If you were starting your own firm, what cities would be the most fertile groud for getting a practice up and running? I'd be particularly interested in the pros/cons of each of these:
NYC
Philadelphia
Chicago
Portland, Oregon
I've already lived in/near each of those cities, so I know about climate, cost of living, universities, etc., and have a general idea about the local architecture "scene" in each place. Comments about other cities would be welcome as well.
even though there many many doing the same, i still would say los angeles is a high contender. consider the sheer numbers of single family homes and people who has money to knock out and build a new one or substancially or otherwise remodel, just like their neighbor did on a cheap mortgage loan.
+, the weather and light allows you to do many things with these projects. residential projects are often times the first stepping stones for new firms/individual practitoners.
ray kappe (founder of sci arc),
- what are you doing these days abra?
- houses as usual.
ray again,
- be careful. look what happen to me. all i get are houses.
- because you are a master of houses?
- fuck that.
- agreed ray..
living in gin, what *is* the arch. climate in chicago? I've read through the previous threads, but it's hard to get a quick synopsis concept... you know what i mean. Like, overal, generally, how would you describe the climate? creative, challenging, modern?
If you are into a gritty-come-modern aesthetic, and aren't afraid to persuade very traditonal mindsets into accepting (and paying for) your designs, and you're into: sustainability, steel, materiality, craft, and getting your hands dirty, go for Pittsburgh. Be aware that you may have to find supplemental income for awhile till there's enough demand for your design.
Pheonix has great room (and money) for modern design, but right now it seems dominated by developers and I've heard that it's simply hard to get empty land to hire an architect for. There are some great 50s tract homes sitting around there waiting for a mod retrofit, however. The place is suprisingly more conservative than it seems, though. But definitely more creative, "western" minds than, say, D.C. or some such eastern city.
The best city in which to start a firm is the city in which you already have a social and professional network. I'm dead serious: in a small upstart firm it's all about who you know. Our firm (8 years old, I've been a partner for 9 months) has never advertised, it has been entirely word of mouth and recommendations via friends and friends of friends and former classmates etc. I built up a large network in Philly over the course of ten years, then moved to the Midwest where I know no one and believe me, if not for my partner's existing network, I'd be starving.
If you move to a new city to start a new firm, plan to spend half your time in the first five years just building a social network. That means every night you are out at social functions, you attend every professionally-related event you can find, you join a church or similar social group, you join biking clubs and neighborhood organizations etc., and every single person you meet gets your name and what you do and your business card. Not only is architecture your life, but getting architecture jobs in the first place really becomes your life.
Not to discourage you from going somehwere new, because I believe moving to new cities is one of the great joys and challenges this world offers, but don't just up and leave behind an existing network without thinking realistically about what it is you're giving up.
And PS Philly tends to be a tough town to break into unless you went to Penn.
Thanks... I'm actually still in undergrad right now, but my choice of grad school will have a lot to do with where I decide to finally sink some roots and build my career (and hence, where I'd eventually like to open my own office). Penn is actually one of the schools I'm looking at... In fact, the first (and so far the only) building I can claim to have designed from the ground up is in the Philly suburbs.
While we're discussing Philly: Is it hard for Philly firms to get work in NYC, given the close proximity of the two cities? Or do NYC clients typically prefer to stick with NYC architects?
One thing to consider is cost of living. LA had it's advantages, but at $500k for a semi decent tiny home at least an hour from where you really want to be, that's just crazy (imho). If I had family or something, that'd be different. I originally moved there for grad school and thinking it'd be the perfect place. Boy was I wrong.
Go with something mid sized, that's growing, has an appreciation for good architecture (I chose Denver, Libeskind's Museum, soon a Meier or Holl courthouse, and a few other celeb buildings), but best is the interest in modern/contemporary design. It's a growing market.
Portland's probably nice, too, if you can deal with the rain (BIG note - no where is perfect, all what you make of it).
Not only is it rare for Philly architects to get a job in NY, the infamous Dwell magazine once stated explicitly in their editorial that if you live in Philly and want to find a forward-thinking architect, remember "...New York is not so far away...". F*ck Dwell, that editorial garnered a rash of angry emails from my former firm. My old firm would occasionally team up with NYC engineering consultants for Ivy League jobs, just to get a little NYC gloss. The inferiority complex Philly has about not being New York is appalling.
More about Philly, and Portland too, in a bit, it's dinner time...
