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Old Posted Apr 13, 2012, 7:57 PM
sukwoo sukwoo is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Oak Park, IL
Posts: 204
Quote:
Originally Posted by the urban politician View Post
Steely, Park Ridge has already been mentioned.

Regarding the rest, I guess I'm wondering if the list should be less inclusive since you are right, any suburb with a walkable main st (and I'm guessing there are a lot) would qualify.

Perhaps I should just narrow it down to a "Top ten suburban downtowns" list?

Criteria to consider:

1. Retail and entertainment activity
2. Access to transit
3. Architecture

So what should the top 10 be?
I made a list of amenities that I was looking for in my search for the ideal (suburban) downtown.

Absolutely needed to have:
Metra station
Full-service grocery store
Movie theater
Bookstore
Coffeeshops
Restaurants

Good, but not essential
CTA el station
Post Office
Green space/park
Library

I think the most limiting requirements in the won't compromise category are the movie theater and grocery. Every downtown has coffee shops and restaurants, but few have a functioning movie theater and grocery store. OP even has two if you count the Whole Foods across the street in River Forest. Obviously the CTA requirement rules out all but OP and Evanston. Living within drunken stumbling distance of downtown OP, I'm probably a bit biased, but I can't think of any major category that it is missing.
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