Chinatown

Boston's Chinatown is one of the largest and most ethnically Chinese Chinatowns in the country. Located close to Downtown, Chinatown has good transit connections and many Hubway (bikeshare) stops. A few surface parking lots exist, but other than that, the neighborhood has no vacant lots, or abandoned buildings. As far as buildings go, mostly older 5-7 story buildings dominate, many of which are mixed use, but some are purely residential or multistory commercial. Of the newer buildings, mostly 2-3 story multistory commercial dominate. The "entrance" to Chinatown is at the corner of Beach and Hudson Streets, where the Chinatown Gate, or Paifang, and a small but crowded park can be found. Transit-wise, the Orange Line, Green Line, Silver Line, and Red Line all have stations in or nearby the neighborhood. In addition to these three lines, several frequent and infrequent bus routes serve the neighborhood as well, but no key bus routes currently serve the neighborhood. All in all, a pretty great neighborhood, with a lot of potential. However, due to its proximity to Downtown, if nothing is done soon, Chinatown may eventually push out its ethnic Chinese due to gentrification.

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Inman Square

Inman Square is an are of the city of Cambridge, centered on the intersection of Cambridge and Hampshire Streets. The area is a mix of university students (due to the area's proximity to Harvard University), hipsters, yuppies, and Brazilians. Buildings consist of one story commercial, mixed use, and townhouses/lower density apartments. Businesses range A LOT from Brazilian restaurants to toy stores to grocery stores. Transit Connections are pretty good, with the area being a reasonable walking distance to the Central Red Line station. Although no key bus routes serve the neighborhood, several reasonably frequent regular bus routes do serve the area quite well. All in all, a pretty good neighborhood, with a very friendly and local atmosphere.

Harvard Square

As the name implies, Harvard Square is a neighborhood located near Harvard University in the city of Cambridge, next to Boston. Previously a neighborhood commercial center, the area is now a regional shopping destination, with upscale shops lining the streets. AMAZING public transit connections are present at the square, with Harvard Station being the third busiest in the system. All of the trolleybus routes left in the city of Boston, frequent regular bus routes, five of the fifteen key bus routes, and both the Ashmont and Braintree branches of the Red Line all meet here. The neighborhood also includes nice parks, small businesses, and pleasant houses and apartment buildings. Harvard University dominates the area. Although the neighborhood is not too diverse, it is still nice and lively, so a pretty good neighborhood.

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http://urbantransit.webs.com/

Dorchester

Dorchester is a massive neighborhood on Boston's southern edge. Boston's largest in both area and population, its six square miles contain all kinds of people, from all races and income levels. The eastern pieces of the neighborhood are predominately middle to lower middle class East Asian and Irish populated, the northern pieces of the area are predominately Eastern European lower middle class, the western pieces of the neighborhood are mostly African, Afro-Caribbean, and African American lower middle class, and the southern pieces are mostly middle and lower middle class African Americans, Irish, yuppies, gay couples, and artists. The neighborhood also has quite a few families. The Fields Corner area of the neighborhood is one of the most diverse, though still predominately Vietnamese. Extremely good transit connections can be found throughout the area, with reasonably frequent regular bus routes, two key bus routes, the Mattapan High Speed Line, and the Red Line-Ashmont Branch all serving Dorchester. The Fields Corner area consists of tightly packed houses on side streets, and medium density mixed use, as well as one story commercial buildings on main streets. The buildings vary a great deal in age, and overall, the neighborhood was just AWESOME!!!!! A MUST SEE for any Boston trip!

Charlestown

Charlestown is one of the oldest areas in Boston, however it was only annexed to the city in 1874. Charlestown is located on a peninsula separated from the North end of Boston by the Charles River, and East Boston by the Mystic and Chelsea Rivers. This causes it to feel like a separate city when there. The neighborhood is further separated from the city of Chelsea by the Mystic and Chelsea Rivers. However, this might not have been to much of a problem for the neighborhood's overall connectivity to the rest of urbanity, except that the evils of urban renewal managed to set in. Two highways were gashed through the area, cutting Charlestown off from the neighboring cities of Cambridge and Somerville, and cutting the area off from its navy yard and waterfront. The elevated railway tracks were cut off from the neighborhood, stuck down in between a highway and a rail yard. However, the neighborhood remained a strong sense of Irish immigrant identity, and is now an upper middle class neighborhood, with well maintained homes, businesses, and streets. Main Street is peppered with small businesses, and the side streets are filled with historic rowhouses and apartments. The USS Constellation and the Bunker Hill monument can also be found in the area. Transit wise, the Orange Line serves the neighborhood via the Community College and Sullivan Stations, and the frequent 92 and 93 bus routes also serve the area. Towards City Square, Main Street, and Bunker Hill Avenue, the area densifies, with more commercial buildings present on Bunker Hill Ave. An OK neighborhood, with a need for better access to low-income housing, and to Downtown Boston. 

