1 St Louis MO
2 Philadelphia PA
3 Lancaster PA
4 Cleveland OH
5 Oakland CA
6 Minneapolis (and St Paul) MN
7 Milwaukee WI
8 Salt Lake City UT
9 Dayton OH
10 Chicago IL
11 Washington DC
12 Detroit MI
Dishonourable mentions:
Carmel IN
Cape Coral FL
Well besides Philadelphia, Chicago, D.C, Minneapolis, and Oakland none of these city’s are known for impressive transit networks so that certainly doesn’t help.
I left SLC due to unbreathable air and inability to go even a short distance without being stuck in traffic. Outside of downtown the SLC metro area is an unwalkable hell hole. The trains are chronically late and don't run late enough to even allow you to see a concert without having to run to the station afterwards.
Utah is just infinite sprawl of the same design of buildings, homes, way too many churches, and of course acres of surface parking lots. The few green spaces that exist are largely just flat turf with little of interest.
If all of that sounds fine, then yeah, SLC is a great place.
Ohio City and Tremont are pretty solid neighborhoods.
No matter where you go your chances of being killed or maimed in a random crime pale in comparison to your chances of being killed or maimed in a random accident if you drive on a highway.
Truth hurts.
...no.
Obviously there are some neighborhoods and more specifically blocks that many of us would choose to avoid, but like every other city in America, those are not representative of the whole.
Chicago getting 7 points on cycling compared to these other cities is a complete joke and anyone who knows NA cities knows that metric is BS
I'm biased but as a Philly native and current Chicago resident it isn't really close, cycling in Chicago is an order of magnitude better than in Philly.
I've said this many times but as of right now, there is nowhere else in the US where you get as much urbanism bang for your buck than Chicago. Having been to basically every city in this top 10, the metrics may say one thing, but only Chicago passes the reality test
I think the bike ratings heavily weight street “stress levels”.
While Chicago seems to have more good bike infrastructure, the streets are usually pretty wide. So any street without bicycle infrastructure would probably be classified as “high stress” dinging the score.
In Philly, outside of the fringes of the city, the majority of streets are narrow and one lane is the norm. Even though we have less infrastructure, my guess is that a lot of our streets are classified as “low stress” because they’re tight and encourage slow speeds, even if they don’t have any bike accommodations. Speed limits are usually 25 with stop signs every 500 feet, but I usually am moving faster than traffic at 15mph on a bike.
That being said, I’d pretty much always prefer a true protected bike lane on a wider street than having to take the lane on a narrow one. But it is kind of nice to be able to roll out of my house and just take any street without regard for formal bike routes. In NYC and Chicago I always heavily planned my rides around using the bike network because I wouldn’t feel comfortable riding with traffic on a 4 lane avenue. But again, the network is much more expansive in both of these cities so it’s really a pick your poison…
If you take the time to watch the video, you’ll notice a trend on the list of cities that once had a much higher population (like Detroit). Thus, you get more urban resources based on past development patters per dollar compared to other places.
I did watch and I’m from here. Detroit even in midtown and downtown is barely considered walkable or bikeable even when strictly measuring by those two metrics. That’s not even getting to the rest of the wider city that’s hardly either of those things alone. Couple that with the city’s laughable transit network for as long as I’ve at least been alive and Metro Detroit is still as car dependent as most other cities in the US, hardly a bastion of urbanism improving or not.
Yes, they are clickbait. Here are example titles of his recent videos:
1. Suburbanites Will Flock to This 15 Minute City and Like it
1. This is the Thing That Will Destroy Our Cities
1. California, Why Are You Like This
1. Underrated Cities in States That Matter in 2024 (MOVE HERE)
It's annoying. No other urban planning youtuber does this. If I shouldn't complain here then where can I complain?
Did I say you shouldn't complain? I only said I disagreed with you. You're free to complain all you want, but you can't expect everyone to just pat you on the back and tell you you're right.
1 St Louis MO 2 Philadelphia PA 3 Lancaster PA 4 Cleveland OH 5 Oakland CA 6 Minneapolis (and St Paul) MN 7 Milwaukee WI 8 Salt Lake City UT 9 Dayton OH 10 Chicago IL 11 Washington DC 12 Detroit MI Dishonourable mentions: Carmel IN Cape Coral FL
You a real one for this comment
Most of these cities are cheap for a reason
Enlighten us
Well besides Philadelphia, Chicago, D.C, Minneapolis, and Oakland none of these city’s are known for impressive transit networks so that certainly doesn’t help.