NYC, Chicago, Philly, and I'm in Portland right now.....I've spent substantial amounts of time in all of these places and as a city-lover, all are great places to live. I will say that Portland has been the same color (Prismacolor warm grey 50%) for the past 7 days. It's a bit hard. I broke out the sunglasses today but just because the fog was so bright. Weird.
As for where to start a firm, that's a whole different ballgame. I agree entirely with what lb said, and I've been contemplating this a lot myself lately. The idea of starting my own place in NYC and maybe Chicago is terrifying to me, I think because it's just so competitive. Philly or Portland seem more managable, but are you looking for a particular type of practice or building type? I.e., if you're into corporate interiors, government work or historic preservation, what about Washington, DC? I mean, is this a valid approach? Because different areas of the country have different issues. If you're going anywhere in California, I hope you are familiar with seismic code, and stuff like that.
Now that I'm thinking about it Costa Rica seems pretty hot right now. How sweet would that be!
WonderK, I agree with you too - the type of work you want to pursue should affect this decision.
Having just revisited Chicago, I was impressed again with what a modern city it is - seems to be a town that is not afraid of new ideas about building. Philly can be far too traditional in this sense, although there is some interesting work starting up in some of the farther out (currently slummy) neighborhoods. But as I posted above, often clients looking to take a design risk in Philly go to a New York firm, believing them to be more cutting edge I suppose.
Chicago also strikes me as a city with a high degree of cultural/art/architecture awareness. A client there might be interested in actively ssearching for a new voice in the art and arch world.
Portland (where my parents live and I lived there for a year) is, in my experience, chock-freakin-full of young recent architecture grads looking to get licensed and start their own firms. Lotsa competition, potentially, though also probably the potential for meeting kindred souls and maybe starting some non-traditional projects working with those souls. The gloom of the weather really is something you will learn to love in a few years, and the mountains, agressive natural plant growth, and siting of the city is so awesomely beautiful.
Phoenix (I grew up there) is, as myriam said, a verrrrrry conservative town. Lots of money there, though!!! And less worries with flashing details and snow loads...But I tend to think Phoenix has maxed itself out already or very soon and will start to decline - I mean there really is no water there, and it's impossible to navigate the city at all, takes hours just to get across town. But there is a lot of money and a huge crowd of people who adamantly believe they are "the curators of their own home" - so lotsa work for young architects.
I could talk about my opinions of various cities alllll night long! (sorry)
a lot of growth
downtown area is now becoming a place where people are choosing to live
re organization of the "gulch"
more culture than one might think
I totally agree with the network thing, but keep in mind that some cities/states are very abrasive to letting new people into the network, while others are open to newcomers. The stereotype here in the midwest is that new england is a closed group, which I don't completely agree with, but there are thruths about different regions to consider. In my opinion it's harder to make connections in a huge city like Chicago as compared to a smaller town like Portland, but those smaller cities can be the more close minded ones too - just using Chicago and Portland as examples.
As I said above, a new practice could gain a lot from a fast growing city/state. Sadly, none of your original citiies cited qualify as fast growing cities, at least according to the 2000 census. For me, working in the upper midwest it seems every month our office has another couple jobs in Florida. They say 800 people a day are moving into that state. Real population growth creates huge demands for infastructure. Don't count that out as an opportunity.
think of london - small city
Dark - dark in the daytime
People sleep - sleep in the daytime
If they want to - if they want to
I’m checkin’ ’em out
I’m checkin’ ’em out
I’ve got it figured out
I’ve got it figured out
There’s some good points - some bad points
But it all works out - I’m just a little freaked out
Find your city -
Find yourself a city to live in
I will find a city -
Find yourself a city to live in
A lot of bridges in birmingham
A lot of ghosts - and a lot of houses
Look over there - dry ice factory
Good place to get some thinking done
There’s some good points - some bad points
Did I forget to mention -
Forget to mention memphis
Home of elvis and the ancient greeks
Do I smell - I smell home cooking
It’s only the river - it’s only the river
There’s some good points - some bad points
Are those things real? denied!