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Downtown Boston/Financial District

This is the first in a longer than usual series of posts on Boston and its neighborhoods.
Downtown Boston is extremely dense, with LOTS of mixed use buildings. Narrow, winding streets help protect pedestrians and slow automobiles. Most buildings are from the late 19th century through the middle to late 20th. Many of these buildings are mixed use, and older and newer buildings poke out here and there, which helps make the urban fabric that much more interesting. Though most people go to Downtown, the people who actually live there are almost all upper class, meaning the area is not very mixed. VERY good transit can be found throughout Downtown, with bike lanes and Hubway (the bikeshare system) making up the bike portion, advanced bus stops, bus lanes, express buses, frequent but not key, infrequent, and key bus routes making up the bus portion, and BRT, advanced stations, light rail, and metro making up the rapid transit portion. I would try to bring more low income housing into the area, but other than that, Downtown Boston is pretty close to perfect. A great neighborhood!

An Announcement

My other website/blog, Urbantransit, uses the Webs website maker tool, which has proved to not be suitable to my hopes for the blog. So, sometime in 2014, Urbantransit's articles will be moved to #Urban, and all new public transit articles will appear on #Urban only. So now, this blog will continue to be on vibrant urban neighborhoods, with "focus posts" on public transit. (In vibrant urban neighborhoods, of course.)

Chinatown, West Ridge/West Rogers Park, and Near North

I've reviewed these neighborhoods in other posts already, which is why I'm combining the three neighborhoods into one and keeping this post SHORT. Basically, I'm just saying that these three neighborhoods are still cool, still urban, still worth visiting, but not much has changed since last time I visited, so there's not much to say.

Don't forget to check out my other blog/website!

http://urbantransit.webs.com/apps/blog/

Downtown Skokie

Skokie is one of Chicago's "urban suburbs", meaning a pre-WWII suburb, with many urban features, such as a grid of streets, houses without driveways, multiple housing styles (apartment, duplex, urban house, etc.), and mixed use areas. Downtown Skokie was at one point very prosperous, but it fell on hard times for a period. The Village of Skokie has poured a lot of money into its redevelopment, and a new CTA Yellow Line station was opened nearby. There are Afghan, Jamaican, Korean, Eastern European, and Jewish businesses lining Oakton Street, Skokie's principal street. The area has urban commercial businesses, apartments, offices, townhouses, and urban houses, creating an interesting corridor to live, work, or visit. An amazing place, ready to leap forward into something even better!

Rogers Park

This place is urbanist HEAVEN!!!!!!!!! Rogers Park is a medium density area with a number of housing styles. On side streets, 2, 3, 4, and 5 story apartments dominate. Wooden framed houses, as well as the idyllic Chicago bungalow are also present. On main streets, like Devon Avenue, Ridge Avenue, Sheridan Road, Howard Street, Morse Avenue, Pratt Boulevard, Clark Street, and Touhy Avenue, mixed use three story buildings are present. The neighborhood has EXTREMELY good transit connections, with three "el" lines and five frequent bus lines running through the area. One of these bus lines and one "el" line run 24/7. The area has a wide range of businesses, including hipster restaurants, Indo-Pak grocery stores, and cafes. The neighborhood is also very socioeconomically and culturally diverse, with very cheap apartments in the area. Clark Street is the Latino piece of the neighborhood, Howard Street is the heart of Jamaican Chicago. Sheridan Road houses many university students, Morse Avenue is the "downtown" of Rogers Park. Finally, Devon and Ridge Avenues make up the edge of West Ridge's Indian and Pakistani community. An amazing neighborhood, with lots to see!

Also, don't forget to check out my other website:
http://urbantransit.webs.com/apps/blog/