CityNerd is a channel and community that embraces all things cities and transportation, approaching things with a profound love for urban environments and an analytical bent. The channel was born out of my frustration over the limited scope of things I was able to explore and share as a transportation planning and engineering consultant. Soon after starting the channel, I was shocked/delighted by the number of viewers who were enthusiastic about the topics I was covering. Quickly, I had more video ideas than I knew what to do with! (Still do.)
Every aspect of CityNerd is currently produced by yours truly (Ray Delahanty). Research, writing, on-camera "talent" (cough cough), editing, engaging with viewers....yeah, it's all me. I'll update this description just as soon as I hire a crack team of researchers and cinematographers.
Check out my social media links if you're looking for more (yeah that's all me, too), and reach out to Nerd email re: collaboration, sponsorship, etc. Thanks!
Americans are absolutely clueless about the role of trams in a functional transport network. As soon as I hear "streetcar" you know some baloney is about to be served.
Do you realize what the level of crime in Portland is?? Many businesses are moving to the suburbs including REI. This is all due to soft on crime policies.
So-called "BRT" is one of the worst hoaxes to infect the group mind of American planners since Festival Martketplaces. It represents total capitulation ("what works politically") of the US planning academy to car culture, social austerity, and ecocide.
Here is my personal experience: I have spent time in walkable cities and very un-walkable suburbs. The problem with any comparison is that when I'm in a city, I'm usually on vacation so my experience is going to be biased. In recent years, I've spent substantial time in Italy and New Orleans and I was definitely happier than I was in my suburban milieu. While I think the fact that I was on vacation, not thinking about work, and experiencing novelty every day definitely played a role, there was something energizing about the environment compared to the suburbs. So I think, despite the poor sample size and bias, the premise that quality of life in a walkable area is higher is accurate. But, here's the big round BUT. Under normal, daily circumstances, a walkable environment is better, when things go even slightly pear-shaped, having a house with some space around it suddenly becomes a major asset. When the pandemic hit and our idiotic government started locking everything down, all I had available to me was my backyard, small as it is. If I had been living in a more dense style of housing, I would have been miserable. And that's living in Seattle. Imagine in some country where the government was even more draconian about lockdowns. So the first thing that needs to be addressed is that lockdowns need to be banned. Hard ban. Jail time for anyone in government who even proposes it. But even that edge case isn't the whole of it. If you're in dense housing, god help you if you're having a loud argument or loud sex or loud singing practice. I sure as hell wouldn't do it. Privacy is a big reason I am a fan of lower density housing. So we also need strict regulations that mandate soundproofing on all housing, especially in dense areas. I should be able to have Rob Halford come over and sing "Painkiller" at full volume and the neighbors wouldn't hear.
I swear there used to be a ferry. I realize that ferries are not at the top of the urbanist list but they do offer mass transit and keep cars of the road. Would love to see NYC ferry resume this service.
The Ford Maverick sold out when launched and funny enough it was a success in places that don’t normally sell ford trucks, San Francisco a lot of west coast cities. It’s them trying to make a light usable pick up truck, probably something those of us who want less trucks should support not make fun of
Some people like cars.Some people like vans. Some people like me like trucks. I'll drive what I want to drive when I want to drive it. I can care less what anyone else thinks.
I wish this hadn't been the video that made me hit the sub bell but went to check after your sub break and sadly/weirdly it was. I did laugh a lot at this one, maybe that was it. Love your stuff, man. I work for a business improvement district so I'm always talking about your videos to colleagues!
Love the video. Why not just move the Clippers to San Bernardino? Leave the Nuggets alone. Giving New York another baseball team is crazy. Moving the Green Bay Packers to San Antonio is also crazy. Demoting MLB teams is an interesting idea. Great video still.
Can you rank the top 10 secretaries of the United States Department of Transportation, please? Or maybe a cluster of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Dealer's choice. I really like watching your content over the past 2 months. Big fan!
19:00 a lot of business boarded up their windows in a non aesthetic way after the riots in the summer of 2020, some are still up because those stores closed or were abondoned, window repairment is too expensive, or laziness. i see that this video is older now, but most businesses are running back to normal and taking down the boards. it may have taken 4 years but we are finally getting back to normal, which presents another point. people and walking and biking around the city more than ever, especially in the heat. and the "the walk sign is on" posts on the corners are highly accessible for blind and disabled residents to be able to enjoy the city life as well.
The other factor is TV/media markets but seemingly metro is a sufficient proxy - it just explains a few of the weird corner cases such as the San Francisco Bay area (different metros - SF/Oakland and San Jose - but a single media market; Inland Empire as part of LA)
Just wait usa has another gas price spike and see how they easily they get rid of most truck - at least for a while- Massive trucks os ridiculous 😂 specialy since most of these trucks are made for show , the thowing capacity is lame in many cases , But hey; trucks have big grills and bigger "size" but towing is less that a 80s japanese mini truck is laughable 😂. Obviously they buy this big ass trucks purely for COMPENSATING loool
dont get me wrong, i do find this idea really interesting, but i just cannot get myself to sit down and watch an 18 minute video on it lmao... +1 I'll give it a like!