Find your city -
Find yourself a city to live in
I will find a city -
Find yourself a city to live in
I will find a city -
Find yourself a city to live in
I will find a city
Find yourself a city to live in
Nobody has brought up Seattle yet. Whats the difference between Seattle and Portland, they seem very similar and both intriguing. I have never been to either, so thats my distant uneducated view. I'm sure someone has an opinion on that.
living in a great city and finding a great environment to start a firm are not necessarily the same thing. you want to start in a market that is growing and has a significant potential for future growth. you'll also want to start in an unsaturated market, meaning you aren't going to start a firm under circumstances which are already significantly competitive. i would imagine that, especially without a huge amount of start up capital and marketing capability, it would be really, really tough to start a firm in new york, philly, chicago, or portland, unless you teach architecture somewhere and just do your own projects on the side.
i don't have any research to back this up, but i would imagine off the top of my head atlanta, albuquerque, denver, salt lake, maybe houston, boom towns in the carolinas.
The gloom of the weather really is something you will learn to love in a few years, and the mountains, agressive natural plant growth, and siting of the city is so awesomely beautiful.
look for a town with shitty architecture and then proceed to show them how it's done. your hometown probably qualifies and provided you're not chasing the illusion of being an international jetset architect then that's probably you'r best strategy to actually becoming an international jetset architect. that's my 2¢ on where you should start.
e909, Portland winters actually aren't very cold - just very damp.
Indianapolis was 5 degrees when I went out for my morning jog today. I didn't jog far!
Reflexive Space, re:Seattle and Portland: my sense (having lived in PDX but only visited Seattle) is that Seattle feels much more cosmopolitan and especially connected to Asia. A larger Asian population, I think, and a much more significant working port. Plus everyone and his brother moved to Seattle in the 90s. Only half as many moved to Portland. More money in Seattle, but also possibly more competition from everyone who moved there 10 years ago.
Portland is still a town compared to Seattle. A, I think architects love it because as an urban arrangemnt it is lovely. The city is sited between a bend in the river and a steep range of hills, so it has a very compact downtown that viewed from the east is gorgeous against the backdrop of dark green hills. (Viewed from the west (on a clear day) the backdrop is Mt. Hood and Ive rarely seen a more breathatking mountina in my life. An older picture but yeah that's pretty much what it looks like:
Also, the city is known for being very walkable, due in large part to small block size and many many parks - inlcuding a few linked green blocks by Lawrence Halprin - and a very friendly mass transit system that is free in the downtown core.
And my personal theroy on the Michael Graves Portland building is this: that building gave Portland architects license to start using a little color in their buildings. So against a very grey sky you see pinks and greens and yellows and reds and blues in the skyline - there's some sense of whimsy in the skyline that is appealing and not quite cutesy.
Frankly, Portland is the best city I've ever spent time in - why don't I live there again?
Living in Gin: Perhaps it was discussed in previous threads, but you may want to look at The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida.
For instance, he cites the following list of Regions with the Highest Creativity Index Scores:
1. Austin
2. San Francisco
3. Seattle
4. Boston
5. Raleigh-Durham
6. Portland, OR
7. Minneapolis
8. Washington-Baltimore
9. Sacramento
10. Denver
You'll have to read more of the book to get a sense of the principles behind the Creativity Index, etc. Wholistically, it's a good book that talks about creativity as a commodity.
hahahaha... ok, I used to give him props just because he was a CMU prof... but, now I must doubt his little system. Also, can't imagine much creativity in Sactown either, sorry. ha ha ha ha.
Portland seems really cool but I've been here 9 days (!) and the sun just came out for the first time today (!!). It was exciting for a couple of reasons:
1) I remembered that it exists.
2) I got to see the mountains beyond the city, in particular, Mt. Hood, which is GI-FREAKIN-GANTIC. I mean, wow. Yeah that picture pretty much captures it.
In comparison to Seattle, I'm going to have to default to the bigger city, as far as my favor goes. Yes it has something to do with being a big baseball fan, but from an outsider's perspective, it's got all of the things that Portland does, and more people to do it with. I will mention that I'm a big fan of highway engineering and it is done beautifully in both cities. Yes I'm also a nerd.
BTW, Seattle has Mt. Rainier which, while less accessible than Mt. Hood, is also astounding to see behind the city.
PS. The Michael Graves building literally repulsed me, I mean I walked away muttering to myself in disgust. EW.
haven't you heard schwarzenegger or willie brown speaking? not as creative as g bush, the master of absurdities, but still ---
~~~~~
portland's winters must be colder than sonoma's, and sonoma gets cold enough to stop plants during the winter. i like to see that winter burst of growth. plus, i've become accustomed to dry summers.
but santa cruz to santa barbara is probably the finest living area, though i've never been to s afr cape. coastal chile and southern argentina might be nice, too.
