Ten Cities That Do Sports Venues the Best (and Some Terrible Ones)

[@CityNerd]

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[@jerredhamann5646]

To be fair stadiums are not entirely a show of how city values urbanism cause sports team are companies with owners that operate with the goal of making money. typically that means the owner will select the cheapest peice of land possiable usually on the edges of cities because low prices is more profits. Also cities and towns on the edge tend to have lowwer property tax and are easier to build in from a regulation point i mean unless ur building affordable housing

[@lamegaming9835]

nebula gang 🙋

[@checkoutmyyoutubepage]

I live in Vegas and what really makes me mad about Allegiant is that it was sold to the public by telling us it would create a new “district” of bars and clubs around it. When there is no mass transit to get in an out. Right when a game ends, everybody wants to leave due to not wanting to wait in traffic.

[@donaldendsley6199]

As A Charlottean (Charlatan?) The NFL stadium really isn't prime acerage. I know it looks like it but it's just across the highway from a steel smelter (Charlotte Pipe and foundry) beside a main line commercial railroad, and a highway. When it was built it really was just a bunch of warehouses, even as far back as the 1950's. It's a smelly, noisy, disconnected corner of the urban core. That said Charlotte is urbanizing that area, and the long term plans are to move the steel smelter and likely build a new stadium where it is now (the steel smelter bought up a lot of surrounding properties to protect its business from pollution and noise lawsuits). BoA (Panther's) stadium really isn't a great urban stadium though, its mint street facade could benefit from entertainment and retail space but given the connectivity issues the site has that would be a challenge. Given the challenges of the site an NFL stadium really isn't a bad use, though arguably light industrial would be more tax advantageous for the city, the stadium brought sports entertainment back to the center city, and helped urbanize (re-urbanize?) the area. On a side note the Charlotte Checkers (minor league hockey) have sometimes shared Spectrum area, though they currently play at Bojangle's Coliseum (about 3 miles away) which will turn 70 years old in a couple of years. It was the largest unsupported dome in the world when it was built.

[@DanielJohnson-ek4xj]

How would Orlando rank if it had the proper amount of teams if you include the "Citrus Bowl"?

[@balboa0621]

Piling on here, but Cincinnati and Pittsburgh should definitely have been on this list. The way the parking lot is completely hidden underground with an entire neighborhood built on top of it between the Reds and Bengals stadiums in Cincinnati was completely brilliant.

[@bobchicken27]

Not to mention the Banks and Underground Railroad museum are between the two stadiums. Heritage Bank Arena is right there as well as a new concert venue. Both parks are less than 10 blocks from Fountain Square and central business district restaurants and nightlife. The downtown cincinnati can be walked completely across in any direction in under 30 minutes and there are restaurants, bars, and shops pretty much the entire way

[@blarneystone38]

"Serving all five boroughs: Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and New Jersey" That's some top-notch Staten Island shade and I am here for it

[@SmashTheNumbers]

With all due respect, New Jersey wishes it could be a Borough of NYC and not known only for exit numbers on a highway.

[@carlinthomas9482]

NYC should swap Staten Island for Hudson County NJ. It would make more sense from a geographic POV.

[@marblehillpjs]

lol

[@marblehillpjs]

there's no teams in staten island

[@michaelimbesi2314]

@@SmashTheNumbers With all due respect, no they don’t. Having grown up in New Jersey, most of the people who live in New Jersey are there because they didn’t want to live in New York.

[@tonywalters7298]

One problem is that our policy makers will happily throw out public money to build new sports stadiums, but they will turn around and say that we cannot afford better public transit

[@Urbanhandyman]

"Priorities"

[@metagoat]

Las Vegas a good example of this. Compare money spent on entertainment venues vs public transit, it is darkly comical.

[@trailbreaker2011]

It's even better when they take said public transportation from a sporting event and have it break down then have the audacity to complain. We need more support for our public transit systems in the USA.

[@UnicornDreamsPastelSkies]

Sounds like Columbus, Ohio and the state of Alabama to me as well, cannot say I am surprised too much, when they seem to care more about paying their college football well, more than the well-being and cohesiveness of their fellow citizens+community.

