-07:00

Is it wrong that I dont want to live in the same state my family resides in? Have any of you guys moved away from your home state and family? I live in New York and while New York City is great, when I finish highschool I want to go to college and live in a diffrent state/city.>

Instant urbanity: blurring city, suburban line

2007-04-29T23:30:00.001-07:00

Instant urbanity
Bay Area looks to Denver, where suburbs, cities blur
sfgate.com
John King, Chronicle Urban Design Writer
Sunday, April 8, 2007
John King
Recent Columns
Harvard planner likes 'very basic' Union Square
04/03/2007
How one neighborhood is being reborn, a bean at a time
03/27/2007
SAN MATEO - Dense mix envisioned for racetrack
03/24/2007
John King Archive

(04-08) 04:00 PDT Lakewood, Colo. -- The Bay Area's suburban centers of tomorrow are being previewed today in this city outside Denver.

Buildings as high as five stories hug the sidewalk, most cloaked in dignified stone but some in crisp modern glass. A movie marquee jabs up like a needle across from a plaza that has a skating rink in winter and a busy pub year-round.

Upstairs are offices, or apartments, or condominiums. And while the shops are the usual suspects -- Baby Gap at one end, Victoria's Secret at another -- art studios are tucked around the corner.

It doesn't feel urban, not really -- but it's nothing like the shopping mall that covered this spot until 2002, or the tract-house neighborhoods that surround it.

What's emerging instead is a new form of the American Dream -- a new type of landscape where the lines between city and suburb blur in ever more complex ways.

The landscape is changing because Americans are changing. An increasing number want lives that offer suburban ease -- new homes, free parking, security -- but also a hint of urbanity. They want to step out their door and buy a cup of fair trade coffee, or window-shop with friends before strolling to dinner or a movie.

The Bay Area can see the result in spots from Santana Row in San Jose, where restaurants spill out from below brightly colored lofts, north to Windsor in Sonoma County, where an emerging town center contains buildings that recall long-gone local landmarks.
But this emerging landscape is most visible in fast-growing metropolitan areas such as Denver -- where two particularly ambitious examples are taking root.

In Lakewood, the old mall, which was called Villa Italia, is being replaced by 22 city-like blocks named Belmar. Within Denver's city limits is an even larger transformation: The former Stapleton International Airport is the site of a virtual new city that combines old-fashioned homes on cozy parks with contemporary lofts and a restaurant-lined "town center."
"Denver is starting to move out in front in terms of planning," said Peter Calthorpe, a Berkeley planner who helped craft the 4,700-acre Stapleton project.

"You still see the same old sprawl on the outskirts because of inertia, but the region has come to terms with what the future needs to be."
Villa Italia was a big deal when it opened in 1966. There were ornate columns and Roman statues and 80 acres of parking surrounding the mall, which was bigger than anything west of Chicago. Residents of Denver suburbs drove straight by older malls to sample the goods.

Thirty-five years later, Villa Italia was the one left behind -- out of fashion and past its prime. As for Lakewood, a once-genteel retreat for Denver's wealthy, it had morphed into Colorado's fourth most populous city. Yet the 142,000 residents lacked anything resembling a downtown; instead, there were strip malls and traffic arteries with subdivisions unto themselves.

Now the $850 million Belmar development aims to change both equations. The site of the old mall contains everything you might expect to find in the center of a midsize city -- housing, shops, offices and culture -- and mixes them in a way that consciously evokes urban districts of old.

Teller Street is the centerpiece: It begins with two-story buildings clad in brown brick, a P.F. Chang's on one side and Wells Fargo on the other, then climbs in the next block to four- and five-story buildings that are primarily residential, with the multiplex as an accent in the middle. The next block drops to empty lots (for now) followed by a grassy square with lofts rising around it.

There's also the unexpected.

On the plaza near the multiplex, a brownstone-styled complex dubbed The Residences at Belmar Plaza includes a 2,900-square-foot penthouse priced at $1 million. Across the way is the Baker Street Pub -- promising "the city's best happy hour" -- but also The Lab at Belmar, an arts forum subsidized by Belmar's developer. Among the recent offerings: a soiree where a burlesque dancer was accompanied by a cello and six electric typewriters.

"I'm still trying to figure out the connection between burlesque and typing," Lakewood's mayor, Steve Burkholder, admitted with a laugh. "But I love the stimulation of something new."

Burkholder became mayor in 1999, the year Continuum Partners of Denver responded to the city's call for proposals to redevelop Villa Italia.
Construction began in 2003. Today, 10 of the 22 blocks are either complete or on the rise. Others in the works include an office building, a hotel and a 20-story residential tower.

"We are trying to create a commercial and cultural center for the west side of the metropolitan area," explained Continuum's founder, Mark Falcone. That's why prime space was set aside for The Lab, as well as why blocklong stretch of studios doubles as a screen for a parking garage.

"There are certain things we can do within a physical framework that can provide a setting for community," Falcone said. "Artists and craftspeople are interesting, and they're starting to attract other people with their own opinions and ideas. That's when community starts to unfold."
There's a stage-set feel to all this, from the careful parade of architectural styles to the security guards who roll down the sidewalks on Segways. Nevertheless, both Mark Gelernter and Katy Kirksey happily call Belmar home.

Gelernter is dean of the University of Colorado's school of architecture, a city-lover who lived for 10 years in London. But he spent the past 15 years in suburban houses or condo complexes until he and his teenage son moved into a three-story Belmar row house.

"If I had my druthers, I'd have architecture that's a little more edgy," Gelernter confessed, but that's his only real complaint. "I really do feel like I'm part of a town. ... The proximity of the shops is a big thing. We go for walks every evening, which we never did before."

Kirksey brings a different perspective: She's a 26-year-old elementary school teacher who grew up in Lakewood. "As a kid, the mall was awesome -- we'd go walking around all the time," she recalled, though by high school "it almost seemed like it was taken over by gangs."

Today, Kirksey and her sister own a rowhouse around the corner from Gelernter.

"We wanted to be close to home," Kirksey said. She's also enchanted by her attached house and its snug setting. "It doesn't have a yard, which is nice."

Do childhood friends mock her move to the mall? "They're crazy about Belmar," Kirksey replied. "The Pub is like a high school reunion on Friday nights."

For Kirksey, Belmar isn't urbanity lite. It's a new way to live, "comfortable and convenient but still suburban. ... It's kind of hip."

Where Belmar has the feel of a suburb dressed in city garb, Denver's new Stapleton district goes in the opposite direction.

You can drive a mile along 29th Avenue -- generously landscaped with a median that includes paths for strollers and bicyclists -- and see nothing but housing on either side. The homes are colorful and big and packed in tight.
But 29th Avenue also shows Stapleton's larger ambitions.

On the west is Founders' Green, which is large enough to include a grassy amphitheater and kid-friendly fountains within a "town center" where four-story apartment buildings meet the sidewalk with cafes and stores that cater to residents. Nine blocks to the east, an expansive open space corridor along Westerly Creek is more like a remnant of prairie than a domestic patch of green.

A trip down side streets reveals that driveways are banished to alleys; there are no cul-de-sacs and few backyards. On a single block there might be five distinct housing types; Dayton Court, for example, has $700,000 craftsman-inspired homes at one end and bungalow-like duplexes priced below $200,000 at the other.

In a more contemporary vein, on 29th Avenue, Moda Lofts come with sharp lines and glass walls and the ad slogan "the rebirth of cool in the heart of Stapleton."

These extremes occur throughout a project that encompasses 4,700 acres and could eventually house 30,000 residents, a population the size of Menlo Park's. Construction began in 2001 and is scheduled for completion in 2020. There's room for eight public schools, 1,116 acres of open space, and office and light industrial space for 35,000 workers.

"The blurring of urban and suburban, that's what Stapleton is about at the end of the day," said Denise Gammon, a senior vice president at Forest City Enterprises, the developer selected by the city in 1998. "Let's not kid ourselves, we're not downtown. ... We're trying to be a hybrid, a community with certain urban characteristics."

From 1929 until 1995, this site six miles east of downtown Denver was the regional airport. But after voters in 1989 agreed to build a larger airport on the city's outskirts, civic organizations began debating how to weave the freed land back into the established neighborhoods nearby.

The result: a 150-page plan released in 1995 that proclaimed its goal was "to promote diverse and successful communities rather than isolated, single-use developments" as well as "retail services and employment opportunities within walking distance of home."

These ideals draw on New Urbanism, a planning theory that presents itself as an alternative to typical suburbia's pod-like spread of housing tracts, shopping centers and office parks. Mix things together, New Urbanists argue, and you can reduce sprawl and automobile use while nurturing a sense of community.

Forest City not only agreed to the goals, it hired Berkeley planner Calthorpe -- a founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism -- to convert the 1995 vision into a development plan.

With real life, though, come compromises.

One example is a big-box center called Quebec Square, the first piece of Stapleton that drivers see when they leave Interstate 70. There's nothing pedestrian-friendly about the sea of asphalt or the likes of Wal-Mart Supercenter and Home Depot. But Forest City opened Quebec Center for a reason: The taxes it generates help pay for Stapleton's infrastructure.
Bureaucrats also clip idealism's wings.

At Founders' Green -- the first "town center" that actually exists, though four are planned -- the grassy core billed as a community gathering place is isolated by a pair of one-way roads that create three-lane flows of traffic on either side. There are no stop signs to slow the stream of cars.
The one-way roads were Calthorpe's idea; traffic engineers had wanted a single six-lane thruway. But the planner lost the fight for stop signs.
"It's pulling teeth to do anything that isn't the standard suburban situation," Calthorpe said. "You don't win all the battles."

For now, despite the in-town address, Stapleton feels more like a suburb than a piece of central Denver. But it's an open-minded suburbia, one that isn't segregated by home price, and where (relatively) tall buildings and modern looks fit in. There's also a genuinely sophisticated network of parks and open spaces that preserve a sense of nature.

"Stapleton has proved a lot of things to developers," Calthorpe said. "It proves you can mix housing types. And it is three times denser than typical suburban growth. Once you've established a place as a good place to live, you can push the envelope."

Neither Stapleton nor Belmar is unique. Malls are being replaced by mixed-use developments across the country. New Urbanist communities are finding a niche.

Nor are the two projects perfect: each is so polished, so fresh, that it feels a little too good to be true. And as the Denver region continues to grow -- the current population of 2.6 million is projected to jump by 400,000 people in the next decade -- new housing tracts still march in stubby procession across the prairie to the Rocky Mountain foothills.

Even so, Belmar and Stapleton have altered the region's perception of what growth can be. The buildings go higher than the suburban norm; there's architectural diversity. Both sites are filling in more quickly than planned, because the market is strong.

"Those projects have really opened local eyes to what a quality suburban development can be," said Marilee Utter, a Denver land-use consultant. "It gives us a whole different model. Not only are developers willing to try something new, the public is demanding it.">

Hollywood Hills On Fire ?????

2007-04-29T23:00:00.001-07:00

brush fire erupted in a rugged area of the Hollywood Hills on Friday. The fire started next to the Oakwood Toluca Hills, a corporate housing complex northwest of downtown, and spread up the north face of the hills.

A column of smoke roiled into the sky behind the famous Hollywood sign that stands on the south face of the hills.

Some 150 firefighters and five helicopters battled the flames, said Fire Department spokesman Ron Myers.

There were no reports of structural damage and no formal evacuations, he said.

"I don't know the exact last date we've seen a fire in this particular area but the hills are prone to fires throughout the year," he said. "This is just a little bit earlier than what we normally see."

Southern California is parched after an extremely dry winter that left rainfall levels far below normal.

The Hollywood Hills bisect Los Angeles, forming the southern side of the San Fernando Valley.

The blaze started between the east side of Universal City and the western side of sprawling Griffith Park.

Thanks Joey

Quote:>

Originally Posted by Joey313 >

PIcs from curbed L.A

>

coolest neighborhoods in north america

2007-04-29T22:30:00.001-07:00

What are the coolest villages in North America? Of course, "cool" is naturally subjective. But to me, "cool" means urban, edgy, steeped in great architecutre, young, scenic, and so on.

my picks?

ukranian village, chicago
SoMa, San Francisco
Back Bay, boston (OK not edgy, but cool)
Harleston Village, Charleston, SC
Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NYC
Brewerytown, Philly

your picks? Feels free to add pictures.>

State other than your own in which you feel connected

2007-04-29T21:30:00.001-07:00

Is there a state that you feel a connection with that is not your home state or the one you are living in?

If so, why do you feel the connection?

I live in Georgia, and I feel a connection with North Carolina.

Why? Well, my wife's family is from North Carolina. Whenever I visit North Carolina, the culture and way of life seem very similar. For example, both Georgia and North Carolina are fast growing states, they both have similar patterns of development, and the area of greatest population within both states is the Piedmont.

So what about you?>

Black Americans leaving California, New York and Illinois

2007-04-29T21:00:00.001-07:00

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...4/ai_n14576840

In what demographers are calling a "full scale reversal" of the Great Migration in the early part of the 20th century, blacks are leaving California, New York, Illinois and New Jersey and retracing steps to a place their families once fled -- the South.

This population shift of hundreds of thousands of blacks is nowhere near the millions who left the South from 1910 to 1970. But the flow is sustained and large enough, according to a study released today by the Brookings Institution, that a new map of black America must be drawn.

Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Detroit -- cities blacks once considered the promised land -- are now seeing more blacks moving out than moving in. As part of this shift, the overall black population in Los Angeles County and the Bay Area has dropped for the first time in 70 years.

Between 1990 and 2000, the black population in the San Francisco- Oakland-San Jose area dropped from 537,753 to 513,561, according to census data analyzed in the Brookings study.

The new migratory pattern reflects the ascendancy of Latinos and Asians.

"We came out to California to find gold and many of us found it," said Noella Buchanan, a pastor at the Community African Methodist Episcopal Church in Corona, east of Los Angeles. "But when it's time to retire, there's this desire to go back home. Even the children who grew up in California are feeling the pull. They're heading off to black colleges in Atlanta and North Carolina and staying there.