I think LB's point about networks is the best, because that could make even the hardest town soften up. Personally I would suggest Atlanta or Tuscon. Pheonix is a lost cause already (and I thought Atlanta had a sprawl problem!). For God's sake don't do NYC. Out of your list I personally would go with Portland.
I second Myriam's view of Boston...zzzzzzzz...and quality of life here costs too much. Can't wait to leave.
Going with the Creative Class stuff ignores the fact that you might be able to make much more of a niche for yourself in a city that is less stereotypically hip. The least attractive place might end up being the most promising--you'd have it all to yourself. There'd be more space to do something unique, to be taken seriously, etc.
~~~
Is there interesting local architecture in Raleigh-Durham, or is it all subdivisions?
brand, I'm in school in Boston right now and I've got to admit that I relunctantly agree with you about creativity in Boston. What gives though? This place is full of college students, professors, and progressives in general. Why are they so goddam conservative when it comes to architecture and design? I feel like there's an insane amount of untapped creative potential here that is being squandered by something, but I can't figure out what. I read an article in the Boston Globe Magazine a few years ago about it, but it still left the answer pretty elusive. We've had Gropius, Sert, Saarinen et al do amazing buildings here in the past (not to mention one of my favorite buildings, City Hall).... what happened? why is Boston so boring architecturally these days?
Best cities to start a practice in?
If you were starting your own firm, what cities would be the most fertile groud for getting a practice up and running? I'd be particularly interested in the pros/cons of each of these:
NYC
Philadelphia
Chicago
Portland, Oregon
I've already lived in/near each of those cities, so I know about climate, cost of living, universities, etc., and have a general idea about the local architecture "scene" in each place. Comments about other cities would be welcome as well.
austin
1.) good weather climate
2.) good business climate
3.) lots of creative energy
4.) lots of creative people
drawbacks are that some clients are only as progressive as their bumper stickers
even though there many many doing the same, i still would say los angeles is a high contender. consider the sheer numbers of single family homes and people who has money to knock out and build a new one or substancially or otherwise remodel, just like their neighbor did on a cheap mortgage loan.
+, the weather and light allows you to do many things with these projects. residential projects are often times the first stepping stones for new firms/individual practitoners.
ray kappe (founder of sci arc),
- what are you doing these days abra?
- houses as usual.
ray again,
- be careful. look what happen to me. all i get are houses.
- because you are a master of houses?
- fuck that.
- agreed ray..
living in gin, what *is* the arch. climate in chicago? I've read through the previous threads, but it's hard to get a quick synopsis concept... you know what i mean. Like, overal, generally, how would you describe the climate? creative, challenging, modern?
i agree with abracadabra..although houses can be fun
j/k, sorta
In 10 years, I will say Pheonix and Pittsburgh.
If you are into a gritty-come-modern aesthetic, and aren't afraid to persuade very traditonal mindsets into accepting (and paying for) your designs, and you're into: sustainability, steel, materiality, craft, and getting your hands dirty, go for Pittsburgh. Be aware that you may have to find supplemental income for awhile till there's enough demand for your design.
Pheonix has great room (and money) for modern design, but right now it seems dominated by developers and I've heard that it's simply hard to get empty land to hire an architect for. There are some great 50s tract homes sitting around there waiting for a mod retrofit, however. The place is suprisingly more conservative than it seems, though. But definitely more creative, "western" minds than, say, D.C. or some such eastern city.
I would imagine the best cities to start a practice in would be the fastest growing, both population and economics.
I would also venture a guess that none of those cities are ones that are adored by archinecters.
Hartford?
They did have the Whalers...
whalers rule. shanny and patty verbeek!
The best city in which to start a firm is the city in which you already have a social and professional network. I'm dead serious: in a small upstart firm it's all about who you know. Our firm (8 years old, I've been a partner for 9 months) has never advertised, it has been entirely word of mouth and recommendations via friends and friends of friends and former classmates etc. I built up a large network in Philly over the course of ten years, then moved to the Midwest where I know no one and believe me, if not for my partner's existing network, I'd be starving.
If you move to a new city to start a new firm, plan to spend half your time in the first five years just building a social network. That means every night you are out at social functions, you attend every professionally-related event you can find, you join a church or similar social group, you join biking clubs and neighborhood organizations etc., and every single person you meet gets your name and what you do and your business card. Not only is architecture your life, but getting architecture jobs in the first place really becomes your life.