[@PalmelaHanderson]

Also the whole "public transit doesn't make money" while they happily endorse expanding freeways, which... spoiler alert, are free. That's why they're called 'freeways'

[@seatangle]

Another problem with DC's arenas: Capital One arena has displaced local businesses and Chinese residents in chinatown. The 76ers are planning to do the same thing to Chinatown in Philly. It's being built above Jefferson Station, but let's face it. A lot of those Regional Rail trains only run once every hour. Most people are going to drive. SEPTA doesn't have the budget to improve transit as efficiently as it would need to to handle 19,000 sports fans 150 days of the year. I'm worried Chinatown will be destroyed for parking garages and generic chain stores.

[@ttownfeen]

Shocked Pitt didn’t make the list. All three major sports venues are literally walkable from downtown. The minor league soccer stadium is as well. PNC and The place formerly known as Heinz Field are also on the light rail line and are very well-integrated into the North Shore.

[@catzass69]

When I saw this video I assumed Pitt was top 3 easy

[@andrew8501]

We had to built a line under the river just to be passed over, smh

[@ketam1ne420]

Pittsburgh and Cleveland naturally forgotten as usual :(

[@SmilingNevada9]

Indianapolis is a good shout. Minor league baseball, pacers/fever, colts and future home of Indy elevan are all downtown Indy

[@TubaDaddy8]

How is Pittsburgh not on this list? Acrisure Stadium is shared by Pitt and the Steelers and is right beside PNC Park, a bridge's walk away from downtown and each has its own light rail station. Highmark Stadium, home of the Riverhounds, is likewise but on the opposite side of the Monogahela from downtown, again with its own light rail stop. And PPG Paints Arena is only a ten minute walk from downtown.

[@bradyjohnson4079]

Yeah everything in Pittsburgh is easily accessible by train or walking from the city center especially PPG

[@ramstacp]

Yeah, A lot of these rankings seem very arbitrary and emotion based. He completely ruled out San Francisco because of its football stadium, yet Washington DC ranks 3rd on this list but has a football stadium far more horrendous than Levi. I understand it is his list and will necessarily be subjective, but it seems as if an attempt at employing objective criteria to get the rankings was thrown out when convenient.

[@robertlunderwood]

Who takes 10 minutes to walk from PPG Paints Arena to downtown? That's 5 minutes max. Closer to 2.

[@paulguzyk2978]

Best thing about the Vancouver downtown stadiums (aside from Skytrain being right there) is the urban Costco across the street with their food court facing the street and open to everyone. Before the game you can get a Costco hot dog for $1.50 or a cheap slice of pizza and scarf it down just before entering the stadium so you won't have to pay >$8 inside the stadium for a similar "meal".🤪

[@adanactnomew7085]

Even funnier is that Costco is designed so you can walk to the food court without having to enter the store itself. Seems like they were aware of the sport goer traffic. You don't even need a card to get in it!

[@cinemapigeon4898]

It's wild, people live on top of the Costco. I visited and saw people go up the elevator/stairs to their townhouses/high rise apartments with a box full of Costco items. Also being an American that $1.50 CAD hotdog and drink is $1.11 USD :D I appreciate the American discount, my maple homies.

[@lh457725]

That's awesome!!! Go Vancouver!

[@StephenH1]

Went on vacation to Van last year, absolutely loved everything! Can't wait to go back.

[@signoresantinoburnett1169]

@@StephenH1 Get across to Vancouver Island if you get a chance. I stay there when I go west from Toronto. Some of the best boating is done between Puget sound and Vancouver island.

[@DJAnyReason]

I am very surprised at Pittsburgh not even meriting an honorable mention - especially given it's historical overrepresentation in @CityNerd content!

[@johnwettengel1133]

When I saw Detroit I thought Cincinnati could make it so I understand

[@thedapperdolphin1590]

My big issue with the North Shore is that there are way too many surface parking lots, at least by Acrisure Stadium. Though there is more development happening over there, at least around PNC Park. It’s such a good location for housing in business due to its location along the T lines and it being an increasingly popular destination, but there are so many parking lots. That said, any development over there is probably just going to be luxury condos that most people can’t afford

[@brucemastorovich4478]

Same. It's a pretty nice stadium with good rail access from the city.