"Let's face it. Everything is crazy here. The traffic is crazy, the housing prices are crazy. They're finding a slower pace of life in the South. Out here, we're the forgotten minority. Back there, we're the chosen minority."

The migration of blacks out of California, a trend that began more than a decade ago, is growing as more blacks from every socioeconomic class seek a better life in Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, Texas and Tennessee.

California ranked just behind New York as the state experiencing the largest net loss -- 63,180 -- in black migration from 1995 to 2000, the study found. More than half of that loss took place in the Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange counties region. The net loss of black migrants in New York was 165,366; in Illinois, 55,238; and in New Jersey, 34,682.

Although blacks throughout the country are moving to Atlanta; Dallas; Houston; Charlotte, N.C.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Orlando, Fla., blacks in California are also choosing to relocate to a new Western dream: Las Vegas.

"My wife and I live in a house with 3,000 square feet, a nice yard, nice patio, nice pool, nice neighborhood, right next door to a Mormon bishop," said Martin Bauchman, a 75-year-old Las Vegas newcomer.

He left his native Oklahoma in 1950 and moved to South-Central Los Angeles. Two years ago, he pulled up stakes and moved to the boomtown in the desert.

"My back yard is even big enough that I got some tomatoes and peppers and a few carrots," he said chuckling. "I just saw Gladys Knight perform at the Flamingo down the street. It's a pretty good life."

For the better part of a century, California served as a major magnet for black families escaping the despair of the Southern sharecropper system and the recessions of the industrial Midwest and Northeast. And Los Angeles represented the bright star of black life in the West, a center for its literature, entertainment, political power and social progress.

"I think it's a new day. The population shift and trends are far too great for Los Angeles to remain the Western mecca of black political power and culture," said James Johnson, a business demographics professor at the University of North Carolina who wrote one of the first studies of blacks leaving Los Angeles in the 1990s. "Los Angeles will still have a strong black community, but it won't be like it was."

The reverse population flow has two faces. Young blacks are following job or college opportunities and planting roots in the same Southern soil that their parents and grandparents fled more than half a century ago. At the same time, blacks who spent their working lives in California are looking to retire in a new South where Atlanta has emerged as the major black metropolis.

For young and old, the push and pull factors are often the same: cheaper housing, slower pace of life, less traffic, fewer gangs and a longing to return to the South, a region no longer seen as supporting the flagrant racism that helped fuel the Great Migration.

"They are following networks back to the South, but they are also following the job opportunities," said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution who wrote the report, "The New Great Migration: Black Americans Return to the South." Available at: http://www.brookings.edu/urban/pubs/20040524_Frey.pdf>

Which city or cities exuberates grit, urbaness and true city experience in the U.S?

2007-04-29T20:30:00.001-07:00

Which city or cities exuberates grit, urbaness and true city experience in the U.S.? Multiple choice is an option. Whether we're talking about Urban Areas or individual cities. Pictures of your examples are welcome.>

States With Noticeable Population Shifts this Decade

2007-04-29T20:00:00.001-07:00

Sort of ungainly thread title I know. Basically, I was wondering which states, if you analyse the census projections year-to-year so far this decade, have shown either strong trends towards increasing or decreasing growth. I'm using the stats from this page
http://www.census.gov/popest/countie...ST2006-01.html

An example of a increasing trend is seen in Iowa-

rough population change from year to

2001 3450
2002 3145
2003 6075
2004 11610
2005 11840
2006 16560

At this rate, Iowa may pass the 3 million mark by the end of the year. A five-fold increase in population growth is pretty impressive in just five years.

Any other momentum swings noticeable out there? I checked Illinois and it seems more or less steady as she goes.>

Cities that form their "own little worlds"

2007-04-29T19:30:00.001-07:00

Which cities, when you enter them, give you the feeling that you've entered a special world apart, a sense that life is different here from the world you just left? Where do city limits truly become a gateway to something far different beyond?

I'm thinking of places like...

Â Manhattan: cross the rivers and you're in Oz; you have arrived

Â San Francisco: its own special world, separated from the Bay Area and California as a whole by the wide bay and the roughed divide of the Golden Gate

Â New Orleans: the mix of cultures is unique and when you leave New Orleans, you have left New Orleans

Â Pittsburgh: an urban character up there in the Appalachian foothills that speaks of generations living in the same place and an identity of people to city.>

What do you look for in a city?

2007-04-29T18:30:00.001-07:00

Well, the thread title pretty much explains it. But, when judging a city what are the most important characteristics to you? Explain if you can.

For instance my list would be:

1. Size. I like a mid-sized city that's easy to get around

2. Public Transportation. I've really become anti-car. So, I want a kick-ass
public transpo. system

3.Culture. Museums, Restaurants, shopping etc. Although I may not always take advantage of what's going on I like to know it's accessible.

4 Weather. Ok, this is actually very important to me. I hate winter!! But, I do like some seasons.

5. Green space! I have two dogs. So, I need green space within walking distance from where I live. I also like to feel like I'm not in the city soetimes and be able to take a walk in a quiet park.

I could go on. But I'm really interested to know what you all look for in a city, especially when judging cities other than the one you live in.>

What are the advantages and disadvantages of North American Union?

2007-04-29T18:00:00.001-07:00

Lou Dobbs - North American Union

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueAdeZuns3A>

50 States and DC ranked by federal spending per tax dollar collected-THANKS NJ!

2007-04-29T17:30:00.001-07:00

Meaning for every tax dollar collected by the federal govt in DC, the Feds spent $6.64.

Meanwhile, for every federal tax dollar paid by NJ, the feds spent .55

Federal Spending by State Per Dollar of Federal Taxes
Fiscal Year 2004

DC $6.64
NM 2.00
AK 1.87
WV 1.83
MS 1.77
ND 1.73
AL 1.71
VA 1.66
HI $1.60
MT 1.58
OK $1.48
SD 1.47
AR $1.47
KY $1.45
LA $1.45
MD $1.44
ME $1.40
SC $1.38
TN $1.30
AZ $1.30
MO $1.29
ID $1.28
UT $1.14
KS $1.12
VT $1.12
IA $1.11
WY $1.11
NC $1.10
NE $1.07
PA $1.06
FL $1.02
RI $1.02
OH $1.01

IN $0.97
OR $0.97
GA $0.96
TX $0.94
WA $0.88
MI $0.85
WI $0.82
CA $0.79
CO $0.79
DE $0.79
NY $0.79
MA $0.77
IL $0.73
NV $0.73
MN $0.69
NH $0.67
CT $0.66
NJ $0.55

http://www.taxfoundation.org/files/sr139.pdf>

which metropolitan areas would benefit from controlled growth?

2007-04-29T17:00:00.001-07:00

Which US metropolitan areas would benefit from controlled growth? Are there any that exist right now that would really be hampered by an increased population?

Bascially, are there places where growth may well be a negative because of:

Â topography: hilly or mountainous land, water restrictive or intrusive sites

Â climate: smog inversions, water limitations, etc., coastal plane development

Â Fragile environment

Â growth and layout based on car and sprawl...continuing sprawl outward with little public transportation to tie area together

Â current population has high density: additional density brings in quality of life issues

Â urban planning has already been based on growth restriction so that change to growth may be looked at as a step backwards (Portland, OR, model)

etc.

Values, of course, are so much a part of the equation so it is also a legitimate perspective to think that no US city needs to be restricted by growth.>

Can New Orleans become a truly great city?

2007-04-29T16:30:00.001-07:00

In an ideal world, what should New Orleans be like in, say ten to twenty years to be atruly great city. That is ruling out a move up the river like dome people have suggested.

Well I'm an outsider and I don't want to be a smart ass, but it seems clear to me that some areas cannot be rebuilt, and the remaining areas should grow in density, improving street life. A dense trasnsport network of buses and commuter trains would be put in place covering the whole metro area.

On the whole I think NO could do worse than looking at the northeast for a model, as opposed to the Southern / Western urban model, oconsidering of course all her peculiarities (weather, geography, etc). That is, a truly urban city.

I also think NO should eventually shed her role as a theme park for drunks. NO's mistake has been in my opinion, to rely exclusively in the tourist dollar.
NO needs a real economy. That doen't mean NO needs to seel her soul or lose her character. Quite the opposite, I think her dependance on tourism is making New Orleans a Disneyfied charicature of herself.

And most of all she needs politicians with a vision as opposed to corrupt bureaucrats who see the dispossesed a s a cheap source for votes and investors as a source for easy money. God help her.

I would be particularly interested in hearing from New Orleanians.>

SF to be named U.S. Finalist for 2016 Olympics!

2007-04-29T16:01:00.001-07:00

SF To Be Named U.S. Finalist For 2016 Olympics

POSTED: 4:00 pm PDT July 17, 2006
UPDATED: 6:17 pm PDT July 17, 2006

Email This Story | Print This Story

San Francisco will be named a U.S. finalist for the 2016 Olympics, NBC11's Raj Mathai exclusively reported Monday.

San Francisco will be one of two, possibly three finalists for America. Los Angeles will also be named a finalist, Mathai reported. Chicago could also be named.

Houston and Philadelphia were two of five original candidates that will not earn finalist spots, Mathai reported.

A U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman, Darryl Seibel, said Monday evening the elimination of Houston and Philadelphia from the pool of finalists is not official, saying the committee has not ruled out any of the five cities.

An official decision could come within the next two weeks, Seibel said.

When U.S. Olympic Committee Chairman Peter Ueberroth visited San Francisco on May 18, he said the committee may not even advance a U.S. city to hold the 2016 Games.

San Francisco has never hosted the Olympic Games.

The city competed for the 2012 summer games but lost out in the domestic competition to New York City. New York City, in turn, lost in the international competition to London.

NBC11's Raj Mathai will have more on his exclusive report tonight on the NBC11 News at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.

http://www.nbc11.com/news/9531344/detail.html>

Sad day for Boston

2007-04-29T15:30:00.001-07:00

Hub tunnel collapse horror: Debris kills woman
By Michele McPhee and OÂ'Ryan Johnson
Tuesday, July 11, 2006 - Updated: 12:26 PM EST

A 10-by-30-foot section of concrete plummeted from the ceiling of a Mass Pike connector tunnel onto the roof of a Honda sedan last night, killing a woman riding in the passenger seat but leaving the male driver Â"virtually unharmed,Â" a state trooper at the scene said.
Â"It was massive,Â" the trooper said of the concrete slab that fell about 11 p.m.
The startling collapse forced the state troopers to immediately close the tunnel lest more concrete rain down on drivers.
Â"The eastbound side has been closed until the Mass Pike can verify the safety of the tunnel,Â" said state trooper Kara England.
State troopers assigned to the tunnel began receiving calls about 11 p.m. that debris had fallen from the tunnel roof and struck a vehicle. England said the roadway is a Â"connector tunnelÂ" that runs between the eastbound Massachusetts Turnpike and South Boston.
Boston EMS Lt. Chris Stratton said his crews took one person, identified by a trooper at the scene as a male driver, to Massachusetts General Hospital with minor injuries. Stratton said the woman had been trapped under debris and was declared dead at the scene. He said firefighters were working last night to free her body, which he would be turned over to the Medical Examiner.
EMS and fire crews were both staged at safe locations away from where the debris collapsed until engineers declared the tunnel was safe enough for them to enter.
A state trooper who saw the wreckage said it appeared the concrete fell at an angle as the car passed beneath it, crushing the vehicle, with most of the rubble landing on the passenger side. The driverÂ's side was partially shielded when the falling slab struck a raised gated walkway that runs the length of the tunnel, giving the driver a small pocket of protection.
Â"The car was completely crushed. That kind of weight would have crushed a Hummer - itÂ's amazing that guy got out alive,Â" said a second trooper who saw the debris field.
He said the 10-by-30 section that dropped was only half of the slab in that section of the tunnel. He said it appeared that iron securing the slab to the tunnel roof gave way. He said Modern Continental work crews had been in that section of the tunnel in recent weeks but he did not know what sort of work they were doing.
The Massachusetts Turnpike did not return two calls placed to their representativesÂ' cell phones or to three pages sent to them. They staged an early morning press conference that happened after press time.
The spot appeared to be a ticking time bomb, said a trooper who was thankful the collapse didnÂ't happen during rush hour.
Â"Its unbelievable that only one car was hit,Â" he said. Â"If more than one car was down there it would have been a disaster.Â">

When they write the history of US cities....

2007-04-29T15:00:00.001-07:00

When they write the history of US ciites (perhaps a hundred years from now), how will the story of our current era play out?

American cities went into decline after World War II, the industries that fueled them in dying, racial tension boiled as the interstates ripped through neighborhoods and created an easy exodus to the inviting world of sububia.

Through the 50's, 60's, 70's, and into the 80's they languished.

Then came the 90's and the start of the turn around. A back-to-the-city movement began. The cities started to revive. It was life style of a full urban experience and the economic advanatages of centralization that fueled this growth, not the industries of old. Thus it was the upper middle class and rich that became the group that grew, plus a healthy infusion of immigrants from abroad (in contrast to the strong middle class of the pre-WWII industrial era and the growth of poor and minorities in the post war years).

But what happens when people in the future look back on this era? How will the back-to-the-city movement, the city as a life styles that razzles and dazzles, the growth of the rich and the contributions of the new immigrants from Latin America and Asia play out? Will today be viewed as a real reversal, a time when those who can afford it go back to the cities and the cities once again dominate suburbia or is this in fact a smaller scale revival of cities than we like to think, the draw of suburbia too great, the central city a better place but still in the shaddow of its outskirts. Is this era blip in the scheme of things or a time of true urban revival? And will this be viewed as a time when our large cities separate into the have's, the have-less-es, and the have not's: the global ones thrieving far more than the older industrial centers that weren't able to create the magic?>

Hi, I present you Santiago

2007-04-29T14:30:00.001-07:00

Hi North American forumers. I'd like to introduce you Santiago, the capital of Chile, with 6.5 million people.

