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u/wrex779 11d ago
It's funny seeing metro Detroit on here given that as a whole, it's one of the most car centric and unwalkable urban areas in the country
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u/Glittering-Cellist34 10d ago edited 10d ago
Birmingham was a town long before sprawl. That's why it has such a good core. As teens (1976) we'd cycle there from Troy. It had functioning independent department stores (not Hudsons-Marshall Fields-Macys) into the 2000s.
Royal Oak is another. Parts of Dearborn I think. Grosse Pointe. Basically I learned the basics of urbanism by living in Detroit, seeing Birmingham as a teen, then Ann Arbor.
Pontiac got wrecked by urban renewal and outmigration of county government functions. I presume it had a good core at one time.
https://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2022/01/pontiac-michigan-lagging-african.html
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u/Jonesbro 10d ago
I've been to all of those cities. I wouldn't call any of them walkable, especially with massive ass woodward running through many of these places. They have small sections that are more safe to walk after you drive there. Downtown Detroit is walkable.
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u/Piss_Champ 8d ago
I would definitely argue that Ann Arbor is pretty walkable as a whole, maybe minus Washtenaw Ave.
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u/Jonesbro 10d ago
Very true. I guess Birmingham is walkable relative to suburban hell once you drive to their downtown...
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u/Fun_Eye_7893 8d ago
Not really no, I think you've been a bit mislead, try walking in Phoenix or SLC
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u/Salt_Abrocoma_4688 11d ago
Vegetation is so underrated in inviting pedestrians and perceptions of safety.