[Quabbin]

Originally Posted by DZH22

but less stand-out buildings, both modern and historic, due to NIMBY politics and lower height limits. (plus the airport)

Great post but this point I don't get: There are so many historic stand-out buildings in Boston: Bulfinch's State House, the Old State House, Old City Hall, Custom House & tower, Faneuil Hall, the public library, Memorial Hall in Cambridge (although not sure any of them have the firepower of the Penna Academy of the Fine Arts). I can't think of a single standout church in Philadelphia (which doesn't mean there aren't any) but numerous Boston ones. Standout modern buildings too-- people may not like them but the 1960s concrete structures stand out big time. Cambridge has one of Frank Gehry's deconstructionist exercises; there's the institute of contemporary art and some Philip Johnson follies. NIMBY politics keep density down, keep single-family zoning in place, etc but yes, they're also a factor in all the design review processes that dumb down standout architecture.

Originally Posted by DZH22

Boston's immediate inner residential rowhouse neighborhoods (North End, Beacon Hill, Back Bay, South End) annihilate Philadelphia's offerings, which themselves are great, just not on par.

I don't know-- streets like Delancey Place make Philadelphia shine and West Philadelphia Victoriana is to die for.

Originally Posted by DZH22

Of course, the triple deckers average about 3.5-4 stories, so are taller but with a bit of permeability. They still make fine walking neighborhoods, and feel even more urban because you can see the next rows (and next ones) of houses looking down people's driveways. It's all very colorful and vibrant, built like a maze surrounding many urban nodes. There are also more hilly neighborhoods where the houses tower over the street, and it's easier to recognize how densely packed in they are, street after street after street.

I love this part; you're taking Kevin Lynch's urban imagery research to the next level, or at least to all the vernacular late 19th century neighborhoods that Sam Bass Warner Jr. found to be so unsatisfactory in Streetcar Suburbs. Would be an interesting research project: Phenomenology of the street car suburb.