>

The Chicago vs. LA quarantined idiotfest thread

2007-04-29T14:00:00.001-07:00

I hereby declare this the future site of all Chicago vs. LA stupidity and ongoing comparisons that test the limits of our collective insecurities and egos. Let um rip.

I also recommend that, after this post, whoever responds to this thread should be quarantined from the rest of the forum so that they cannot respond to ANY other thread than this one.

Thank you and have a nice day >

Best cities for singles

2007-04-29T13:30:00.001-07:00

since we have a thread about baby names, i thought i'd post one for the singles.

FORBES.COM

Quote:>

Best Cities For Singles

Unlucky in love? Stop beating yourself up Â and think about moving. Maybe to Denver. For the third consecutive year, Denver-Boulder tops our list of The Best Cities For Singles. But while the mile-high city bested bigger metros like New York and Boston, this time it saw surprising competition from upstarts including Phoenix. In our sixth annual ranking we looked at 40 large metropolitan areas and judged them on nightlife, culture, job growth, number of other singles, cost of living alone, online dating and coolness. More...

Complete methodology >

The Cities ranked 1-40
1 Denver-Boulder
2 Boston
3 Phoenix
4 San Francisco- Oakland
5 New York
6Raleigh-Durham
7Seattle
8Austin
9Washington- Baltimore
10Miami
11Columbus
12Philadelphia
13Sacramento
14Minneapolis-St Paul
15New Orleans
16Atlanta
17Milwaukee
18San Diego
19Los Angeles
20Providence
21 Las Vegas
22Chicago
23Nashville
24Orlando
25Charlotte
26Cincinnati
27Portland
28Indianapolis
29Dallas-Fort Worth
30Kansas City
31St Louis
32Pittsburgh
33Detroit
34Houston
35Tampa
36Salt Lake City
37Cleveland
38San Antonio
39Norfolk
40Greensboro
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/3/0...gles_land.html

U.S. Population Map

2007-04-29T13:00:00.001-07:00

Here is a great U.S. population map. You can clearly tell, to scale, which metro areas cover the most land area.

>

James Howard Kunstler on American Urbanism

2007-04-29T12:30:00.001-07:00

Hey guys,

I'm a New Zealander, doing a town planning degree (in NZ), and two of our course readings were the James Howard Kunstler books 'The Geography of Nowhere' and 'Home from Nowhere'.

Just wondering, have any of you read these books? If so what did you think of them, and do you think Kunstler is right about the sad state of American towns and cities.

I haven't been to the US myself, but intend on doing so at some stage to get my own idea of what American cities are actually like.

Cheers >

THE CITY WITH THE BIGGEST BUILDING BOOM IN THE U.S.

2007-04-29T12:00:00.001-07:00

What city in the united states has the biggest building boom? >

United ends NYC-London and NYC-Tokyo Flights

2007-04-29T11:30:00.001-07:00

United adding flights to Asia
CHICAGO (AFX) - Shifting its focus increasingly toward more lucrative routes across the Pacific, United Airlines announced Friday that it will add 40 weekly flights to Asia over the next nine months and no longer will fly from New York to London and Tokyo.

United also plans to add more cargo capacity as it seeks to strengthen its bottom line in the face of record fuel prices that have slowed its recovery after a three-year bankruptcy restructuring.

The nation's second-largest carrier agreed to sell its New York-London route authority to No. 3 Delta Air Lines Inc. for $21 million, dropping a hotly contested but unprofitable route to focus more on trans-Pacific flights where its broad international network gives it an advantage.

It said it will move its Tokyo service from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Washington Dulles International Airport.

The schedule changes make sense for United because of strong business travel demand on routes to Asia and because of the premium prices that can be charged for long international flights, said John Pincavage, an independent airline consultant.

As for abandoning JFK for overseas flights, he said: 'You've got to play from your strength, and New York isn't one of their strengths as an international source of traffic.'

The airlines' hubs are Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, Dulles and airports in Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

'As we improve our financial performance, we must make certain that we take full advantage of our network strength and fly routes that provide the best revenue opportunities for United and the greatest benefits to our customers,' Chief Revenue Officer John Tague said.

In addition to flights between Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Washington Dulles, the schedule changes include the reinstatement of United's daily San Francisco-Taipei flights, expansion of its San Francisco-Seoul service from seasonal to year-round and the addition of three more weekly flights between San Francisco and Hong Kong.

The Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based airline plans to discontinue flights from JFK to London Heathrow at the end of October pending regulatory approval of the sale of its New York-London rights to Delta, which is paying United $13 million at closing and $2 million a year for four years.

'JFK-Heathrow has not performed well for us and because of that we can't justify the expense of maintaining the route, especially when we have opportunities to realize better returns by using our assets in other markets,' United spokeswoman Jean Medina said.

If the deal is approved, Atlanta-based Delta said it plans to begin daily round-trip service between JFK and London's Gatwick Airport later this year, with a second flight beginning next spring.

United will still fly to London from Dulles, Los Angeles, O'Hare and San Francisco.

United has been adding international flights and cutting back on domestic flights in recent years, citing increased demand and greater profitability. It doubled its capacity to Asia during its bankruptcy makeover, which ended in February, reflecting an intensifying competition among U.S. carriers to serve the burgeoning market in China and elsewhere in Asia.

The carrier said this week it expects to report $119 million net income when it announces second-quarter earnings on Monday -- its first profit in six years.

Shares in the company rose 53 cents to close at $27.52 on the Nasdaq Stock Market, down from their initial price of $40 in February.

http://www.hemscott.com/news/latest-...35199404762646>

20 Most Inventive Towns in The USA

2007-04-29T11:00:00.001-07:00

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1153...ys_us_pursuits>

What are the top 5 most vibrant U.S. major cities?

2007-04-29T10:30:00.001-07:00

From your viewpoint and experiences, what are the top 5 most vibrant U.S. major cities?

*Please vote for only five cities.*>

Blair: I am keen to strengthen the ties between Silicon Valley and London

2007-04-29T09:30:00.001-07:00

Posted on Fri, Jul. 28, 2006

Blair visit to strengthen ties between Silicon Valley, U.K.
By Tony Blair

Quote:>

I am told that I am the first serving British prime minister to visit California. If that really is the case, it seems an astonishing oversight and one that I am glad to be putting right.

The links between California and the United Kingdom are very strong. There are thousands of Brits -- the famous and the not-so-famous -- who have made their home here, while many of you are working in Britain. So there are strong personal and family connections.

There are also strong economic links. California is, of course, one of the biggest economies in the world. So it is no surprise that there are some 500 U.K. companies operating here, creating something like 120,000 jobs. Our trade and investment ties are significant and in balance. We import over $5 billion of products from California and we export a similar value in goods and services the other way.

But the economic connections go well beyond statistics, impressive as they are. Our economies are both increasingly based on knowledge-based industries which put such a premium on a highly educated workforce, on ideas and innovation whether it is in the media or cultural fields or, for example, in biotechnology.

This is, of course, the key to future economic success and prosperity. As the pace and challenge of global business increase, we know, above all, that you have to innovate to stay ahead.

Innovation is fueled by brilliant minds and by capital. Silicon Valley remains the pre-eminent example of both of these assets and deserves its place at the very top of the global league in technological innovation. But innovation is also about looking beyond geographical borders to seek partners in innovation.

I am delighted that so many Silicon Valley companies, as well as others across the United States, are exploiting the talent within our universities and our workforce. Google is a recent example of a company that has significantly expanded investment in the United Kingdom. In the BioPharma sector, Gilead Sciences has relocated its European HQ from Paris to London.

Similarly, many U.K. companies are undertaking collaborative R&D here in the Bay Area, including Vodafone, which has a partnership with University of California-Berkeley in wireless mobility research.

In view of the depth of talent available, it is no surprise to me that Silicon Valley companies consistently attract over a third of all U.S. venture capital investment. And interestingly, U.K. companies consistently attract a third of venture capital investment in the European IT sector, making it the largest in Europe.

Given that access to capital is one of the fuels of innovation, I am keen to strengthen the ties between Silicon Valley and London, the world's global financial center. The United Kingdom has the second largest concentration of venture capital funds in the world. Every major bank and financial institution in the world has a presence in London. That includes a recent investment by Silicon Valley Bank. London, in fact, is home to more American banks than New York.

At the heart of this confluence of capital and innovation is the ability to safeguard and profit from our commitment to innovation. So we must ensure that our intellectual property (IP) framework evolves to support the needs of our knowledge-based economies. Covering everything from biotech and pharmaceuticals to entertainment and the information technology industry, the development and protection of IP are fundamental to the success of our economies.

To succeed as partners in innovation and enterprise and to meet the challenges of globalization, the United States and United Kingdom must lead a new wave of thinking about IP, with frameworks to balance critical, often contradictory, issues. The challenge, which is not easy but to which I am committed, is to establish a system that rewards innovation while promoting competition.

So we have a great deal in common and a great deal to talk about over the next few days. I am looking forward to discussing these and many other issues with the leaders of some of the most exciting and innovative companies in the world. I intend to listen and learn just as I hope to be able to tell you what's happening back in the United Kingdom. I am also certain that while I may be the first prime minister to come to California on an official visit, I won't be the last.

>TONY BLAIR, the British prime minister, begins a Bay Area visit today. He wrote this article for the Mercury News.
>

Government Failure Continues With Katrina in New Orleans

2007-04-29T09:00:00.001-07:00

We've heard these stories every week since Katrina in New Orleans of FEMA failure...it's been sickening and heart-wrenching to watch "action," reports on our local news channels. It's been over 11 months since Katrina...here's just another story.

Elderly couple waits patiently to move into their FEMA trailer

06:36 PM CDT on Monday, July 31, 2006

Bill Capo / WWL-TV Action Reporter

They lost nearly everything to Hurricane Katrina, and then one New Orleans couple said their efforts to rebuild were stalled because they could not get into their FEMA trailer.

Allen O'Gwinn helps his wife Stella up. The couple says once they get into their FEMA trailer, they can begin rebuilding their home.

Â"We been married since she was 16-years-old, and IÂ'm five years older than her. Right now IÂ'm 72, I think, I got so much on my mind I can hardly think,Â" said Allen OÂ'Gwinn.

Allen spends his days caring as best he can for his wife Stella, who has a rare disease that affects her nerves and muscles, causing her fingers to clench and making it impossible for her to lift her head upright.

Â"For one thing, I donÂ't get out no more, because I donÂ't like people to see me like this, so I stay in,Â" said Stella.

Stella and Allen lost their house during Hurricane Katrina and are currently living in his motherÂ's home, even though it has flood damage. The wiring was damaged, but luckily the air conditioning works.

Â"The electric is all messed up, and I was saying I hope this house doesnÂ't catch on fire, the way my luck runs,Â" said Allen.

Â"ThatÂ's why I sit in this chair. Because I figure if a fire comes, IÂ'm going to get in that bathtub and run water,Â" Stella worried.

There is no gas for the stove, or hot water heater, so Allen has to improvise for baths.

Â"One faucet is in the bathroom, and I take the bucket, put some water in there, and I heat it on that hot plate and do everything for her,Â" Allen said.

Â"My husband has to heat up water until he gets a whole bucket of water, for me to wash,Â" Stella said.

With help, Stella sometimes walks to the front porch, where she can sit and look at her new FEMA trailer, which has been sitting next to the house for some time ready to go, except there is no electric meter to provide power.

Â"The nurse said Mr. OÂ'Gwinn, you canÂ't live like that. I said Â'I know, what you want me to do?Â' I canÂ't do any better. I say I got to put up with what I got,Â" said Allen.

Eyewitness News contacted officials at both Entergy and FEMA, and asked them to look into getting a meter installed as quickly as possible.

Allen said once they move into the trailer, he can begin repairs to his motherÂ's home.

As for Stella, she just wants a comfortable place to live.

Â"It smells good, it looks good. I could have company over, I could cook.Â"

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/w...le.2da4e3.html>

Wow, Atlanta wants a new NFL Stadium

2007-04-29T08:30:00.001-07:00

Just crazy. This stadium is in good condition. Can you say San Antonio Falcons??...jk, but Atlanta doe snot need a new NFL stadium.

Quote:>

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- It is only 14 years old and has played host to two Super Bowl games, the Olympics and multiple NCAA Final Fours, but in the estimation of Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, the Georgia Dome is a facility fast becoming obsolete.

That's especially true in a league where owners have relied increasingly on stadium-generated revenues to fund fat free agent contracts and to maintain competitive balance.

And so Blank, who first addressed his concerns about the Georgia Dome with an Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist earlier this week, elaborated further with ESPN.com on Thursday, and confirmed that he feels a new venue is ultimately necessary for him to keep pace with his NFL brethren.

"We've got to have (a new stadium) to be able to compete," Blank said as he observed his team's first practice of training camp. "Under the current situation, we'll just keep spinning around in the third or fourth quartile (in terms of revenues), because of the limits of the lease. To get into that top quartile of teams in the league, up there with (franchises such as) Washington, New England, Jerry Jones in Dallas, it's going to take a new facility."

When he purchased the Falcons in 2002, Blank inherited the lease arrangement negotiated by the Smith family, which formerly owned the team. That lease on the Georgia Dome, which is owned by the state and principally managed by the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC), essentially allows the Falcons to share in the facility's profits. At the time it was negotiated, it offered the franchise an opportunity to be profitable, which was not always the case when the Falcons played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. But the lease, especially over the last few years with the explosion in new stadiums around the NFL and the revenues they have meant to teams, is now outdated.

"We've got to have (a new stadium) to be able to compete. Under the current situation, we'll just keep spinning around in the third or fourth quartile (in terms of revenues), because of the limits of the lease. To get into that top quartile of teams in the league, up there with (franchises such as) Washington, New England, Jerry Jones in Dallas, it's going to take a new facility."
Arthur Blank, Falcons owner

The state does now permit the Falcons to manage and market the private suites and club seats, something the Georgia World Congress Center did in the past, but that still is not sufficient difference to move the team up the league's revenue chain.