Not to discourage you from going somehwere new, because I believe moving to new cities is one of the great joys and challenges this world offers, but don't just up and leave behind an existing network without thinking realistically about what it is you're giving up.
And PS Philly tends to be a tough town to break into unless you went to Penn.
I am a little surprised to see Philly in the original post.
Thanks... I'm actually still in undergrad right now, but my choice of grad school will have a lot to do with where I decide to finally sink some roots and build my career (and hence, where I'd eventually like to open my own office). Penn is actually one of the schools I'm looking at... In fact, the first (and so far the only) building I can claim to have designed from the ground up is in the Philly suburbs.
While we're discussing Philly: Is it hard for Philly firms to get work in NYC, given the close proximity of the two cities? Or do NYC clients typically prefer to stick with NYC architects?
One thing to consider is cost of living. LA had it's advantages, but at $500k for a semi decent tiny home at least an hour from where you really want to be, that's just crazy (imho). If I had family or something, that'd be different. I originally moved there for grad school and thinking it'd be the perfect place. Boy was I wrong.
Go with something mid sized, that's growing, has an appreciation for good architecture (I chose Denver, Libeskind's Museum, soon a Meier or Holl courthouse, and a few other celeb buildings), but best is the interest in modern/contemporary design. It's a growing market.
Portland's probably nice, too, if you can deal with the rain (BIG note - no where is perfect, all what you make of it).
Shanghai
Not only is it rare for Philly architects to get a job in NY, the infamous Dwell magazine once stated explicitly in their editorial that if you live in Philly and want to find a forward-thinking architect, remember "...New York is not so far away...". F*ck Dwell, that editorial garnered a rash of angry emails from my former firm. My old firm would occasionally team up with NYC engineering consultants for Ivy League jobs, just to get a little NYC gloss. The inferiority complex Philly has about not being New York is appalling.
More about Philly, and Portland too, in a bit, it's dinner time...
shanghai...the thought resonates in the mind and the tip of the tongue
NYC, Chicago, Philly, and I'm in Portland right now.....I've spent substantial amounts of time in all of these places and as a city-lover, all are great places to live. I will say that Portland has been the same color (Prismacolor warm grey 50%) for the past 7 days. It's a bit hard. I broke out the sunglasses today but just because the fog was so bright. Weird.
As for where to start a firm, that's a whole different ballgame. I agree entirely with what lb said, and I've been contemplating this a lot myself lately. The idea of starting my own place in NYC and maybe Chicago is terrifying to me, I think because it's just so competitive. Philly or Portland seem more managable, but are you looking for a particular type of practice or building type? I.e., if you're into corporate interiors, government work or historic preservation, what about Washington, DC? I mean, is this a valid approach? Because different areas of the country have different issues. If you're going anywhere in California, I hope you are familiar with seismic code, and stuff like that.
Now that I'm thinking about it Costa Rica seems pretty hot right now. How sweet would that be!
WonderK, I agree with you too - the type of work you want to pursue should affect this decision.
Having just revisited Chicago, I was impressed again with what a modern city it is - seems to be a town that is not afraid of new ideas about building. Philly can be far too traditional in this sense, although there is some interesting work starting up in some of the farther out (currently slummy) neighborhoods. But as I posted above, often clients looking to take a design risk in Philly go to a New York firm, believing them to be more cutting edge I suppose.
Chicago also strikes me as a city with a high degree of cultural/art/architecture awareness. A client there might be interested in actively ssearching for a new voice in the art and arch world.
Portland (where my parents live and I lived there for a year) is, in my experience, chock-freakin-full of young recent architecture grads looking to get licensed and start their own firms. Lotsa competition, potentially, though also probably the potential for meeting kindred souls and maybe starting some non-traditional projects working with those souls. The gloom of the weather really is something you will learn to love in a few years, and the mountains, agressive natural plant growth, and siting of the city is so awesomely beautiful.
Phoenix (I grew up there) is, as myriam said, a verrrrrry conservative town. Lots of money there, though!!! And less worries with flashing details and snow loads...But I tend to think Phoenix has maxed itself out already or very soon and will start to decline - I mean there really is no water there, and it's impossible to navigate the city at all, takes hours just to get across town. But there is a lot of money and a huge crowd of people who adamantly believe they are "the curators of their own home" - so lotsa work for young architects.