[@olsta1011]

when he hadn't said chicago or pittsburgh yet going into the ad break I kinda thought they were gonna be the top 2, and then not even in the top 10....

[@trevorstedman9180]

Having recently moved from Michigan to Pittsburgh, I for one would say North Shore is a much nicer area to catch a game than Downtown Detroit. Additionally, Acrisure and PNC are designed so nicely to incorporate the cityscape and the rivers. One thing I like most about North Shore is that it feels dedicated to the Steelers and Pirates, whereas Detroit's stadiums are kind of just plopped down and not really integrated with their areas

[@drStark88]

I'll be that Toronto guy you predicted - BMO field is surrounded by some parking but that parking also serves the exhibition grounds, multiple conference centres, a small minor league arena, a concert venue, public parklands, and several other facilities. It's also served by regional rail and soon to be served by the subway. It's also hard to imagine a more accessible arena than Scotia Bank - it's attached to Union station so anyone in the region can take a direct train to the game, and it also has great subway access

[@diegoarmando5489]

Your hotels have gotten cray cray expensive though.

[@rebeccawinter472]

I was going to comment the same. BMO Field is on the Canadian National Exhibition Grounds. The forthcoming Ontario Line will terminate there.

[@jameschampken2660]

I'm not a fan of the open concrete parking lots around the BMO fields on the Exhibition grounds...but its 5 min walk to the GO Train Exhibition Station, has a streetcar line station, and in another 8 years will be on the new Ontario Subway Line. It's also actually got lots of restaurants/bars north Side of the Exhibition Station, just walk about 10 mins north of the GO Train station into the Liberty Village neigbourhood. It's got a lot of positive sides to the location of the BMO field stadium.

[@Aiels]

Ah yes, the five boroughs of NYC - Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx, and New Jersey 😂

[@blarneystone38]

I am biased because I live in Hudson County but it is 100% more connected to the city than SI is, haha

[@justingerald]

@@blarneystone38 Literally closer!

[@virginiansupremacy]

Staten island is basically new jersey

[@robertcartwright4374]

Waddabout that island place, I forget whad it's called, Richmond or somethin'?

[@andrewdiamond2697]

Staten Island = New Jersey. Change my mind. 🤣😂

[@cjthompson420]

Stadiums might be the urban planning thing Houston got right. 3 are downtown and the NRG and Astrodome are connected via light rail.

[@michaeloreilly657]

Light Rail is about as useful for filling a stadium as a tea spoon for filling a bucket.

[@forsomereasonistillcannotfly]

@@michaeloreilly657 but still better than a car, which is about as useful for filling a stadium as a fork for filling a bucket.

[@cjthompson420]

@@michaeloreilly657 For regular commute id agree with you. However the past 2 World Series wins with over 1 million downtown or our annual rodeo seasons, the trains are vital. I can go home quite drunk for $1.25

[@gabrielmariduena3990]

Actually, I was surprised that Houston was not in the top 10. Minute Maid Park, Toyota Center, and Shell Energy Stadium are excellently located with great integration into the fabric of downtown. While NRG Stadium is also very well located with light rail connecting it with downtown and the other sports venues..

[@bluecyclone7077]

Red line the only ok line but it definitely needs to be extended and run longer

[@rhmendelson]

Waaat, no Denver again?!! 😢 With Coor’s Field, Mile High Stadium, and Ball Arena all downtown and accessible by light rail it’s a sweet setup!

[@gogreen7794]

I'm glad you referred to "Mile High" and not whatever corporate name has been slapped onto it for a few bucks (relative to the cost of building and maintaining the venue) until the company goes bankrupt.

[@ramjam08]

I'm curious to see where Pittsburgh would have stacked up on this list...PNC Park and Heinz field both have bus and ferry service and awesome downtown views. UPitt shares Heinze field. The Penguins arena is nestled right in downtown. The River hounds have a stadium built next to Station Square on the other side of the river from PNC Park....