I was going to mention that the reason the downtown street life is poor is that we have amazing parks, lakes and trails that if you're going for a walk you go to those. The skyway is very utilitarian and not really meant as an attraction. Related to that is why they recently added the push to walk buttons, because you have the skyway, you dont need to be on the dangerous roads.
I grew up in the twin cities and I think most of your comments were spot on. I do wish you were a bit less pedantic. Modulating more emotion into your narrative would also be certainly helpful for retaining attention
I'm sure it's been mentioned already but the Uptown K-Mart plan is still getting finalized, but last I heard it's going to be focused on a more walkable community area with both community resources and food/things to do alongside the Nicollet reconnect
The railway in Santa Fe is designed with one purpose. To allow state government workers who live in Albuquerque metro area a way to travel to the capital for their jobs. It doesn’t service either the santa fe or Albuquerque airport, so it doesn’t facilitate tourism. The schedule does not facilitate people from Santa Fe or north taking advantage of Albuquerques amenities.
We spaniards will kill for a US home inside our spanish cities hahaha. I hate flats , specialy those with thin walls that you can hear your neighbour fart. If I have to decide i think i preffer flats in spanish cities than US home in those depresing areas
I'm legitimately shocked that the Hampton Roads Metropolitan area is not in the top 10. Chesapeake, which makes up roughly a third of it is almost nothing but power centers, and then you add the choke points that separate different ends of the harbor that too many people have to cross. Richmond feels like an efficient utopia compared to my experiences of having to drive in Hampton Roads.
Lol the maverick fanboying is not some bot farm. It's was the lowest mrsp vehicle you could buy from Ford when it came out. The base model was $19,999 for a 40 mpg hybrid. And now many of our truck loving hearts are broken because they jacked the msrp up and the dealers are putting crazy markups on them. The first model years production sold out before the calendar year started.
It'll never happen, but I'd love to see the household income level numbers for those who commute into Scottsdale from PHX. I'll bet it's all below median incomes.
I own 3 vehicles, a full size heavy duty pick up, a full size SUV and an econo car. The econo car is my daily driver, the SUV is primarily for work stuff and the only time my pick up gets pulled out is litteraly on the big jobs. What most truck idiots fail to realize is that in almkst every way an SUV, CUV or CSUV would genuinely be a better fit and more versatile for their daily lives. Most ppl i meet/run into who have a truck genuinely do not need one.
the ford maverick is pretty big especially if you compare it to likea 97 ranger its probably closer to a full sized pick up of that time... vehicles have gotten way bigger in the last ten years and it is because the epa regulations
(Just checking in as yet another viewer doing the Seattle to Redmond reverse commute. Thanks for another great video. Oh and I already subscribe to nebula, but it’s just easier to watch here. )
10:07 yes, absolutely. I live in a small city in a otherwise rural state, and the trucks are absolutely a social status. I'm a huge fan of walkable cities and definitely in the minority here. The #1 problem is that the majority of people in the area believe 1. The world is the way it is because it has to be/naturally occured and 2. The world is the best it can be/any changes are bad. That being said, I disagree on a few points of the pickup argument. I think city nerds should absolutely support small/midsize trucks for what they are, an incredibly useful tool. We should recognize their necessity in many trades, in agriculture, and in recreation. Fighting these points by attacking pickups in general is counter-productive. But I totally agree about lifted-ego street princesses
If you do a good job on picking a reliable efficient car your costs can be 4-5k a year all in. What is not factored in to the analysis is the ROI on that investment and the costs of not having a vehicle. Look at violent crime stats in dense areas of way more than 1000 violent crimes per 100k citizens, look at the graduation rates in education, look at the poverty rates in big cities. In a utopian world his math makes sense. In my world the friend that was brutally assaulted lost over .5M in lifetime income. Having your home or apartment trashed in a theft while your locked inside a "safe room" costs more than the stolen items. I've run the numbers and my children face a far brighter economic future in the less dense areas where at least one car is needed for a family. Maybe if we solve the huge poverty, homeless, violent crime, education, and lack of excercise and healthy food in dense cities in some utopian world by that point me or one of my friends may have unlocked cheap and clean energy or ultra-light, safe, and efficient vehicles. Our cars today are paving way to innovation and independence, supporting more agricultural lifestyles for many that are paving the way to a brighter future
Really enjoy this video, I was in Minneapolis for about 9 months for college, and I actually frequented the Lake Street station area for my bus route since I lived in the Whittier neighborhood 😅 I have to say I agree that a lot of people misconstrue being around unhoused or jobless people as dangerous. Talking to many people in the area, I've had great conversations on transit and the worst it's gotten for me is someone babbling to themselves and others the whole ride, which is certainly not a threat. Transit could absolutely be better but I was just so glad to go from untraverseable suburbs to a system that can get you from point A to point B with relatively little trouble. I really miss being able to walk to a convenience store in 5 minutes and not having to worry about the time or safety of the trip. I think my biggest issue with the bus lines is sometimes a bus straight up doesn't show, I've had a number of close calls where I thought I might have to call in for work because of the delay.