I could talk about my opinions of various cities alllll night long! (sorry)
my kinda wailer mon
Nashville, TN.
a lot of growth
downtown area is now becoming a place where people are choosing to live
re organization of the "gulch"
more culture than one might think
new orleans
I totally agree with the network thing, but keep in mind that some cities/states are very abrasive to letting new people into the network, while others are open to newcomers. The stereotype here in the midwest is that new england is a closed group, which I don't completely agree with, but there are thruths about different regions to consider. In my opinion it's harder to make connections in a huge city like Chicago as compared to a smaller town like Portland, but those smaller cities can be the more close minded ones too - just using Chicago and Portland as examples.
As I said above, a new practice could gain a lot from a fast growing city/state. Sadly, none of your original citiies cited qualify as fast growing cities, at least according to the 2000 census. For me, working in the upper midwest it seems every month our office has another couple jobs in Florida. They say 800 people a day are moving into that state. Real population growth creates huge demands for infastructure. Don't count that out as an opportunity.
Yeah, but 90% of the construction down there is ugly McMansions, Applebees restaurants, and Wal-Mart stores. Not my cup of tea.
thats 90 percent of construction everywhere dude!
think of london - small city
Dark - dark in the daytime
People sleep - sleep in the daytime
If they want to - if they want to
I’m checkin’ ’em out
I’m checkin’ ’em out
I’ve got it figured out
I’ve got it figured out
There’s some good points - some bad points
But it all works out - I’m just a little freaked out
Find your city -
Find yourself a city to live in
I will find a city -
Find yourself a city to live in
A lot of bridges in birmingham
A lot of ghosts - and a lot of houses
Look over there - dry ice factory
Good place to get some thinking done
There’s some good points - some bad points
Did I forget to mention -
Forget to mention memphis
Home of elvis and the ancient greeks
Do I smell - I smell home cooking
It’s only the river - it’s only the river
There’s some good points - some bad points
Are those things real? denied!
Find your city -
Find yourself a city to live in
I will find a city -
Find yourself a city to live in
I will find a city -
Find yourself a city to live in
I will find a city
Find yourself a city to live in
David Byrne
Nobody has brought up Seattle yet. Whats the difference between Seattle and Portland, they seem very similar and both intriguing. I have never been to either, so thats my distant uneducated view. I'm sure someone has an opinion on that.
Architects seem to love Portland for some reason. Must the that Mikey Graves building right downtown.
david byrne has a point -- memphis rocks and mmm, pulled pork
living in a great city and finding a great environment to start a firm are not necessarily the same thing. you want to start in a market that is growing and has a significant potential for future growth. you'll also want to start in an unsaturated market, meaning you aren't going to start a firm under circumstances which are already significantly competitive. i would imagine that, especially without a huge amount of start up capital and marketing capability, it would be really, really tough to start a firm in new york, philly, chicago, or portland, unless you teach architecture somewhere and just do your own projects on the side.
i don't have any research to back this up, but i would imagine off the top of my head atlanta, albuquerque, denver, salt lake, maybe houston, boom towns in the carolinas.
you could try here...
3rd the nom
Shanghai
or dubai :-)
actually that was talking heads not just d byrne. you get no groove without musicians.
~~~~
'wear more personality'? the manager just wanted an excuse to at look at her bust.
wow. too bad the winters are too cold.
http://www.google.com/search?q=PNW+~gallery+~giant+Rhododendron
look for a town with shitty architecture and then proceed to show them how it's done. your hometown probably qualifies and provided you're not chasing the illusion of being an international jetset architect then that's probably you'r best strategy to actually becoming an international jetset architect. that's my 2¢ on where you should start.
e909, Portland winters actually aren't very cold - just very damp.
Indianapolis was 5 degrees when I went out for my morning jog today. I didn't jog far!
Reflexive Space, re:Seattle and Portland: my sense (having lived in PDX but only visited Seattle) is that Seattle feels much more cosmopolitan and especially connected to Asia. A larger Asian population, I think, and a much more significant working port. Plus everyone and his brother moved to Seattle in the 90s. Only half as many moved to Portland. More money in Seattle, but also possibly more competition from everyone who moved there 10 years ago.
Portland is still a town compared to Seattle. A, I think architects love it because as an urban arrangemnt it is lovely. The city is sited between a bend in the river and a steep range of hills, so it has a very compact downtown that viewed from the east is gorgeous against the backdrop of dark green hills. (Viewed from the west (on a clear day) the backdrop is Mt. Hood and Ive rarely seen a more breathatking mountina in my life. An older picture but yeah that's pretty much what it looks like:
Also, the city is known for being very walkable, due in large part to small block size and many many parks - inlcuding a few linked green blocks by Lawrence Halprin - and a very friendly mass transit system that is free in the downtown core.