[@JCMik5646]

The light rail (the T) also runs directly to the stadiums

[@LudditePower]

@@JCMik5646 All four are within a 10 minute walk of the T.

[@jeremyschep3589]

A little surprised to see Pittsburgh passed over completely. All of their professional sports arenas are right there downtown. Steelers and Pirates stadiums are a fairly short walk away from each other.

[@andrew8501]

Yes, was looking for this.

[@jbillma]

What about Cleveland? All sports arenas downtown, all easily accessible by transit, and the Guardians and Cavs play in venues well integrated in the urban fabric.

[@wrob08]

I'm curious as to where Cleveland is on this list. I would think the venues wouldn't rank spectacularly, but also none of them overly poorly. Back when the Cavs were in Richfield, definitely, but since the late '90s I would think it's at least decent.

[@kurtinfl]

I suspect it's just outside his top ten. The CLE was included in a similar video ranking transit access to major sports venues.

[@doktarr]

Surprised Denver didn't at least make honorable mention. The MLS stadium is an F, but the other three are all walkable from downtown and transit accessible.

[@winterwatson6811]

so many parking lots downtown though :(

[@legatus_newt]

@@winterwatson6811 Not by the ball park, the football stadium and hockey arena absolutely but half the parking by the baseball stadium was replaced by a 10 story mixed use development with a public plaza in the middle. At least the hockey arena and football stadium have the light rail and much of the parking on the city side of the S. Platte River is going to be redeveloped in the near future.

[@kevinwoolley7960]

I have to agree, shared basketball and hockey venue, easily accessible by light rail, right down town, Coors Field. Also write down town and easily accessible by rail, football, right downtown and easily accessible by rail, MLS is the only exception.

[@cgillespie78]

Yeah it's odd to see DC so high when their football stadium is in a different state, or any of the Canadian cities that don't even have NFL teams on the list when a poor MLS stadium drags you down so hard. CFL teams have significantly fewer fans than NCAA football

[@MyBelch]

Ohhhh -- WALKABLE! Oh Mah GAWD! Count me in!

[@645MF]

Cleveland OH being left off this is kinda odd. Especially considering the criteria. All three major sports arenas are located in or near the downtown area. All three are accessible via rail transit, all three are close to or directly connected to decent parking.

[@bretlir]

Yeah! Going down the list and not seeing it I thought it was going to be number 1! Also Cincinnati needs recognition, two downtown stadia and a very Euro-feeling soccer venue

[@coryhammer9566]

Agreed, 3 stadiums for the most popular 3 sports, all well connected to light rail, all downtown, less than 2 miles apart, lots of nightlife right outside the baseball and basketball stadiums. You could really have Cleveland at 1 and Toronto at 2 (only 2 stadiums for 3 teams, but I don't hold the CFL/MLS location against them)

[@TooLiveChris]

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. How can St. Louis be on the list but Cleveland can’t. I think CityNerd needs to re-evaluate his own criteria!

[@nickferritto6159]

Yeah, I was expecting to see Cleveland somewhere on here. Progressive Park (Guardians) and Rocket Mortgage (Cavs) are both great. They've both gone through recent renovations that really take them up a notch. First Energy is a bit of a step down, taking up a lot of space on the lake, but it's very walkable and downtown. Also, Rocket Mortgage hosts both the Cavs and the Lake Erie monsters.

[@balboa0621]

Eh, the browns stadium is fairly isolated from downtown, but not terrible.

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

The design of Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena is quite unique, and it's the Nokia of NHL arenas considering its age! I know Detroit is the Motor City, but kudos to them for actually moving their teams out of the suburbs. Downtown Detroit has improved a lot, not to mention the food culture is great! They're definitely on the right track. Also yeah, sports complexes with multiple venues may sound like a good idea on paper, but once it's all said and done, is a huge sea of parking really worth it? Especially in a very urban environment like Philly? It completely ruins the city's charm. Add housing and restaurants to fill in all that parking, and then it would integrate perfectly. Historical mention for Jersey City and the demolished Roosevelt Stadium which was built in 1936 and demolished in 1985. It would be a very important in 1946 when Roosevelt Stadium hosted the Jersey City Giants' season opener against the Montreal Royals, marking the professional debut of the Royals' Jackie Robinson. In his five trips to the plate, Robinson got four hits, including a three-run homer, scored four runs and drove in three. The Royals had a 14-1 victory. This is why there is a statue of Jackie Robinson at the Journal Square Transportation Center. Nowadays, the site is the private Society Hill, but NJCU has an athletics complex there. JC still has an armory that has been used for track and field, basketball, and boxing by JSQ.