Blank has invested heavily in player resources -- the contract extension to which he signed quarterback Michael Vick two years ago was a landmark deal, and the Falcons awarded defensive end John Abraham a six-year, $45 million contract after acquiring him in a trade this spring -- and emphasized he will continue to do so.

"That's our commitment to this team and it always will be," Blank said. "We don't scrimp on players."

To realize more return on his investment, though, Blank said a new facility is the best option. He would not, he said, attempt to move the team to the suburbs, and actually prefers that a new stadium be built near the current Georgia Dome site in downtown Atlanta. The area has made great progress in recent years in attracting visitors with venues such as Centennial Olympic Park, Philips Arena, and the new Georgia Aquarium, the brainchild of Blank's old Home Depot co-founder, Bernie Marcus.

The Falcons' lease at the Georgia Dome is tied to retirement of the bonds issued to fund it. And so the date is not a hard one. Original projections has the bonds being retired around 2011. But the state refinanced some elements of the Georgia Dome, and some estimate the bonds won't be retired until 2020. Blank said he feels a more realistic date is around 2015.

Blank said there has been considerable dialogue with state and GWCC officials about a new facility. He will not make any grandstand plays, like threatening to relocate the franchise, and reiterated the Falcons are committed to playing in the Georgia Dome for the term of the lease.

He also noted that he will maintain his pledge to fund the improvements projected for the building. When the city of Atlanta recently bid for two Super Bowl games, the costs for the upgrades were projected to be about $150 million. Even though Atlanta failed to land the championship games, Blank said the upgrades will move forward, and there could be an announcement as early as next week about them.

Homicide in Seattle is dead - well, almost

2007-04-29T08:01:00.001-07:00

Perhaps some of you might recall the mass murder of 6 people at a rave party in Seattle in late March.

Even with that, Seattle is STILL behind last year's already low pace for murders.

2006 - 10 murders through the end of May:
http://www.cityofseattle.net/police/...70/200605y.htm

2005 - 11 murders through the end of May:
http://www.cityofseattle.net/police/...70/200505y.htm

Scroll to the bottom of the charts for the totals - murder and negligent homicide is the first column.

>

RAGBRAI!!!

2007-04-29T07:30:00.001-07:00

This might not be an "urban" or "city" discussion...but I feel it's the USA at its true heart....anyway...

Have you heard of it? It's the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. The Des Moines (Iowa, duh)'s Register. The bike ride was started in 1973 with 2 Des Moines Register newspaper employees doing a bike ride across the state to report on the cities and towns they passed through. During that first year, 114 people make the full trek. The bike ride has grown each year from then - with this year's registeration being around 20,000 riders - including Lance Armstrong. The ride takes from between 400 to 540 miles, depending on the route, and one full week during July of each year. It starts at the Missouri River, with bikers dipping their back tires in the water, and ends a week later with riders dipping their front tires in the Mississippi River. 2006 had bike riders from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries participating in what is the largest bike ride in the country.

Here are a few pictures of the event that I took from the Iowa City Press Citizen, followed by some of my own pictures on Friday the 28th, when bike ride went through my hometown of Coralville, Iowa. The event is basically a massive bike ride, combined with huge parties each night during the weeklong event. It's half heat, hills, cramps and exhaustion...half beer, pie, food, food, food, beer, corn and music.

Anyway, one of the best times I've had all summer...hope you enjoy.

These are my own from Coralville, Iowa. My parents worked the beer garden, and I utilized it to its fullest.

Hope you enjoyed...it's the USA at its finest.>

S-P-L-A-S-H-!-! An urban water condo idea

2007-04-29T07:00:00.001-07:00

HereÂ's a thread I thought I got going, but must have screwed up on. (Hope it doesnÂ't reappear)

It there is one concept that is growing greatly in the US (and globally) today, itÂ's water parks.....the more elaborate, the the most activites, the better.

And within this growth field, there has been even more growth in in-door water parks.

Resort areas thrieve on the concept: with fun in the summer sunshine outdoors, but even the more lucrative thought of year round water parks that makes water activities a pleasure even in the frozen north in January.

The concept, first as free standing water parks and now all the resort owned facilities is not going to stop its development. So where to next?

HOW ABOUT URBAN WATER PARKS, ATTACHED TO HIGH END CONDOMINIUM PROJECTS...CITY OR SUBURBAN?

This may sound a bit over-the-top, but bear with me:

how about a concept of a large base structure with an adult-oriented water park (glass enclosed, sunshine streaming in,72 degrees all year,) Around that base are 5, 6, 7, or 8 high rise, high end condo buildings. These structures could go up in the city (not downtown, but on land close by that may have not yet been gentrified and could accomodate such a massive structure.

The water park could include beach like setting, palms and other tropical growth, perhaps a bar on an inland in the middle of a Â"lakeÂ"...small boats carry you to it, lazy river, waterfalls, water slides in the most gorgeous tropical setting immaginable.

No small building pool when you come home...instead a year round resort, but one oriented to adults, not kids.

Over the top, but so much of the construction in places like Vegas, Orlando, etc. is just that. How about ocean liners with condominiums and every service a city can offer...they exist already. The bar keeps being raised. And what can be done with indoor space today is astonishing....look at hotels like the Opryland in Nashville that has, among other such things, recreated a small version of New Orleans, complete with river and boat, indoors under a dome.

Is this just wishful thinking or do you think a smart developer could make a penny or two over such a concept?>

Your view on Boston?

2007-04-29T06:30:00.001-07:00

I may have to move to the Boston area for work reasons so it would be nice to read your views on the city, since my knowledge is superficial. I would especially appreciate your view if your from there or have lived there.

Much obliged.>

What's the talk about Boston being similar in size as Philly?

2007-04-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Sure, Boston has 5.8 million people in its CMSA but that doesn't mean much, only commuting patterns.

If you look at urbanized area population, Philadelphia is significantly larger and is denser as well.

Philadelphia (4th largest urbanized area) 5,149,079 in 1,799.51 sq. miles and a density of 2,861.4 ppsm.

Boston (7th largest urbanized area) 4,032,484 in 1,736.18 sq. miles and a density of 2,322.6 ppsm.

When it comes to size, Philadelphia is larger by a clear margin.>

Major U.S. cities with good job opportunities and low cost of living?

2007-04-29T05:30:00.001-07:00

SSC forumers, do you know of any major U.S. cities that have a good number of job opportunities, with a affordable or low cost of living?>

How Cute is this? Top 5 Baby names in all 50 States, 2005

2007-04-29T05:00:00.001-07:00

Here's the link
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/state/top5_2005.html

California(Girls)
1 Emily
2 Ashley
3 Samantha
4 Isabella
5 Mia

California(Boys)
1 Daniel
2 Anthony
3 Angel
4 David
5 Joshua>

Alfa Romeo Confirmed to Return To USA in 2009!

2007-04-29T04:30:00.001-07:00

CONFIRMED - Alfa returns to U.S. at end of 2009 with three-model lineup

Autoweek is confirming that Alfa Romeo's long awaited return to the U.S. won't happen until the end of 2009 so that it will coincide with the company's 100-year anniversary. Preparation for reinsertion into the U.S. marketplace appears to be going well, as the proposed three-car lineup comprised of the 159 sedan, Brera coupe and Spider were all developed with the North American market in mind. Engineers are now tweaking the models to meet U.S. safety and emissions regulations, but we can expect to see new versions of each when they arrive at the end of the decade.

The lineup will feature at least two engines Â a 2.2-liter four-cylinder and a 3.2-liter V6, the latter coupled with all-wheel drive. By that time it will be clear if Americans have embraced new automotive diesel technology, which could encourage Alfa to offer its 2.4-liter five-cylinder diesel engine, as well.

Alfa Romeo's dealer network will piggy back on top of Maserati dealerships across the country. Initially there will be 50 dealers concentrated around densely populated cities.

We find waiting easier knowing that the company's return to the U.S. is confirmed and work has already started. Now we just need to wait some more.

[Source: Autoweek>

Are These three the top three public universities?

2007-04-29T04:00:00.001-07:00

As related to a discussion on the midwestern board, I had suggested that the following three universities have the highest reputation among all public universities in the country:

Â University of California, Berekley

* University of Michigan

Â University of Virignia

Among the excellent public schools across the nation, these three seem to stand out, yet each for a different reason:

Cal: academically the top reputation and most difficult to get into. the one with probably the greatest international reputation. a research and academic powerhouse. A public school of the same quality as its private rival, Stanford.

Michigan: perhaps the most complete university in America and the one, despite its midwestern eduction, that truly served as a model for most flagship state universities.

UVa: the most "private like" among all our major state universities in terms of connection and funding by state and how it operates. If ever a public university could fit into the Ivy League, this one is it.

Well, that's just my opinion. Do others see Cal, Michigan, and UVa in a class by themselves, or am I off base on this one?>

Gulf oil platforms

2007-04-29T03:30:00.001-07:00

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/stor...C79DC973748%7D Hopefully they dont drill anywhere near florida it would be a giant hit to the tourist industry.>

What city has the best suburbs?

2007-04-29T03:00:00.001-07:00

What city has the bets suburbs? Boston? New York City? Philadelphia? Miami? Chicago? San Francisco? Seattle? Another city?>

How do you see Chicago's national role?

2007-04-29T02:30:00.001-07:00

New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, our three largest cities, are far more "national" cities than regional ones in how they function. All three function highly on an international level as well. However, even I (as a Chicagoan) have to admit that NY and LA make their national roles clearer than Chicago's. Yet Chicago is unquestionably an essential US city.

What national roles do our fellow Americans see in Chicago? I'm talking about economic, cultural, entertainment, life style, etc.....anything goes.

I, for one, find it fascinating to know what outsiders looking in see with my city...it is great to get the perspective of others who do not live here. We view ourselves as a very American city, a city so tied in with the growth and development of the United States; as such is it is so imporant to know what America sees when it looks in.

Thanks for any input.>

Is the Boom over?

2007-04-29T02:00:00.000-07:00

Has the US residential highrise boom gone bust?

Seems like people have avoided admitting this outright, but a pessimistic mood is prevalent on this site regarding highrise construction in this country in the near future. Anybody remember the collapse of the office market at the close of the eighties? The last towers topped out in '92 and then NOTHING for years. If this happens again then this site will practically lose its reason for being. I can see a future where the US is all but kicked off the top 100 tallest list...50 supertalls in China and thirty in Dubai, with only ten here in the US. I can think of at least 20 major, serious proposals that are in danger of being cancelled, and I might list them here or make another thread.

Anyway, if anyone would like to reflect on the state of development, this is a good place to post. If you are in real estate, your opinions would be valued.>

Wall $treet, Foreign Banker$ and Builder$ Want Americans to Pay to Use the Road

2007-04-29T01:30:00.001-07:00

The Common Infrastructure is now for sale, or at least some people would have you believe. They came for the water, and now they are coming for the highways and interstates of the U.S.

Is this setting a positive or negative precedent?

Its one thing to shift over responsibility and financial capabilities over to private interests, but is this good for the average American and interstate traveling?

The Highwaymen

News:*Why you could soon be paying Wall Street investors, Australian bankers, and Spanish builders for the privilege of driving on American roads.

By Daniel Schulman with James Ridgeway
January/February 2007 Issue

"The road is one succession of dust, ruts, pits, and holes." So wrote Dwight D. Eisenhower, then a young lieutenant colonel, in November 1919, after heading out on a cross-country trip with a convoy of Army vehicles in order to test the viability of the nation's highways in case of a military emergency. To this description of one major road across the west, Eisenhower added reports of impassable mud, unstable sand, and wooden bridges that cracked beneath the weight of the trucks. In Illinois, the convoy "started on dirt roads, and practically no more pavement was encountered until reaching California."

It took 62 days for the trucks to make the trip from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco, and another 37 years for Ike to complete a quest, inspired by this youthful journey and by his World War II observations of Germany's autobahns, to build a national road system for the United States. In 1956, President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act, which called for the federal and state governments to build 41,000 miles of high-quality roads across the nation, over rivers and gorges, swamps and deserts, over and through vast mountain ranges, in what would later be called the "greatest public works project in human history." So vital to the public interest did Eisenhower, an old-style fiscal conservative, consider the interstate highway system, he even authorized the federal government to assume 90 percent of the massive cost.

Fifty years to the day after Ike put his pen to the Highway Act, another Republican signed off on another historic highway project. On June 29, 2006, Mitch Daniels, the former Bush administration official turned governor of Indiana, was greeted with a round of applause as he stepped into a conference room packed with reporters and state lawmakers. The last of eight wire transfers had landed in the state's account, making it official: Indiana had received $3.8 billion from a foreign consortium made up of the Spanish construction firm Cintra and the Macquarie Infrastructure Group (mig) of Australia, and in exchange the state would hand over operation of the 157-mile Indiana Toll Road for the next 75 years. The arrangement would yield hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks for the consortium, which also received immunity from most local and state taxes in its contract with Indiana. And, of course, the consortium would collect all the tolls, which it was allowed to raise to levels far beyond what Hoosiers had been used to. By one calculation, the Toll Road would generate more than $11 billion over the 75-year life of the contract, a nice return on mig-Cintra's $3.8 billion investment.

The deal to privatize the Toll Road had been almost a year in the making. Proponents celebrated it as a no-pain, all-gain way to off-load maintenance expenses and mobilize new highway-building funds without raising taxes. Opponents lambasted it as a major turn toward handing the nation's common property over to private firms, and at fire-sale prices to boot.

Read the rest here
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feat...ighwaymen.html>

Rightfully speaking up & Benefit of the Doubt

2007-04-29T01:00:00.001-07:00

Probably the US subforum ends up being one of the roughest on the board at times. Many of us want to do the right thing and call people on bad behavior.

Perhaps a rule of thumb might be as follows:

Â If a person's words are such that they are deliberately inflammatory, hurtful, prejudiced, etc., call them on their bad behavior.

A statement such as "It seems about all *#(#@6!*'s tend to be very lazy and uneducated, probably because they really aren't very bright. They do bring crime to our cities and it would be better if they lived elsewhere" deserves to be blasted...as does the poster.