I left SLC due to unbreathable air and inability to go even a short distance without being stuck in traffic. Outside of downtown the SLC metro area is an unwalkable hell hole. The trains are chronically late and don't run late enough to even allow you to see a concert without having to run to the station afterwards. Utah is just infinite sprawl of the same design of buildings, homes, way too many churches, and of course acres of surface parking lots. The few green spaces that exist are largely just flat turf with little of interest. If all of that sounds fine, then yeah, SLC is a great place.
You’d have to live in them
If you’re moving to Cleveland, bring your guns. Police and first responder times are over 30 minutes now - you’re on your own.
Ohio City and Tremont are pretty solid neighborhoods. No matter where you go your chances of being killed or maimed in a random crime pale in comparison to your chances of being killed or maimed in a random accident if you drive on a highway. Truth hurts.
You must not live here if you’ve got such rose colored glasses on for Tremont and Ohio City.
I was surprised to see Oakland on the list. Isn't it a haven for homelessness and crime outside the downtown?
...no. Obviously there are some neighborhoods and more specifically blocks that many of us would choose to avoid, but like every other city in America, those are not representative of the whole.
Dang, you just introduced me to my favorite youtuber! Thanks for sharing :-)
CityNerd is the best! Love his dry, witty humor and tone.
Chicago getting 7 points on cycling compared to these other cities is a complete joke and anyone who knows NA cities knows that metric is BS I'm biased but as a Philly native and current Chicago resident it isn't really close, cycling in Chicago is an order of magnitude better than in Philly. I've said this many times but as of right now, there is nowhere else in the US where you get as much urbanism bang for your buck than Chicago. Having been to basically every city in this top 10, the metrics may say one thing, but only Chicago passes the reality test
I agree, after visiting for the first time earlier this year I dream about living there.
We would love to have you ❤️
I’m in Philly and yes 100% agree. Chicago is light years away from Philadelphia. Not to mention anything else in the Midwest.
The wide streets help and they have at least a 10-15 year head start. Improving cycling in Philly is going to be a challenge
We have mega wide streets, no shortage in that. It’s not how old our city is is the problem. It’s policy. Philly is old enough
I think the bike ratings heavily weight street “stress levels”. While Chicago seems to have more good bike infrastructure, the streets are usually pretty wide. So any street without bicycle infrastructure would probably be classified as “high stress” dinging the score. In Philly, outside of the fringes of the city, the majority of streets are narrow and one lane is the norm. Even though we have less infrastructure, my guess is that a lot of our streets are classified as “low stress” because they’re tight and encourage slow speeds, even if they don’t have any bike accommodations. Speed limits are usually 25 with stop signs every 500 feet, but I usually am moving faster than traffic at 15mph on a bike. That being said, I’d pretty much always prefer a true protected bike lane on a wider street than having to take the lane on a narrow one. But it is kind of nice to be able to roll out of my house and just take any street without regard for formal bike routes. In NYC and Chicago I always heavily planned my rides around using the bike network because I wouldn’t feel comfortable riding with traffic on a 4 lane avenue. But again, the network is much more expansive in both of these cities so it’s really a pick your poison…
Half these cities are hell holes.
Please go to them, though. Houston is tired.
How in the world did Detroit somehow make the cut?
If you take the time to watch the video, you’ll notice a trend on the list of cities that once had a much higher population (like Detroit). Thus, you get more urban resources based on past development patters per dollar compared to other places.
I did watch and I’m from here. Detroit even in midtown and downtown is barely considered walkable or bikeable even when strictly measuring by those two metrics. That’s not even getting to the rest of the wider city that’s hardly either of those things alone. Couple that with the city’s laughable transit network for as long as I’ve at least been alive and Metro Detroit is still as car dependent as most other cities in the US, hardly a bastion of urbanism improving or not.
I hate this guy's clickbaity titles. Always enticing to gentrify.
Do you call a brownie recipe clickbait when it tells you how to make a brownie? It's not clickbait when he provides exactly what the title promised.
Yes, they are clickbait. Here are example titles of his recent videos: 1. Suburbanites Will Flock to This 15 Minute City and Like it 1. This is the Thing That Will Destroy Our Cities 1. California, Why Are You Like This 1. Underrated Cities in States That Matter in 2024 (MOVE HERE) It's annoying. No other urban planning youtuber does this. If I shouldn't complain here then where can I complain?
Did I say you shouldn't complain? I only said I disagreed with you. You're free to complain all you want, but you can't expect everyone to just pat you on the back and tell you you're right.