[@CityNerd]

Surprisingly knowledgeable about New Jersey baseball lore for a totalitarian shut-in. (How many cities build a statue honoring an opposing player who absolutely destroyed the home team, by the way)

[@PredatorKingdom]

I agree bro, location is everything because if you're in a heavily populated area with great transportation it makes it easier for local to get to the games. Detroit did a great job over the years like mentioned in bringing back the Pistons and Lions back to downtown. Both teams were suffering with attendance when the teams were bad and now that they're downtown especially the Lions, Ford Field is usually packed or at least 70% packed at the lowest since the 2010s even when the Lions haven't had playoff teams which is most seasons. I think downtown Detroit has chaned so much over the past 20 years and it's safer to go to and more tourist friendly than it used to be.

[@electric7487]

What?! "Climate Pledge Arena" is such a ridiculous name for a stadium!

[@subjekt5577]

Blame amazon. Ironically they've reneged their pledge, as expected 😏

[@andrewroberts7428]

@@subjekt5577 greenwashing

[@geoffmarshall6925]

I love the concept of the Philadelphia Sports Complex. Putting all of your major teams into the same area devoted entirely to the sports scene is really cool and unique.

[@joettaxoxo]

And the city is trying to build a new arena downtown, but it will displace Chinatown so much it’s been a really contentious issue. So I like that the sport complex was built in a place that doesn’t effect residences too much and still accessible by public transportation.

[@LarrySeltzer]

CN has no sympathy for this, but from a regional transportation standpoint, the Philadelphia stadiums are in the perfect location. They are accessible from the city and all suburbs. Some people think the only right way is for everyone to take the train.

[@MonoBrawI]

Also a good way to limit fans valdalizing the other guys' venues.

[@Packwatch2022]

@@joettaxoxo I'd rather they just renovate what they have/build a new stadium in that parking lot-- they already have all the infrastructure set up, why not keep using it

[@shade0762]

Agree and the extra effort Philadelphia put into Solar Energy and Wind is a great idea. Also, all of the current venues are close to the airport & the Linc shares with Temple.

[@mjt7231]

Living in Philadelphia. I love the fact that the sports complexes are segregated from the rest of the city. Center city has enough to do. Not having to deal with traffic on games days living less than two miles from the stadiums is amazing. Only people in the suburbs who don’t have live next to stadiums and can look at them on google maps want downtown arenas.

[@orthrus4490]

It's something that's generally good for the downtown, as all of the activity from the stadiums brings money and customers. Typically, you don't want residential uses right next to the stadium, but a ring of commercial exclusive zoning to provide a barrier to the noise. Essentially it means that the downtown of a city gets constant investment through tourists, residents, suburbanites, and businesses. It's something that Detroit has done, where to revitalize downtown they built an excellently connected downtown stadium, and the money and business that it brought has spread, slowly turning downtown Detroit into a nicer area than it's reputation would indicate

[@757-David]

Your critique of Minnesota is we don't share teams in same buildings lmao? What kind of super odd critique is that? Besides it's not accurate,the Wolves and Lynx share the Target Center. The Twins stadium Target Field almost touches Target Center also....

[@bobgardin2347]

What about Cleveland (NFL, MLB, NBA) and Pittsburgh (NFL, MLB, NHL)? All are in or adjacent to their downtowns.

[@ehtx1]

Houston has three major league sports stadiums all in the heart of the city. NBA Houston Rockets (Toyota Center), MLB Houston Astros (Minute Maid Park), and MLS Houston Dynamo (Shell Energy Stadium) all are downtown, even walking distance. It gets crazy down there if sports games overlap. And it very rarely happens but sometimes all three sports have games, usually a team is deep in the playoffs when that happens.