Â*However, when statments are made where reading between the lines takes place, let's give people the benefit of the doubt.

For example, "River City was really hurt when the *($#@'s moved to suburbia when the )#*@'s moved in" might seem racist, but perhaps the poster merely observed that racial or ethnic change from one group to another is undesirable and that strength comes from living in an integrated society.

Such comments might be met with "Could you clarify the above? Are you suggesting that )#*@'s destroyed the city and that is why *($#@'s moved out or do you feel integration of the two groups was the only way to make a functioning city?

Â One other point (and I'll finally shut up), contraverial posts made as opinion are much less inflammatory than those made as fact.

Example:

River City is the least interesting city in the nation; this is evident to people across the nation.....that's offensive

I didn't find River City to be the least bit interesting city I've visited....that merely reflects an opinion a person may rightfully hold.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF YOU OUT THERE; MAY 2007 BE A YEAR OF PEACE AND UNDERSTANDING GLOBALLY AND ON THE BOARD.>

How To Cope With a 100 Million More Americans

2007-04-29T00:30:00.001-07:00

Short article about facilitating the next 100 million Americans. Talks about how 60% of that 100 million will be coming to "megapolitan" corridors or regions like Raleigh to Atlanta.

Houston Chronicle
Dec. 17, 2006, 10:44PM
How do we cope with those 100 million more people?

By NEAL R. PEIRCE

How do some of America's best minds in the real estate and urban development game Â leaders and friends of the Urban Land Institute Â react to projections of 100 million more people by 2043?

They agree the growth won't just spread out to all regions and areas in any equal way. Or, as Robert Lang of Virginia Tech's Metropolitan Institute noted at the ULI's Larson Forum in Washington last week, at least 60 million of the next 100 million people will likely locate in 20 or so "megapolitan" chains of closely connected city and suburban regions, from Charlotte-Raleigh to Chicago-Milwaukee to the Houston/Gulf Coast area. A common characteristic of all: high degrees of inter-region commuting.

Notably, the development community's reaction to coming waves of population isn't just rah-rah for new moneymaking opportunities. Instead, the ULI leaders and advisers focused on goals rarely mentioned in their circles a decade ago: sustainability (with special reference to energy and climate change challenges), equity (focused on the growing income gulf between American classes and races), and international competition (how our citistate regions can compete globally).

As one participant put it, we need a "triple-bottom-line" goal of economic profitability, social equity, and a healthy environment.

Without being hooted out of the room, several people asked: Isn't it time Â for the first time since the Reagan political revolution Â to talk of federal leadership, of setting a national framework of critical priorities in developing our cities and regions?

The physical chessboard will be different. Unlike the traditional city-suburb-"exurb" pattern of the 1950-2000 period, the emerging "megapolitan" regions show commuting patterns linking, "daisy-chaining" and filling in once-empty spaces between formerly separate places as much as 100 miles apart. Employment is split among the historic downtowns and new suburban office centers. Some people endure incredibly long commutes among parts of these regions, or, in a sure-to-grow phenomenon, telecommute from amazing distances, visiting their formal offices only occasionally.

But will the growth be as sprawling as development of the last decades? Yes, quite likely in expansion-happy areas such as Charlotte and Atlanta, said Lang, though even there, smaller cities in the path of the development surge could try to create more walkable downtowns and neighborhoods and less large lot subdivisions Â a pattern some of the ULI conferees called "refocused centralization."

Conversely, very dense development is almost inevitable in such increasingly land-locked regions as Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Palm Beach and Los Angeles-San Diego.

Across all the regions, though, the ULI conferees saw tough problems Â trip wires in the way of sound development:

Â Energy/climate. A worldwide energy crisis could paralyze the economy of America's heavily oil-dependent metro regions. Hundreds of new coal-burning, greenhouse gas-emitting power plants are proposed in this country, as well as in India and China. Global warming threatens both our coastlines and the snow packs that provide the West's water. "Economically, environmentally, we have to figure out how to compete with but also collaborate with the world, in transformative ways," said one developer at the ULI conference.
Â Splintered government. Local land use regulations dictate lots of development choices Â often badly. Example: green-light approval for wasteful McMansions, barriers for compact units appropriate for today's smaller family units.
But with huge regions of atomized units of government, it's tough to see what will trigger important reforms Â new building and zoning codes to encourage recycling land and more mixed-use development, "green" buildings, distinctive town centers, and a more democratic town-by-town mix of housing prices.

Â Infrastructure Â and a will to invest. The United States is the only significant player in the modern world economy that's not building high-speed rail Â the ideal way to bypass clogged highways and spread economic opportunity in regional clusters of citistates and their airports. Energy-efficient freight rail is languishing, losing ground to trucks.
Â Schools. Inner cities lack great public education; substandard schools repel many families who'd otherwise choose dense cities. The No Child Left Behind program is apparently no magic cure. The development community needs to play a role Â as one panelist put it: "The United States built its success with commitment to a vibrant public education system. It created a much more balanced, just society than we have today."
Â Regulatory takings. Restrictions on eminent domain following the Supreme Court's 2005 Kelo decision, the ULI conferees felt, throw a shadow over "important city regeneration projects." Even worse Â the regulatory "takings" measures on several states' ballots last month. The proposals give private owners sweeping rights to sue government if regulations purportedly reduce their property values.
Three of four initiatives failed this fall, but ULI panel members fear they could return and "paralyze" planning for more careful and conserving future development.

The perplexing bottom line: Sound 21st century development isn't likely without government support. But the Urban Land Institute doesn't lobby. The progressive development community needs the political voice it noticeably lacks right now.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...k/4408940.html>

Which cities in U.S. have CBD? Post a CBD skyline pic!

2007-04-29T00:00:00.001-07:00

Which cities in United States have CBD(Central Business District),tell us its CBD name if there are nay and post pix of the CBD skyline from many angles,thanks?
Oh, also vote for the best CBD skylines!>

What counties have you been to?

2007-04-28T23:30:00.001-07:00

got this idea from MSPtoMKE at SSP.

thats my map. not great coverage, as you can see, or edited work. but what I lack in domestic I more than make up for in international travel. let's see your shit...what type of traveling have you done 'round this land of ours?>

Is the North America the New Old World?

2007-04-28T23:00:00.001-07:00

Is North America the next new old world?
I mean, since alot of our architecture, culture, and ideas are based from Europe, and since the upper north america, is dominatly European decendants,
and we also have alot of the same values in historical preservation,
not to mention how much European architecture is in almost every central area of cities in the midwest, southeast, and eastcoast.>

Did nature make Bay Area greatness inevitable?

2007-04-28T22:30:00.001-07:00

More so than any metropolitan area in America, did nature provide the Bay Area with so much in a physical setting (incredible beauty, wonderful climate, coastal access, enormous sheltered harbor) that its greatness was assured? Was it inevitable that (with its setting) San Francisco was going to achieve greaness?

IMHO, there is no metropolitan area in the world that is so situated to enhance the mixture of man and nature. The huge bay smack in the middle serves as an enormous amphitheatre to the hills that ring it on all sides. The steepest slopes (Mt. Tamalpais, Mt. Diablo) are shifted to the periphery, the city itself is a set apart peninsula where hills and water mix and views aren't blocked.

There are other spectacular locations...i.e. Hong Kong, Rio, Vancouver, but to a degree (particularly HK and Rio) their slopes dominant more than what you see in SF and the Bay Area where the hills and what is made by man serve more to enhance each other.

Is it just me...or is the Bay Area the most magnifcent setting in the world for a metro area, the best possible place to see the interplay between nature and man?>

Is Washington still different from all US cities?

2007-04-28T21:30:00.001-07:00

Few American cities have changed as much as Washington, DC, in these past 70 or so years. A city that once was seen as a southern backwater has exploded with growth that has paralleled and been generated by the growth of the US government.

This former backwater, the place JFK described as being a combination "northern charm and southern efficency" is now a major world city. It is cultured in ways that go far beyond the museums of the Smithsonian. It has the retaurants, entertainment, and street life commenserate with the important city it is. It has spawned considerable non-government (but governmental related) growth as a place where professional associates locate to be near the governmental power structure on which they rely.

In short, Washington is a major city in its own right, elevated by*the US government to a position not subservent to it. The child has grown up.

With all the changes that DC has experienced (and I'm counting the incredibly powerful region of DC/MD/VA....inside and sprilled out of the Beltway), IS IT STILL FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT THAN ALL OTHER U.S. CITIES.....AND, IF SO, IN WHAT WAYS?

Certainly economic; the metro area is the most recession proof in the nation. Government and government spending don't skip a beat no matter what the economy is like outside the Beltway....going right on being a cash cow.

But are there other ways that Washington, DC, fundamentally differ from other US cities.>

Which of these US cities has the best suburbs?

2007-04-28T21:00:00.001-07:00

Eventhough I know that pretty much all SSC users are city limits all the way, I was just curious, what city do you think has the best suburban area overall?>

Suprises from County estimates released today

2007-04-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

-Louisville, Kentucky is officially up to 700,000 people
-Cuyahoga County, Ohio which includes Cleveland lost 10,000 people
-Franklin County, Ohio (Columbus) had a weak showing only gaining 2,000 people
-San Francisco County lost another 7,000 people, dropping to 744,000 people
-Hamilton County, Ohio lost 8,000 and is down to 814,000 people
-Allegheny County, PA (Pittsburgh) lost 9,000 people, which means the population loss is intensifying,
-Los Angeles might be to 10 million people this time next year.

-Maricopa County, Arizona gained 113,000 people last year, and has surpassed three and a half million

-Clark County, Arizona gained about 75,000 people, the county population alone is the about the same population as Indianapolis and Columbus metro area

-New Orleans continued its 5,000 person annual loss

-Ramsey County, Minnesota lost around 5,000 people going under 500,000 people and Hennepin County is about the same as 2003. I think thats ridiculous Hennepin and Ramsey counties are building so fast they cant keep up.

-St. Louis, Missouri lost 5,000 people, last year slidding to 343,000 people (estimate)>

Does anybody recognise this city? Please? lol

2007-04-28T20:00:00.001-07:00

somebody if you know what the name of the city is please reply ill be checking back thanks.>

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2007-04-28T19:00:00.001-07:00

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WE MAKE SHIPPMENT THROUGH FEDEX EXPRESS AND ITS WITHIN 48 HOURS,
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MANGEMENT>

Population growth and city growth

2007-04-28T18:30:00.001-07:00

Hello alltogether.

I read a scientific article, unfortunately I dont have it handy, but it stated, that the population of the US, due to the birthrate and the immigration of some 1 million people /year will grow up to 350 mio in 2030, and maybe even over 400 million in 2050.

Now my question is, where should all these people live?

I mean, now you have 300 million people.
You would have to create 20 cities with 5 million people each to accomodate this.
20 cities with about the size of chicago!!!!!!!!

What does that meand for the future US?
How will it affect the way, the US is organized concerning housing, transportation, public or individual, and workin?

The population density wil reach european or even asian numbers in some areas.

Any comments>

Traffic Theory of Urban/Metropolitan Areas

2007-04-28T17:30:00.001-07:00

This is my new theory about the relationship between traffic and urban/metro populations.

The greater the difference between the urban and the metro population, the greater the traffic that city has in porportion to its size. Factors such as density, use of mass transit...etc affect this theory.

This applies to many U.S. cities. Look at Los Angeles, America's worst traffic place. L.A. urban population is 12 million while its metro is 17.5 million. That is a significant difference resulting in heavy traffic and since it's a very large city, it has HORRIBLE traffic.

New York's urban population is 18 million while its metro is 22 million. Not as significant difference as Los Angeles therefore it has less traffic problems. But since New York is HUGE, it's common for it to have heavy traffic. Remember the traffic in porportion to the city's size and the density as well.

Chicago's urban population is 8.3 million and its metro is around 9.6 million. Not a very large difference, but Chicago is a very large city therefore traffic is common, and the size of Chicago's highways are a factor making Chicago's traffic worse than it should be. I hear some people in this forum complain about Chicago's highways are too narrow and should have more lanes.

Philadelphia's urban population is 5.2 million and its metro is 6 million. Not a very big difference therefore less traffic problems and the use of mass transit benefits as well.>

What are the limits: gentrification & downtown development?

2007-04-28T16:30:00.001-07:00

I'd like to explore the limits of the following on middle size US cities:

Â gentrification of neighborhoods

Â developing a vibrant downtown

And, in the process, I would like to do it generically. Thus I'd like to examine City X:

Â population: 615,000

Â metro population: 2,461,000

The beauty of City X is that it can fit just as easily in the northeast, the midwest, the south, southwest, or the West

City X has gone through some of the successful downtown redevelopments that many cities of its size has experienced. Shops and restaurants have returned downtown in respectable if not spectacular numbers. Some high rise condo building have gone up as well as new hotels. Cultural attractions, enjoyable if not commanding, have helped draw suburbanites and out-of-towners. Light rail has increased transit options.

In the process, population, after years of slow decline, has stablized, and outside of the city core, a series of interspersed residential projects are underway....although they are few and far between and aren't really changing the nature of City X's neighborhoods.

For all its admirable efforts, City X has not shaken its insular and provencial nature. It does not have the critical mass to attract an art community nor does its job base support the type of super incomes that might become cash cows in larger cities. Immigrants shy away from City X in large numbers as it is hard to establish an ethnic community to meet their needs in such a small city.

Meanwhile, City X has not been able to do anything to separate itself from other cities on the make, nor does it have the ability to generate the economic changes that are beyond the ability of civic government or chambers of commerce.

As a result, city neighborhoods, while healthier, are hardly giving the impression that they are in a strong state of revival. Like any metro area, that around City X still feels a lure for cheaper land and more open space of suburbia. And City X's suburbanites have an advantage not shared by those in bigger cities: if they want to go downtown, they can still drive there with relative ease, still park affordably, and return home comfortably from a day with far fewer hassles than what they would experience in a larger city. And the truth is, with all of downtown's redevelopment, there isn't that much to keep them downtown for hours on end, even with the new casinos and the three new stadiums (baseball, football, and basketball) that have gone up.

