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Originally Posted by summersm343
So, in your opinion, Philadelphia has no ring cities? LOL. Surely, as one of the largest and most populous regions in the country, Philadelphia has ring cities.
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Wait, what? Based on what I said, I'm not sure how you come to the assumption that I think Philly has no ring cities. That's clearly not even close to what I said. Really, how did you come to that conclusion??
That's what actually deserves an LOL...
Quote:
Originally Posted by summersm343
If you look at a map, Reading, the Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton), Trenton, Atlantic City, Wilmington, and to a lesser extent, Lancaster, quite LITERALLY form a ring around Philadelphia. Rather an oval shaped ring, but a ring nonetheless. Is that not the definition of a ring city?
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I think the definition is up for debate, which is what we're doing. I'm basically going on what Steely laid out in his initial post... cities that
"were then consequently consumed by sprawl"... cities that are
"older, larger, but historically independent cities that have been swallowed up". That definition really doesn't fit for the Lehigh Valley nor AC. Reading, not quite, but it's getting there. I'm fully aware that Reading and the Lehigh Valley are strongly influenced by Philadelphia, but I don't know that they function as "ring cities" on the level of the Chicago examples given. I mean, we're talking
60 miles away in these cases... there's still a good bit of good ol' PA farmland in between... it's not like the Chicago examples given at all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by summersm343
Wilmington is pretty self explanatory - definitely interconnected to Philadelphia. Ditto for Trenton, despite Trenton not being a part of the Philadelphia Region, which is a crock.
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Yeah, definitely on Wilmington and Trenton. They're both basically Philadelphia.
Quote:
Originally Posted by summersm343
Reading is pretty connected along 422. If you're in Pottstown or at the Philadelphia Premium Outlets, which are still a part of the Philadelphia MSA, you're literally closer to Reading than you are to Philadelphia.
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Yes, I mentioned the 422 connection previously. I think it is getting there... not "swallowed up" yet though... and at an hour away, calling it a "ring city" (if we're considering Wilmington and Trenton to be ring cities), is tenuous... because it's nowhere near as connected as Wilmington and Trenton are. They're half the distance, with that distance fully urbanized.
Quote:
Originally Posted by summersm343
The Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton) is pretty connected along 309 to Philadelphia. There are only 2 gaps in development along 309 from Philadelphia to Allentown, and those two gaps are preserved Natural Lands or State Parks. The first gap in development is between Perkasie/Sellersville, and Quakertown. The second gap in development is between Coopersburg/Center Valley, and Allentown itself.
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Yeah, I'll admit there's definite regional connection, but like you say, there's gaps... lots of farmland along those routes. Like you say, it's
pretty connected... I absolutely agree. But it's not contiguous and has nowhere near been engulfed by sprawl from Philly.