[@davidb708]

Really proud of Detroit; having the tigers, lions, red wings, and pistons all right downtown is quite amazing for such a car centric city. Here's to hoping Detroit will continue to improve.

[@ChristopherKhorey]

All accessible by rail, too! Two of the worst rail lines in the world, but still...rail!

[@SPARTAN-KD21]

One of the few things we managed to do right

[@GrimnirsGrudge]

I was confident Detroit would be high on the list. Lions and Tigers stadiums are on a heavily used foot traffic street with some questionable light rail, buses, and shuttles to all over. Those are also the teams that go wild for opening day and take over whole streets to party on. PizzaPizza arena is down gentrification alley, very nice and new and clean, but not the same grunge charm. Ford Field also hosts the USFL Michigan Panthers.

[@boogitybear2283]

I saw Billy Joel at Comerica and was so impressed how much better Detroit looks!

[@tuffy11111]

Just need to get DCFC closer to town

[@thatpersonsmusic]

I’m glad to see St Louis on the list, and as an urbanist, I really am a fan of Citypark. There are a number of developments being planned in the area, in additional to a planned light rail nearby, and best of all, it was built on land previously occupied by a bunch of parking lots and a unfinished underutilized highway interchange Edit: one other thing I’d like to add was the land prior to the interchange and parking lots had once been a thriving black-majority community demolished in the name of urban renewal. They have a thoughtful memorial created in a prominent corner of the stadium grounds along with a row of the house addresses that once stood there. While this obviously doesn’t atone for the destruction of the community, it was really nice to see such a prominent recognition of the mistakes of the past. Now if we could get rid of the rest of the highway still separating many vibrant communities from the main urban core of the city… but removing that interchange was a start, and thank god they didn’t finish that highway project, which would have ripped through many more neighborhoods of our city

[@brockmurphy1747]

im just glad that the union station area is getting use it was really sad to go through less than 10 years ago

[@jeffwebb2966]

You can walk from one stadium to the last of 3 in about 5 minutes.

[@jfmezei]

Montréal deserves a dishonorable mention because of the Bell Cenrte. CP Rail had begun process of exiting being a railroad in Canada in the 1980s. After selling off what it could of its Québec trackage, it then splt the remaining tracks into separate company (while CP Rail held onto real estate below tracks) hoping it would go bankrupt and ease the Transport Canada decision to allow tracks to be removed. Part if its wet dream was to get trains out of Windsor station so it could turn this into real estate development. Commuter trains had already been transfered to government who was paying CP for use of tracks so CP could't stop the trains or remove tracks, but the real estate apetite was greater. Meanwhile, the owners of the hockey team wanted to have an area with more high-priced suites and said the perfectly fine Forum at the Atwater métro was inadequate. As a result, CP rail struck a deal with the government whereby in exchange for CP Rail promising to keep its head office in Montréal, the government would allow redevelopment of Windsor station, preserving only the historic landmark building. And to make sure the trains could NEVER EVER return to the station, the new hockey areana was built below, at and above track level (unlike Madison Square Gardens that was built above.). So your video has factual error because trains do not pass under the area, the arena provice an impassible obstacle and trains stop outside on outdoor uncovered platforms. There si a small heated space within arena building that allows one to walk from the remaining platforms to an outside passage to the street. If you look at intersection of de la Montagned and ave des Canadiens 45.4959254 -73.5708728 on street view, I dare you to find any signage to find where the entrance to the the station called Lucien L'Allier is. From Windsor Station, there was direct acess down to Bonaventure station and walking from Peel to the downtown core was fast. Now peoople have to walk from de la Montagne. Oh, and part of CP exiting Québec was selling the whole complex to a shopping mall company (Cadillac Fairview) who developped every inch it was allowed, including the condoes over the outside passage to the train platforms (but condo won't allow any signage to entrance) and office towers, all designed to forever prevet the use of Windsor station as a train station ever again. The owners of the Canadiens promised the new arena would generate lots of revenues and pay taxes. CP Rail promised it would keep head office in Montréal. As soon as all approved and the tracks were cut off from Windsor station, CP Rail annoucned it was moving its head office to Calgary, and the owners of the hockey arena went to city to declare the arena would lose money and they needed subsidies/tax break. Meanwhile, Montréal forever lost a key transport infrastructure downtown. Unlike other cities where 2 railways built a very large "Union station", Montréal had retained disctinct midsize CN and CP stations downtown, leaving only the CN station now, and worse, the REM construction not only stole the tunnel, removed electrification of all tracks (it was 25kvAC) so it could put 1500vdc on its 2 tracks, but also placed its 2 tracks on track 9-10, forever preventing re-opening of tracks 5-6, 7-8 that were west of 9-10. Those had been closed sicne late 1980s after the big VIA rail cutbacks but with plans to increase services, the lack of tracks is now a major problem. (it was part of reason the Amtrak Adirondak train took so long to restart post pandemic because the owner of Central station is now another shopping mall company who would rather lease floor space to shops than run a train station. On a positive note: when the Allouettes vacated the former sports facility called Olympic Statium to choose the Molson Stadium they organised transit very well with frequent shuttle buses betwen métro and the stadium as well as having guides to help those walking to stadium take the right paths to it. Very customer focused aproach to make them enjoy the experience of the game.