Is it just possible that there are severe limits on City X's desire to revive in an age when our cities are more about "life style" than about employment?

Are the differences between City X and City Y (population 4,200,000; metro 10,500,000), a global city in its region of the US with a large and vibrant downtown, extensive rapid transit, a long history of strong cultural instittuions, a magnet for international immigrantion and business, an eductional and research powerhouse based on universities and institutes, an attractions for the art community....and on and on and on?

In 1940, City X may have been looked at as a smaller version of City Y. In an industrial era, the jobs were plentiful in both places. Life was more about work than life style. Disposable time was limited as were consumer products. Image didn't even make the radar screen.

Is this a different world today for the City X's? Are there severe limits to their revival due to their inability to create a critical mass and differentiate themselves from others? Are cities more "tiered" today as a city's image and what it has to offer in ammentiies is more important, in many ways, than the degree of employment it can deliver?

Is there a real and unclosable gap between City X and City Y that didn't exist in a simplier time during the first half of the 20th century?>

New DT Louisville Bridge designs...cast your vote

2007-04-28T16:00:00.001-07:00

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The Leprechaun Sighting!

2007-04-28T15:30:00.001-07:00

has anyone heard about this! A possible Leprechaun in Mobile!

http://www.wpmi.com/news/local/story...3-6BDEE14609D6>

Historic US Freeway Pics

2007-04-28T15:00:00.001-07:00

Please post historic pics 4rm ur city.

Here r some historic pics 4rm LA that I found:
I-10 Santa Monica Freeway construction to the west from the Harbor Freeway (CA 110), 1962.

I-405 San Diego Freeway construction south showing the Mulholland bridge, 1962.

Hollywood Freeway at the Pasadena Freeway in 1952.

Closeup of the Four Level Interchange in the above photo. The ramps from the southbound Hollywood Freeway were not yet open at the time.

Cahuenga Pass on the US 101 Hollywood Freeway in 1961. There was no center barrier on the road at that time. First sign reads: "Burbank, Barham Blvd. Use Right Lane".

Construction of the Hollywood Freeway, looking south near Vine Street around 1951.

Cahuenga Pass looking north from the Pilgrimage Bridge, 1951.

Construction of the Hollywood Freeway south of Highland, 1953. Highland on the left, Cahuenga Blvd. on the right, and Odin Street between the two, with the southbound bridge over Highland under construction.

Opening day on Cahuenga Pass, 1940.

The freeway through Cahuenga Pass ending just past Barham Blvd and continuing north on Cahuenga Blvd. Click image for a larger overall view. Note how rural the area is just north of the end of the road.

Long Beach Freeway (then CA 15) at the unopened I-405 freeway (note the blank signs on the exit) in 1964.

Construction of the Long Beach Freeway (I-710), 1955. Intersection is Bandini Blvd. and Atlantic Blvd. (the predecessor to the route).

US 101 coming north into downtown Los Angeles in 1974. The Brew 102 buildings (below City Hall in this photo) have since been demolished, but there is still a tight jog in the freeway due to the original routing around the building.

Figueroa Street Tunnels in 1941. At that time traffic in both directions used the tunnels. Sign at the tunnel entrance reads: "State Highway Under Construction". These tunnels were constructed in 1931.

In 1936. Note the lanterns and the L.A. city seal detail on the portal.

By 1946 this stretch had been made into a freeway. Note the dashed lines weren't used at the time, white meant passing ok, yellow for no passing.
>

The Melting Pot Is Still Melting

2007-04-28T14:30:00.001-07:00

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine...0/b3963121.htm

DECEMBER 12, 2005
The Melting Pot Is Still Melting
Unlike their counterparts in France, U.S. immigrants are getting ahead

The explosion of unrest among the immigrant community in France revealed a long-stewing culture of economic discontent. Should we worry about the same thing happening in the U.S.?

The good news is that the American melting pot still seems to work. The latest data show big gains since the mid-1990s for immigrants on the key measures of economic performance -- education, poverty, homeownership, and unemployment. In some cases, immigrants have shown bigger improvements than native-born Americans. "America has done extremely well in assimilating immigrants," says David Card, an economist at the University of California at Berkeley.

True, questions remain about the assimilation of illegal immigrants, many of whom are unskilled. Creating a class of "temporary workers" who have to go home after a few years -- as President George W. Bush again advocated in a speech on Nov. 28 -- might exacerbate the problem by lessening the incentive for immigrants to learn English and become "more American."

Nevertheless, immigrants from Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America, who make up most of the illegal population, have enjoyed improving fortunes in recent years. Unemployment for Latin-American immigrants fell from 10% in 1996 to 6.8% in 2004, even as unemployment for natives rose from 5.9% to 6.1%.

This experience contrasts favorably with that of Europe, where immigrants have been held back, in part, by a slow rate of job creation. European employers, with few jobs to fill, have favored natives over first- and second-generation immigrants. This starts a vicious cycle, since the lack of work experience makes immigrants even less employable.

CAUSE FOR HOPE

In the U.S. the ease of finding work opens up opportunities, especially when the overall economy is doing well. Since the New Economy boom started in 1996, the poverty rate for immigrants has fallen from 22.2% to 17.2% (that's for 2003, the last figure available). The share of immigrants with a bachelor's degree or better has also climbed from 23.5% to 27.3%, just below the level for native-born Americans. The percentage of immigrants owning their homes -- the ultimate sign of assimilation -- has jumped as well.

These numbers do overstate the positive picture by mixing together Asian newcomers, who typically start off with a good education, with Latin-American immigrants, more than half of whom haven't graduated from high school.

But poverty has plunged even among Latin-American immigrants, while homeownership rates for that group have gone well over 40%. There are even signs of movement on the education front, albeit small. In California the number of Latinos graduating from the state's higher education institutions has been steadily rising. For example, the percentage of associate degrees going to students of Latino background rose from 18.7% in 1996 to 25.4% in 2003. And Latinos got 17.5% of bachelor's degrees awarded in California in 2004, up from 13.5% in 1996.

This isn't enough to close the education gap between natives and Latin-American immigrants. But it's enough to give immigrants and their children a healthy piece of the economic action -- and that's a lot better than what's happening in Europe.>

False MSA and CSA impressions.

2007-04-28T14:00:00.001-07:00

I have been reading these crazy comments lately on how big their CSA's has gotten. Indy 2.1 million, Charlotte 2.1 million for example..

Folks these are not METRO area's. Why do some people continue to think their metro's are that big? These aren't one cohesive metro area's but they continue to talk about it that they are one metro.>

from BAD image to GOOD

2007-04-28T13:30:00.001-07:00

Alright, as we all know there are US cities that have been impressions in our minds because Hollywood or history seems to urinate all over them.

I've listed some things about how a city can improve it's image, these are my suggestions and I ask that you vote and discuss this here.

"Rust-Belt" cities seems to have this problem, down on their luck and out of money...tell me what you think they should do to fix the bad image and fix the issues all together.>

Does your city have any streetwalls along expy's/fwy's?

2007-04-28T13:00:00.001-07:00

Does your city have any street walls directly facing its downtown area? I'm speaking of those stretches that directly parallel a rather solid wall of high rise buildings?

I'd have to say the best (and best known) of these currently can be found on the LA freeway system. On the Chicago forum, we have been talking about one developing on the Kennedy Expressway, west of the Loop. Boston, of course, exprerienced such a street wall prior to the Big Dig.

If you have any pictures of such a streetwall-on-the-expressway, we'd love to see them.>

Education & Cities: let's weigh the factor

2007-04-28T12:30:00.001-07:00

Let's keep this one simple:

If our government(s) (and society) had the ability to raise the quality of education in our major cities to level of the better-to-best suburban schools, what effect, if any, would the change of that one variable have on our cities: would far more families choose to live there (in the more affordable neighborhoods), would there be other quality-of-life issues that would improve because of the efforts in education. In general, what would our cities by like if we made this one major change...based on the change itself??????????????>

The best and worst neighborhoods to buy a home

2007-04-28T12:00:00.001-07:00

click on the cities in the two charts to see the neighborhood in that city.

Quote:>

Best and worst neighborhoods to buy a home
Big city ZIP codes with the greatest, least price appreciation since 2003

The south Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts has been notorious for many things, among them race riots, poverty and gang warfare.

Now it can be known as a great real estate investment.

Over the past few years, rising property prices have rocked the state of California with an earthquake-like vengeance. Luxury subdivisions have filled hillsides, bidding wars have pumped up home sales, and teardowns have sold for more than $1 million. Los Angeles saw home prices increase about 50% from 2003 to 2005, according to the National Association of Realtors, a trade group based in Washington, D.C. The median sales price for an existing home in L.A. stood at $529,000 at the end of last year.

One might think that the bulk of that appreciation came in wealthy and well-known enclaves like Beverly Hills or Bel-Air. But according to a Forbes.com ZIP code analysis, within the Watts ZIP of 90059, home prices rose 91.9%; more than any other ZIP in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, had you sunk your funds into the upscale neighborhood of Holmby Hills, you would have the least amount of appreciation in the city Â under 9% from 2003 through 2005.

It is a pattern that held true in several of the largest cities in the U.S. over the past two years. Long-coveted areas, such as Pacific Heights in San Francisco, Buckhead in Atlanta or the Upper East Side in New York, were not the best performers. Instead, in many metros, neighborhoods with lower median incomes, neglected housing stock and low prices, or areas that were dominated by office or industrial space, have surged forward.

For investment performance, think Miami's Little Havana, where prices increased more than 150% over the last two years. Or the tough Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia, which went up 70%. Or Manhattan's Lower East Side, where tenements that once sheltered struggling immigrants are now occupied by high-priced lawyers, and the median home price is more than $650,000, according to real estate appraisal and consulting firm Miller Samuel.

"In the past, you would expect that neighborhoods with higher median incomes would have stronger demand for homes," says David Lereah, senior vice president and chief economist for the NAR. "Lower-income neighborhoods will have more renters. Higher-income areas will have more demand from people wanting to climb the ladder. It means that some things have changed."

As prices have increased, some of the most desirable neighborhoods Â which have always been more expensive Â have topped out, becoming unaffordable for many home buyers. So instead of buying charming but overpriced stone homes in the leafy Baltimore neighborhood of Guilford, for example, young families turned to blue-collar areas near the water, rehabbing old row houses that seemed cheap in comparison.

Jonas Lee, a founder and managing partner of Redbrick Partners in Manhattan, a private investment fund that puts money into single-family homes, is not surprised. His company targets just such urban areas for investment.

"It takes people a while to figure it out, but there's a very large arbitrage between these neighborhoods and some of the nicer neighborhoods," Lee says. "Once that price differential is large enough, people start to recognize the opportunities, and then there's a sort of a herd mentality. It's leading to the revitalization of neighborhoods that had not seen a lot of investment for a long period off time."

This shifting of money isn't limited to individual neighborhoods Â it mirrors a national trend.

"I call it the 'rolling boom,' " Lereah says. "Vegas to Reno was the first thing we saw."

In 2004, the median home price for Las Vegas went up a startling 52%, he says. But by 2005, it had dropped to 12%.

"What happened was, Reno went up 32%," he says. "Then it appeared the boom rolled to Phoenix. You saw similar things in Boston; first Boston got the boom, then it rolled to Providence, R.I., and the air came out of the balloon in Boston."

Not every city we looked at fit the rolling-boom pattern, however. Metro areas such as Dallas and Minneapolis-St. Paul have not seen tremendous real estate price gains in recent years. In Dallas, where the median existing home price went up 6% last year, according to NAR, the greatest appreciation is still coming in more established, pricier neighborhoods. Same goes for Minneapolis-St. Paul, where prices overall rose 4.5% in 2005. Prices are difficult to pin down in Phoenix, which has seen tremendous growth; a new community can spring up in a year, utterly and suddenly altering the prices in a neighborhood.

To get a snapshot of how prices have been moving, we turned to Brooklyn-based real estate data firm OnBoard for numbers on all cities, except for parts of New York. For 20 of the largest metropolitan areas in the country, OnBoard gathered the median home prices from 2003 to 2005 for all the ZIP codes the U.S. Postal Service associates with each city. We tossed out ZIP codes that had fewer than 30 sales in any year during that period because they would not reliably show trends. We then searched for the best performing and worst performing in each city since 2003 and determined the neighborhood or neighborhoods primarily associated with each ZIP.

For New York City, OnBoard gave us ZIP codes for four of the five boroughs. Because 85% of the apartments in Manhattan are cooperatives, which do not have to publicly list property transfers, we turned to real estate appraisal and consulting firm Miller Samuel for the inside scoop.

>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11809832/>

how did Chicago's skyline evolve?

2007-04-28T11:00:00.001-07:00

Its one of the most amazing skylines in the world. Did Chicago start out with a very small cluster of skyscrapers that was known as "the shicago skyline" and then got a very tall skyscraper and the skyline of today grew around that? or did it evolve some other way? post early skyline photos of Chicago if you can find them as well.>

Sports and Indy

2007-04-28T10:30:00.001-07:00

Sports & Indy: Is it good teamwork?
Events such as this weekend's Final Four bring estimated $1 billion to Indy, but not everyone thinks it's a bargain

One billion dollars.

