Best/worst CBD to which you have ever been?

[Del Tachi]

I recently spent a few days in downtown Mobile, AL and I've realized that's it's probably one if the worst CBDs in the country.  It sits right next to a very busy port which completely obstructs the otherwise beautiful view of Mobile Bay, and many storefronts on the CBD's principle streets (Dauphin Street, Conti Street, Royal Street) sit desolate and vacant.  Additionally, the CBD is rather small in terms of area for a city of Mobile's size, but it does have a few high rise towers--however, this combination just produces the feeling of a very empty downtown.  The downtown does have some great green space though and there is some new development coming in on West Dauphin.

On the other hand, Boston and San Antonio are probably my favorite CBDs because of how the old, historic aspects of the city along with the newer aspects of the CBD are combined together beautifully.  The Riverwalk and the Faneuil markets are great examples of this.  Both of these downtowns also have great green space.  Memphis gets an honorable mention too.

So, what are y'all's favorite/least favorite CBDs? 

[traininthedistance]

My favorite CBD is Philadelphia yes, more than New York- I've never really liked Midtown or the Financial District all that much, both have given themselves so thoroughly over to office and tourist use that you don't have the critical mass of people living there you still get with Philly.  But Philly still has the tourist areas, and the shopping, and some office towers, and great transit access, and the density, and all that. 

Boston would probably be second among cities I've been to, but I-90 and the West End are horrible stains on the city's fabric, worse than anything Philly was subjected to (we do have Vine Street, and Delaware River access leaves something to be desired, but we beat back the South Street Expressway, at least).  And then NYC gets third.

In general, the larger cities are going to be better on this metric, so it's kind of silly to say what the "worst" is when I can just point to some small fading mill town or something.  But I do want to say that DC's business district is really kind of horrible and soulless for a city of its size and general economic vibrancy.

[memphis]

Thanks for the shout out to my hometown! We've been working really hard at sprucing things up. Unfortunately, I don't get down there much. It's really more about nightlife, tourism, and gov't offices than business, which long ago fled to East Memphis. It's also all the way at the end of the metro, which is a pain. I like downtown Milwaukee a lot. Architecture there, especially city hall, is super pretty.  Pittsburgh is also very beautiful. You go through a tunnel in what seems a remote area, and then, boom, downtown. Very cool! For small cities, Chattanooga and Savannah are nice. Downtown Nashville is very unremarkable and dull. Salt Lake City is super boring but the scenery is great. The very big cities are just too much trouble and expense. Chicago is very nice though.

[Oak Hills]

What's a CBD?

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

What's a CBD?

Central business district, but as Nix said, ones worth their salt are much more than just that.

I don't go to major cities that often, and I'm fortunate that the actually major ones closest to me--Boston, New York, Philadelphia--all have pretty good CBDs with a lot of fun and interesting things to do for a day or weekend trip, even for somebody who doesn't like urbanity very much. Even in Springfield, which by my standards is still a pretty big city and is the one nearest where I live by far, one can find ways to occupy oneself if one tries. Worcester left me cold the last time I was there, but that was a long time ago.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

I still think it's gotta be New York. I do love Toronto, but it's almost a bit too polished for me. Manhattan has enough grit to give it some character.

Also love Lisbon, but I guess European cities are a different beast entirely.

[Kitteh]

In most cities I've seen (basically entirely American, granted) the literal Central Business District is not that interesting; mostly office buildings and nowadays some yuppie condos but very little character or community, and mostly dead once all the office workers leave. When I think "CBD", I think of the K Street area in DC, Midtown Manhattan, the Financial District in SF or the areas right around Market Street in Center City Philly. The areas immediately surrounding the CBD are usually the most interesting parts of a city, ime.

[DINGO Joe]

Best--Baltimore, though I'm really thinking of the Inner Harbor/Camden Yards area.  San Antonio as mentioned above.  St. Louis has that "let's hide 12 interstates downtown problem" and the fact that the Arch is basically built on the site of the original CDB is an abomination and yet it's not without it's charm.

Several small Upper Midwestern cities had their only CBD towers built in the 1920s but the Art Deco look is awesome though the utility of many of them now I'm sure are minimal.  CBDs that had much construction in the 60s-70s are frequently left with ugly useless buildings.

Worst--Dallas or Houston, both rather soulless places.


I live in New Orleans  and there is a very good book called "The Second Battle of New Orleans" which chronicles the ultimate defeat of an effort to build an expressway right along the river in front of the French Quarter/CBD/Warehouse District in the 1960s.  You were of course considered anti-business if you opposed the expressway back then.  If you proposed it now, the Chamber of Commerce would probably  have you shot.  It would have been a true abortion/rape/abortion by rape if it had been built.  New Orleans probably would have rivaled Detroit for decline.  Still, it's been a long process to have much of the riverfront taken back from industrial use to public use along that stretch and it's still ongoing.

Really, much of the lower CBD down by the river is now dominated by tourism which makes sense as it's wedged in between the Quarter and the Warehouse District (yuppie condo land) and the real CBD has recentered itself closer to the Superdome.  I still wish Canal Street could be the retail mecca it once was back when the flagship department stores were all there, but there doesn't seem to be the means or behavior patterns to bring that era back.

[Smash255]

Have only been to a few, and all are pretty decent (NYC, Boston, Philly, Toronto).  I have to say midtown Manhattan is the best imho.  Would love to work and live there (though too expensive).  I use to work in the Financial District (real close to the border with TriBeca), currently work on LI.

[Platypus]

Of those that are big enough to consider a true CBD, I'd rank them as such:

Melbourne - home, easy to get around, lots of interesting nooks and crannies. Lacks green space in the CBD itself, but framed by the river and plenty of parkland. It's really a very very well laid out city center, and we're lucky to have it.

Sydney - certain corners of the Sydney CBD are awful, but then you walk 150 meters and get a view of the harbour. Lacks the vibe of Melbourne, but the views make it a close second, if you don't mind getting lost.

Buenos Aires - The biggest I've been to, but it doesn't feel it. It's somehow a very empty city despite having 12 million people. It's full of some beauty but unpreserved buildings, a lot of horrible ones, and the new Puerto Madero area feels very contrived. Easy to find your way around, though, and has a few corners that are really nice.

Santiago - As much as I love the city as a whole, it's historic center doesn't really count as a CBD and the Alameda is basically a long stretch of highrise buildings stretching from the old center to Providencia. It's perfectly clean, has some very nice little plazas and parks, and is serviced by an amazing subway system...but it isn't a part of the city you spend much time in unless you work there.

La Paz - Just awful.

[Napoleon]

If New York isn't your answer, you're lying.

[bedstuy]

If New York isn't your answer, you're lying.

I'm not sure about that.  What is the central business district of New York City?  If we're only including the financial district and midtown, what's so great about either neighborhood?  I've worked in both places.  There are a few reasons to be in either neighborhood (theater, making $$$$, MOMA, not sure what else).  But, it's mostly just office buildings and tourist traps.  And there's definitely more aesthetically pleasing CBDs than Midtown.