And my personal theroy on the Michael Graves Portland building is this: that building gave Portland architects license to start using a little color in their buildings. So against a very grey sky you see pinks and greens and yellows and reds and blues in the skyline - there's some sense of whimsy in the skyline that is appealing and not quite cutesy.
Frankly, Portland is the best city I've ever spent time in - why don't I live there again?
Please forgive the numerous spelling errors, I'm sleepy tonight.
Living in Gin: Perhaps it was discussed in previous threads, but you may want to look at The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida.
For instance, he cites the following list of Regions with the Highest Creativity Index Scores:
1. Austin
2. San Francisco
3. Seattle
4. Boston
5. Raleigh-Durham
6. Portland, OR
7. Minneapolis
8. Washington-Baltimore
9. Sacramento
10. Denver
You'll have to read more of the book to get a sense of the principles behind the Creativity Index, etc. Wholistically, it's a good book that talks about creativity as a commodity.
ah ha ha ha ha, boston, no way!
hahahaha... ok, I used to give him props just because he was a CMU prof... but, now I must doubt his little system. Also, can't imagine much creativity in Sactown either, sorry. ha ha ha ha.
My $.02 for the day....
Portland seems really cool but I've been here 9 days (!) and the sun just came out for the first time today (!!). It was exciting for a couple of reasons:
1) I remembered that it exists.
2) I got to see the mountains beyond the city, in particular, Mt. Hood, which is GI-FREAKIN-GANTIC. I mean, wow. Yeah that picture pretty much captures it.
In comparison to Seattle, I'm going to have to default to the bigger city, as far as my favor goes. Yes it has something to do with being a big baseball fan, but from an outsider's perspective, it's got all of the things that Portland does, and more people to do it with. I will mention that I'm a big fan of highway engineering and it is done beautifully in both cities. Yes I'm also a nerd.
BTW, Seattle has Mt. Rainier which, while less accessible than Mt. Hood, is also astounding to see behind the city.
PS. The Michael Graves building literally repulsed me, I mean I walked away muttering to myself in disgust. EW.
i sort of liked the michael graves pet food dishes i saw today at target.
haven't you heard schwarzenegger or willie brown speaking? not as creative as g bush, the master of absurdities, but still ---
~~~~~
portland's winters must be colder than sonoma's, and sonoma gets cold enough to stop plants during the winter. i like to see that winter burst of growth. plus, i've become accustomed to dry summers.
but santa cruz to santa barbara is probably the finest living area, though i've never been to s afr cape. coastal chile and southern argentina might be nice, too.
We've gone almost a full week here in Chicago without temps going above 20 F, so Portland's winters look pretty damn good right now.
coastal chile is nice. especially this time of year.
I think LB's point about networks is the best, because that could make even the hardest town soften up. Personally I would suggest Atlanta or Tuscon. Pheonix is a lost cause already (and I thought Atlanta had a sprawl problem!). For God's sake don't do NYC. Out of your list I personally would go with Portland.
Oh, and Shanghai is a good bet too...
its currently 2 degrees at seven a.m.
Oh, how I'm looking forward to getting back to the midwest today.....
:o(
I second Myriam's view of Boston...zzzzzzzz...and quality of life here costs too much. Can't wait to leave.
Going with the Creative Class stuff ignores the fact that you might be able to make much more of a niche for yourself in a city that is less stereotypically hip. The least attractive place might end up being the most promising--you'd have it all to yourself. There'd be more space to do something unique, to be taken seriously, etc.
~~~
Is there interesting local architecture in Raleigh-Durham, or is it all subdivisions?
brand, I'm in school in Boston right now and I've got to admit that I relunctantly agree with you about creativity in Boston. What gives though? This place is full of college students, professors, and progressives in general. Why are they so goddam conservative when it comes to architecture and design? I feel like there's an insane amount of untapped creative potential here that is being squandered by something, but I can't figure out what. I read an article in the Boston Globe Magazine a few years ago about it, but it still left the answer pretty elusive. We've had Gropius, Sert, Saarinen et al do amazing buildings here in the past (not to mention one of my favorite buildings, City Hall).... what happened? why is Boston so boring architecturally these days?
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