That's how much major sports events and organizations might pull into Indianapolis this year.
And that figure doesn't count money spent by Indianapolis-area fans or the added benefit as those dollars circulate through the local economy.
It's The Indianapolis Star's tally, based on figures from eight economic studies and estimates from local tourism officials, of how much out-of-town visitors spend on such things as hotels and hot dogs, cab rides and courtside seats.
It's roughly the same amount Eli Lilly and Co. pays its more than 14,000 Indianapolis employees. And it's a number that -- after 30 years of work -- affirms Indianapolis as one of the nation's elite sports cities. This weekend's NCAA Men's Final Four is the latest example.
"That's real money," said Susan Williams, president of the Indiana Sports Corp., the nonprofit group that bid for and organized Indianapolis' hosting of the Final Four. "That number demonstrates what a market niche we have and demonstrates what the whole sports picture has become to our city's and our region's economy."
Or does it? Not only do economists disagree on how beneficial Indianapolis' sports industry really is, but local officials also realize they have to keep pouring resources into sports to keep Indianapolis ahead of the ever-increasing pack of cities trying to duplicate its success.
Right now, local leaders are trying to outbid Chicago to permanently host the men's and women's Big Ten Conference basketball tournament, as the city did this year. Indianapolis also might lose the lucrative U.S. Grand Prix Formula One race to Las Vegas.
At the same time, local officials dream of landing a Super Bowl or part of the World Cup soccer tournament to keep the city's sports industry growing.
In fact, city officials had their eye on a Super Bowl when they pushed to win tax increases to fund a $500 million football stadium for the Indianapolis Colts. Local taxpayers also footed the bill for part of the $183 million Conseco Fieldhouse, opened in 1999, and for part of the Colts' current stadium, the RCA Dome.
Some sports economists question the wisdom of spending more money to attract ever-larger events.
That's one reason many of the economic studies tallied by The Star were commissioned by sports organizations or the city, which had a clear interest in winning public support for expensive new sports facilities.
No comprehensive study has been conducted to measure the overall impact of sports in Indianapolis. And at least one economist, Bruce Jaffee of Indiana University, said the sum total of the piecemeal studies seems inflated.
Interestingly, Jaffee said that even if sports' impact on Indianapolis is half as much -- or $500 million a year -- it's a boon.
Sports impact disputed

But another economist, who did not question the $1 billion figure, doubts very much of it will actually thicken Hoosier wallets.
"Undoubtedly, because of sports, $1 billion changes hands in Indianapolis (in a year)," said Victor Matheson, a professor of economics at the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. "The question is, 'Are the people in Indianapolis $1 billion richer because of that?' That's a completely different story."
It's different for two reasons, Matheson explained. First, when big events such as the Final Four come to town, the hordes of sports fans crowd out people who otherwise would have visited the city for business or pleasure.
Second, while Indianapolis' hotels and restaurants make a killing on the Final Four, it's unclear how much of those profits stay in Indianapolis. Out-of-state companies own many of the city's restaurants and hotels.
Matheson and other sports economists cite an array of economic studies, which say jobs and earnings do not rise noticeably for cities that host major sporting events versus those that do not.
"If this is success, I'd hate to see failure," said Robert Sandy, an economist at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. He said Indianapolis' tax dollars spent on sports could have been better spent on schools or other basic infrastructure.
But city leaders say such criticism fails to account for other benefits sports bring to Indianapolis. Williams said Indianapolis gets incalculable exposure from hosting more than 1 million visitors a year for sports events and from being frequently mentioned in news media nationwide.
Indeed, attracting direct spending from sports fans was just one of three parts of a deliberate sports strategy put in place 30 years ago by then-Mayor William Hudnut and a cadre of young civic leaders.
Another goal was to use sports to vault Indianapolis onto the radar screens of corporate decision makers, said David Frick, who was a deputy mayor under Hudnut. Frick is now heading the building authority that is erecting the new stadium for the Colts and other uses.
"Sports plays a critical role in the culture of business decision makers in the state -- where to locate plants, where to grow, where to make investments," Frick said. "Indianapolis is now on the list, where it never was before."
Also, Hudnut and others wanted to lure the headquarters of various sports organizations. And the city has done so. Today, 11 sports governing bodies and groups call Indianapolis home.
The biggest of these is the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which moved its headquarters to Indianapolis in 1999. Altogether, the 11 organizations pump $63 million annually into Indianapolis' economy in payroll and expenditures, according to analyses by the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.
A winning tradition

Indianapolis also has managed a string of big wins in both professional and amateur sports. Beginning in 1977, Hudnut toiled to boost ticket sales and then to find a local buyer to keep the Indiana Pacers from moving out of town. The mall-owning Simon brothers bought the struggling team in 1983. By 1996, the Pacers were pumping $34.6 million a year into Indianapolis, according to a city-commissioned study.
In 1980, Indianapolis hosted its first men's Final Four. Two years later, it hosted the National Sports Festival, where organizers first learned how to run a big event.
In 1984, Hudnut, Frick and others persuaded the Baltimore Colts to move to Indianapolis. Twenty years later, the NFL team attracts $44 million a year in visitor spending into Indianapolis, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers study.
Indianapolis' biggest single event was the Pan American Games in 1987, which marshaled nearly 40,000 volunteers and showed off the many facilities the city had spent millions building -- for swimming, tennis, football, rowing and other sports.
Since then, Indianapolis has hosted a slew of world championships, in swimming, diving, rowing, gymnastics, basketball and other sports.
The biggest economic boosts, however, came not from the efforts of city leaders, but from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway expanding its franchise. IMS added the Brickyard 400 stock-car race in 1994 and the U.S. Grand Prix Formula One race in 2000.
Combined, those two races bring in nearly $400 million annually to Indianapolis, according to a 2000 study commissioned by the Speedway. The Indianapolis 500 brings in $336 million on its own, the study said.
The question now for sports advocates is how to keep growing. The Indiana Sports Corp., created in 1979 to promote amateur sports, was the first sports commission of its kind in the nation. Now, about 150 cities have similar organizations.
Bidding for the crown jewel of sports tourism -- the Olympic Games -- has become so competitive it led to scandal before the Salt Lake City Winter Games in 2002 and led to major losses for Athens, Greece, which hosted the Summer Games in 2004.
Indianapolis leaders don't plan to bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. But they do recognize they need to attract new events to keep bringing in visitors and their dollars.
"Just like Kings Island has to have a new ride every year or so, we need to have a new thing," said Fred Glass, president of the Capital Improvement Board, which owns Conseco Fieldhouse, the RCA Dome and the new Lucas Oil Stadium.
Williams, of the Sports Corp., plans to keep leveraging the city's relationship with its hometown sports organizations. The NCAA has promised to bring a Final Four event here every five years. And Williams thinks there's a chance to organize sports championship festivals for other NCAA sports besides basketball.
But whatever the strategy, Frick thinks more taxpayer dollars will have to be spent to keep Indianapolis in the lead pack of sports cities.
"I'm not sure we as a community are spending the kind of resources we need," Frick said. "The public sector needs to step forward. And I think that's a good use of public dollars because this activity creates jobs."

ECONOMIC IMPACT OF SPORTS IN INDY: A TALE OF THE TAPE

Major sporting events and organizations could pull more than $1 billion into Indianapolis' economy this year, according to a tally of figures from various economic studies. The Indianapolis Star arrived at the figure by compiling data from eight economic studies and other sources. The figures relate to how much visiting fans -- not Indianapolis-area residents -- are expected to spend on such things as tickets, beds, grub, drinks, trinkets and transportation.

Here is a list of the events and organizations and the visitor spending they are expected to draw. All data come from the most recent estimates available.

Events

Â Feb. 23-28: NFL Combine, $2.5 million.
Â March 2-6: Big 10 Women's basketball tournament, $3.5 million.
Â March 4: IHSAA girls basketball championships, unknown.
Â March 9-12: Big 10 men's basketball tournament, $6.5 million.
Â March 10-12: Hoosier Midwest Qualifying volleyball tournament, $8 million.
Â March 25: IHSAA boys basketball championships, unknown.
Â April 1-3: NCAA men's Final Four, $33.3 million.
Â May 6: Indianapolis Life 500 Mini-Marathon, $1.2 million.
Â May 28: Indianapolis 500, $336.6 million.
Â June 16-18: Midwest Regional League soccer finals, $2 million.
Â June 22-25: USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, $4.5 million.
Â July 2: U.S. Grand Prix, $170.8 million.
Â July 15-23: RCA Championships, $4.2 million.
Â July 19-23: U.S. Rowing National Championship Regatta, $500,000.
Â July 19-23: Circle City Equestrian 500, $1.6 million.
Â August 6: Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, $219.5 million.
Â Oct. 7: Coca-Cola Circle City Classic, $9 million.
Â Nov. 24-25: IHSAA football championships, unknown.
Â Dec. 16: John Wooden Tradition (November): $1.2 million.
Â Indianapolis Raceway Park events: $60 million.

Total: $864,900,000

Miscellaneous

Â 10 amateur sports groups: $13 million annually in payroll and expenditures.
Â NCAA headquarters: $50 million annually in payroll and expenditures.

Total: $63,000,000

Professional sports teams

Note: It is difficult to determine how much local sports teams attract in spending from fans and businesses that are outside the Indianapolis area. The Pacers, Colts and Ice have all been part of economic impact studies, and those annual numbers are listed below.

Â Indianapolis Colts: $44 million in outside visitor spending.
Â Indiana Pacers: $35 million in payroll and expenditures
Â Indiana Ice: $5 million in payroll and expenditures.
Â Indiana Fever: unknown.
Â Indianapolis Indians: unknown.
Â Indiana Tornados: unknown.

Total: $84,000,000

GRAND TOTAL: $1,011,900,000

Sources: Indiana Sports Corp., Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association, Capital Improvement Board, individual organizations, Star research>

Berkeley becomes first city to pass impeachment resolution against Bush/Cheney

2007-04-28T10:00:00.001-07:00

Not a shock and soooo Berkeley...but I wonder if it will spread?

Berkeley council passes impeachment resolution
Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

(06-28) 11:01 PDT -- With overwhelming support from Berkeley residents, the Berkeley City Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday night to be the first jurisdiction in the United States to let the public vote for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

The measure will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot, at a cost of about $10,000.

Among those who urged the council to approve the initiative were peace activists Cindy Sheehan and Daniel Ellsberg, as well as 500 Berkeley residents who sent supportive e-mails to City Hall. Only three residents said they were against the idea.

The council agreed to drop a provision that would have set up a task force of Berkeley residents to monitor the President and Vice President.

E-mail Carolyn Jones at carolynjones@sfchronicle.com>

DOES NYC SUCK? OPEN POLL

2007-04-28T08:30:00.001-07:00

NYC SUCKS. THE SKYLINE IS SMALLER THAN LA'S, THE SMOG IS WORSE THAN LA'S, AND WE HAVE A BETTER CLIMATE. WE HAVE HOLLYWOOD AND THE LARGEST PORT IN THE USA. WE'VE GOT ALL THE IMMIGRANTS AND WE ARE THE LEADERS OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY. NYC SUCKS. LA RULES. END OF STORY. ANYBDY DISAGREE? IF YOU DISAGREE, YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING.>

What's your favorite NFL college team??

2007-04-28T07:30:00.001-07:00

Mine is the Dolphins and the Miami hurricanes....!!!! Dolphins Dan Marino and Don Shula...Best quarterback of all-time and Shula best coach of all-time...Hurricanes College football team with the most NFL players...Dolphins only team to have a perfect season!!!>

Top 20 noteworthy people from your city

2007-04-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

This includes people who have lived in your city, were born in your, or grew up in your city. (In order from most famous)
For MACON, GEORGIA
1 Cher-- Lived in Macon for two yrs. while married to Gregg Allman
2 Little Richard--Born/Raised (King of Rock?? Ever heard of him?)
3James Brown. Lived in Macon for some years and recorded many albums in Macon
4Duane Allman/Gregg Allman== The Allman Brother's Band. Recorded Eat A Peach and others at Capricorn Studios in Macon
5Otis Redding--Famous soul singer. Born/Raised in Mac-town
6Nancy Grace-Has her own show on CNN formerly of Court TV
7 Young Sleezy--A very popular rapper. Grew up in Macon and nearby Hawkinsville
8Jason Aldean--Country Music Star-- Grew up in Macon
9Sonny Carter--Famous Astronaut born/raised in the "Big M"
10Jeff Malone--Former NBA player. Born/raised/and currently resides in Macon
11 Sidney Lanier-- Famous civil war poet and flute player
12-Norm Nison--NBA player
13 Soong Ai Ling (wife of famous wealthy Chinese man HH. Kung), Soong Ching Ling, and Soong May Ling (wife of Chiang-Kai-Shek) all went to Wesleyan College (First all woman college in the U.S.)
14 Sam Mitchell- Went to college in Macon-- Head Coach of Toronto Raptors.
14Catherine Benson- First female in the world to earn a college degree @ Wesleyan
15 Neva Fickling-- Ms. America 1953
16 Phil Walden--Founder of Capricorn Studios. Died a few weeks ago.
17 Roy Fickling-- Founder of Fickling& Co. Real Estate.
18 Bernard Ramsey--Born and raised-- Merrill Lynch Executive
19 Toni Jenning-- Florida Liet. Governer.
20Wesley Duke-- Went to college at Mercer in Macon. Tight end for Denver Broncos-- 2005 AfC West Champions>

Wanna earn $1,000 weekly? US Counties ranked by Average Weekly Wage

2007-04-28T06:00:00.001-07:00

Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006
US Counties ranked by average wage $1,000+
Manhattan, NY........$1,419
Santa Clara, CA......$1,403
Arlington, VA...........$1,292
San Mateo, CA........$1,268
Washington DC.......$1,265
San Francisco, CA..$1,219
Suffolk, MA.............$1,198
Fairfield, CT.............$1,197
Fairfax, VA..............$1,188
Somerset, NJ...........$1,148
Middlesex, MA.........$1,110
Morris, NJ................$1,086
Alameda, CA............$1,053
Montgomery, MD......$1,027
Hudson, NJ..............$1,024
Durham, NC.............$1,019
Alexandria, VA.........$1,013
Loudon, VA..............$1,008
Fulton, GA...............$1,007
Westchester, NY......$1,005

ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/news.release/H....04122006.news>

Hemmed in by water...and loving it

2007-04-28T05:30:00.001-07:00

What effect does the confining aspect of water boundaries have on our great cities density and ability to create a truly urban sense of place?

I posed the question about this relates to Manhattan in another thread, but the issue goes well beyond New York.

Arguably our greatest American downtown areas are in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Boston....and all have used the confining nature of water boundaries to create their special urban environments:

Â Long and thin, the island of Manhattan has used its surrounding rivers to allow virtually all its areas to be "central" in nature...well, certainly from downtown to midtown and beyond a bit

Â Chicago's Loop was its own island like location: Lake Michigan to the east, the Chicago River to the north and west, rail yards to the south. Such confinement, in the 19th century, and the beginning of the 20th, created a highly centralized city with a density one would not expect for a city on the prairie.

Â San Francisco's peninsular location may well make it the most "set apart" of all US cities; no city has been able to create its own world due to its watery surroundings as SF. And the downtown region (if you include areas north of downtown up to the north waterfront around the Wharf, Ghirardelli, Pier 39, is set off by water on the east and the north.

Â Boston's original tad pole shape created an inviting density that is one of that city's hallmarks. Early Boston was almost the island that Manhattan is.

Elsewhere, Philadelphia stretches between two rivers and Seattle benefits from an isthmus location. And if you really want to see how water works in a midsize city, try a trip to Madison, WI. This urban gem is built on an isthmus between two lakes. Its downtown is easily the most confined isthmus location in the nation. The result? A density and urban texture almost unthinkable in a city of its size....and a city that consistently ranks at or near the top of any list evaluating urban quality of life.

Water hemming in our cities, it seems, is a very good thing.>

seriously

2007-04-28T05:00:00.001-07:00

Take 2 seconds and read this. No scam, no promises of wealth, if it's for you great,
if not, thats fine too. I was able to make a couple of hundred extra last month which
came in handy for little extras. Heres some pointers based on my trial and error.

- register for free @ http://www.treasuretrooper.com/89855
- click "cash offers" on the left side"
- click the links for the offers that say "Enter email address with intent to participate"
- submit a valid email, once the survey pops up close the survey window and give it a minute
- click "done" next to the offer you've just fulfilled, the survey is optional so don't waste your time
- once it's been confirmed by them that you did the requirement, you get your $$$
- READ THEIR FORUMS, PEOPLE POST SCREENSHOTS OF THEIR PAYPAL ACCTS WITH THE MONEY IN THEM!!!

Theres other stuff you can do like trial products or take surveys (if you do,
just click no or no thanks as fast as you can, don't actually waste your time giving
accurate answers about shopping habits and other BS) You can also get cash back on purchases
etc if you choose to, the first part is the easier way to make $ in my book but you judge for yourself.>

Could LA/Chicago Surpass New York in our Lifetime?

2007-04-28T04:30:00.001-07:00

just wondering.

IN THE FUTURE......

could the US see a new leading city?

not talking about the past or the present.....

just the future.>

Could LA have been LA without Hollywood

2007-04-28T04:00:00.001-07:00

Let's face it. Los Angeles caught the break-of-all-breaks when the movie industry chose the little town of Hollywood as its epicenter. Talk about an industry (in LA I believe it is referred to as "the industry") designed to bring fame, glamour, and keep your city in the spotlight.

But did you wonder what might have happened if the film industry had taken roots elsewher (perhaps in the desserts of Arizona, or somewhere out on Long Island)? What would the reprecutions been for the City of the Angles if the silver screen never made Hollywood its home? Specifically without the high profile of the film industry, would LA emerged as the power center of the west? Would it have been the magnet it became without the studios? How much did the movie industry contribute to LA's power and clout?

And related....without the movie industry, what would LA's position in regards to San Francisco been as LA overtook SF in population and power in the 20th century. Is it possilbe that San Francisco might have retained its role of "The City" in the west if the movie industry never moved to LA?>

Noteworthy Eccentrics in Your City

2007-04-28T03:30:00.001-07:00

Every city has its' eccentrics..the strange people, that may or may not be homeless, seem to wonder, generally seem happy, talk to themselves, and are very familiar. They roam the same neighborhoods and sometimes you even talk to them. New Orleans has had many eccentrics over the years and they are still around. We have a new breed developing today (mainly in the French Quarter). Here is a site that is fun to read and check out... http://www.eccentricneworleans.com/g...eccentrics.htm . Simply press the picture and read about some of the eccentrics in New Orleans' past. Few of these are still around, but, let me assure you, as I stated, there is an entire new generation of eccentrics on the streets of New Orleans..they just haven't gotten to the point of these just yet. But, they will. Post some of the eccentrics from your city and any relevant info that will describe these interesting characters that roam the streets of our cities, day in an day out....BTW, on the link I provided, Becky Allen and Varla Merman are still around. Varla Merman was discovered and is now in New York. You can do a google on her. Ruthie the Duck lady, resides today, in a nursing home about one mile from my home. Several years back she just got too bad, dirty, and rude to the public and other eccentrics with money put her up in a nursing home. Many think it was one of the cruelest things in the world to take Ruthie's daily diet of a 12 pack of Miller Lite from her and to this day she still asks for a beer, every day.>

growth, density, population: why the obsession?

2007-04-28T02:30:00.001-07:00

I've raised this issue on different threads where relevant, but feel it deserves a thread of its own:

WHY IS THERE SUCH A PERVASSIVE OBSESSION ON THIS BOARD OVER OUR CITIES' GROWTH-FOR-THE-SAKE-OF-GROWTH, DENSITY-FOR-THE-SAKE-OF-DENSITY, HEIGHT-FOR-THE-SAKE-OF-HEIGHT, ETC.

Where did we get the idea that there is a race for the biggest population, the most dense setting, the highest skyline?

From the late 19th century to the present, the earth's population curve has curved dangerously upward. with growth has come an unpresidented use of the earth's resources with an unpresidented negative effect on the planet.

Do we really want to see our major cities (metros) growing to populations of 30-40,000,000, presumably mostly affluent or at least well off growth. Do we really want to see that many more people in place depleting the globe's resources. Do we admire the population of places like Calcutta...and desire to emulate it.?

Would living in a city so dense and so high that the sky was rarely seen something that would positively improve our quality of life?

Despite dire predictions, we tend to ignore global warming and the human race's effect on it. We feel we can build with impunity and still keep the quality of life we desire. We can't.

This century sadly will see many faceless cities throughout the globe whose populations will exceed 30,000,000. At some point, there will be virtually nameless cities in Asia or South America whose skyline's height (but not majesty) will far exceed Manhattan's.

Our cities are real. They are not photographs on the skyscraper forum. They don't function well because we look at pictures and say, "Oh my God, look at that fucking density!!!!!!

Our current fascination with density, height, population, etc., but be viewed abysmally and detrminetly by mid-century when their very existence contribute to the inhabitability of the planet. Why should we wait until then to be concerned.

There is no race to the top. NYC and LA have long passed my city of Chicago in population; I'll concede the competiton to them and seriously pray we never do catch up (we won't). If Houston passes up Chicago in population sometime in the future, I won't skip a beat. I don't give a rat's ass. You see, my guess is that by mid-century, the largest cities in the world (and perahps the US) will be basket cases; the real power houses will those places that have been able to control their growth, their density, their excessive life styles.

Sorry if this came across as a rant. No doubt it did. But I sincerely believe we are travelling down a dangerous road and need to seriously look where it is taking us.>

CÃÂºcuta, Colombia... a nice city to visit!!

2007-04-28T02:00:00.001-07:00

I created this thread to show my city..

Panoramics...

Centro Comercial Gran Bulevar (Exterior)
Av. 0 Calle 11

Centro Comercial Gran Bulevar (Interior)
Av. 0 Calle 11

Centro Comercial VIVERO (DÃa)
Puente Elias M. Soto - Round Point Carlos RamÃrez ParÃs

Centro Comercial VIERO (Noche)
Puente Elias M. Soto - Round Point Carlos RamÃrez ParÃs

UNICENTRO (EN CONSTRUCCIÃ"N)
Av. Libertadores con Canal BogotÃ¡

Centro Comercial Ventura Plaza (EN CONSTRUCCIÃ"N)

Centro de la Ciudad

Av. Libertadores

Av. 0 Calle 13

Av. 0

Av. Libertadores

Av. Libertadores

Catedral (NAVIDAD)

Catedral

Iglesia de San Luis

Iglesia Perpetuo Socorro

Templo Historico (Donde se reuniÃ³ el congreso de CÃºcuta - Queda al lado de la casa del general SANTANDER)

Hotel Casino Internacional

Hotel Tonchala

Coliseo Toto HernÃ¡ndez

Piscina Olimpica

Redoma Carlos RamÃrez Paris

Redoma Carlos RamÃrez Paris

Puente Internacional SimÃ³n Bolivar (Divide a Colmbia y Venezuela)

Fuente Luminosa
Av. Calle 10

Puente Elias M. Soto

Puente Elias M. Soto

Parque SimÃ³n Bolivar

Parque Colon

Parque Colon

Parque Santander

Parque Santander

CÃCUTA DEPORTIVO

Restaurante Carritos (Navidad)

Restaurante Carritos (Navidad)

Pueblito Coca Cola

Restaurante Rodizio

Ok.. that's all!!
I hope you liked!>

What cities are suburban, downtown or neighborhood cities?

2007-04-28T01:30:00.001-07:00

I would say the best example of a suburban city I have seen would
be Kansas City, Missouri. Yes, they have the country club plaza and are improving their downtown they are still very suburban. I believe Kansas City is about 450,000 people with-in 300 square miles so the city itself has very low population density. Ive heard Kansas City is a great place if you like tons of space though. Omaha is another very suburban city with only 850,000 people in the metro the city sprawls for at least 20 miles from downtown, what are they up to now 220th street. Alot of times suburban cities have vibrant suburbs but very few happening areas in the city itself. Colorado Springs also is a very suburban city not even 600,000 people in the metro area and it sprawls 30 miles along Interstate 25 mostly with commercial big box retailers and strip-malls with at least a dozen chinese restaurants on every major throughfare.

I would say a neighborhoods kind of city is Columbus, Ohio. Downtown as of 2003 when I was there was not their strong suit at all. All the activity was in its many vibrant urban neighborhoods. Short North has at least 70 art galleries and many, many restaurants and bars. The brewery district with bars, The german village with its great architecture, Grandview Heights commercial strip, The many many people always walking along High Street near OSU.
Columbus I dont think the city of sprawl nearly as much as people would wanna
convince, for a metropolitan area the population of Indianapolis it seems smaller in land area. Pittsburgh and St. Louis I would also put in this category.

Downtown city: I would say Indianapolis is a "downtown city" they keep the downtown looking good with tons of stuff around and the 4 storey mall. But once your in the neighborhoods you can tell they have pretty much put all the cities chips in the downtown area. Other downtown cities would be Denver, Des Moines and Madison (along that strip between the lakes)>

Cities in unattractive states

2007-04-28T01:00:00.001-07:00

How do cities of "unattractive" states like Minnesota, Wyoming, Mississippi, etc. compare to cities in "attractive" states like California, Texas, Florida, or Massachusetts?

What, if anything, about these "unattractive" states gives their cities an advantage over cities in "attractive" states?>

Wikipedia description of your city

2007-04-28T00:30:00.001-07:00

How accurately does Wikipedia describe your city? Specfically, how well does it describe the urbanity, commercial districts, culture, architecture, and attitude in your city?

Here is the entry for Louisville, which I think is pretty accurate and a good read for anyone visiting the city:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisville%2C_Ky>

Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport

2007-04-28T00:00:00.001-07:00

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (IATA: ATL, ICAO: KATL) is located in the Atlanta, Georgia, USA metropolitan area, and is the busiest airport in the world both in terms of number of passengers as well as the number of takeoffs and landings, surpassing Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. It accommodated 980,197 takeoffs and landings in 2005, and handled 88.4 million passengers according to projections. Many of these flights are domestic flights from within the United States where Atlanta serves as a major transfer point for flights to and from smaller East Coast cities. As such, it has been the subject of an old joke stating that it doesn't matter where one will go in the afterlife; they will connect through Atlanta to get there. As an international gateway to the United States Hartsfield-Jackson ranks seventh; JFK International in New York City is first.[1]

The airport is located partly within the southern city limits of Atlanta and is adjacent to the city of College Park, Georgia, which is south of the city limits of Atlanta. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the primary hub of Delta Air Lines and AirTran Airways. The airport is located within Fulton and Clayton Counties.

And with the new runway and the new terminal in about 10 years Atlanta will have a total of about 120 million passengers per year estimated. Currently Atlanta has 89 million passengers per year.

>

Hispanic 500: Top Cities & States

2007-04-27T23:30:00.001-07:00

Another list for everyone's enjoyment.

The new Hispanic 500 for 2006 is out. Its basically the Fortune 500 for Hispanic run business.

http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/research/500/

The top 10 are:
1. The Related Group (Construction) Miami, FL
2. Brightstar (Wholesale) Miami, FL
3. Burt Automotive Network (Automotive) Centennial, CO
4. Molina Healthcare (Service) Long Beach, CA
5. MasTec (Construction) Coral Gables, FL
6. International Bancshares Corp (Finance) Laredo, TX
7. Prestige Builders (Construction) Miami Lakes, FL
8. Ancira Enterprises (Automotive) San Antonio, TX
9. General Real Estate Corp (Construction) Miami, FL
10. Elder Automotive Group (Automotive) Troy, MI

Top States:
Florida - 121
California - 105
Texas - 71
New Mexico -25
Virginia - 20
New Jersey - 19
Illinois - 19
New York -17
Michigan - 14
Georgia - 12

Top Cities (not counting metros) -of the cities I searched, there could be more, feel free to look:
Miami, FL - 75
Albuquerque, NM - 19
Houston, TX - 16
Coral Gables, FL - 13
Chicago, IL - 10
San Antonio, TX - 10
Los Angeles, CA - 9
Dallas, TX - 8
Orlando, FL - 6>

2008 Election

2007-04-27T23:00:00.001-07:00

Wyatt Chesney!
http://www.chesney2008.tz4.com
http://www.chesney2008.blogspot.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyatt_Chesney
http://www.reformparty.org/phpbb>

Best City USA... American Dream

2007-04-27T22:30:00.001-07:00

Best city in USA is Chicago! City all language and coauntry of the World. Chicago has 3 mln. polish people! This is Poland City (i say:P).
easy... around the World... >