[@Knightmessenger]

That's very interesting. Sounds like it could be a whole video on that topic. I've always been interested in the Bell Centre because the design of Detroit's Little Ceasars Arena was heavily inspired by the steep seating bowl.

[@alexanderfysh410]

I live in Ottawa. Currently our NHL arena is in the middle of a giant suburban parking lot, 25km from downtown in the extreme west end of the city. It sucks to get to by bus, and if you drive it can take up to an hour just to get out of the parking lot. There's nothing around there but box stores and car dealerships. It just sucks. Luckily the Ottawa Senators are in the process of being sold, and the new owners will almost certainly be moving the team downtown to an area right at the nexus of our developing transit system. Most of the city and fanbase are pretty excited about that, though there is this vocal minority who's popped up recently, who want the arena to stay where it is. I'm finding it funny going through their arguments, because it's like a bingo card of anti-urbanist myths. Like they can't understand where everyone will park, or that a good many people would choose to take transit by choice. One guy even told me that transit is for poor people, and it's unethical for those of us with means to invade their space just for a sports game?

[@michaelvickers4437]

I'm not holding my breath for the LRT to actually start operating with a reliability or volume that it comes anywhere close to accommodating large crowds. And I'm unconvinced in the end that Ottawa Senators fans are so upset by long queues to get in and out of Scotiabank, that they'll embrace having to take transit downtown. But time will tell.

[@alexanderfysh410]

​@@michaelvickers4437 I dunno man. I ride the LRT a lot, and I gotta say, while it definitely needs to get some issues fixed, its reputation is much worse than it is in actuality. At its current level of reliability, I'd still take it over schlepping out to Kanata. That all said, the issues with it need to be fixed wherever the arena goes, and there's no reason why it shouldn't be addressed by the time an arena is built. Relative to the porject, there aren't major fixes. The main infrastructure is there. Stage 2 will be done by then, making it the perfect way to funnel people in and out of that area.

[@Meyers1793]

Ottawa has an F-tier NHL arena (the Canadian Tire Centre) and arguably a B-tier CFL stadium (TD Place). The CFL stadium is well located and IMHO well integrated with street-life, but it is not served by higher level rapid transit.

[@jaybrownns]

As soon as I saw the title of this video, I thought of Ottawa. I lived downtown without a car for over ten years (in late 90s/00s). It was a Epic Journey to get out to the "Corel Centre", as it was called back then, for a hockey game or concert. Whether you were in a car or on the bus, it was 45 minutes to an hour each way. And because it was so far out of the city, there was nothing around it for post-game activity - it was literally surrounded by farm fields. Hopefully they "allow" it to come back into the city.

[@alexanderfysh410]

@@Meyers1793 I'd say that's pretty accurate grades you gave.

[@joerogers1492]

Very surprised not to see Pittsburgh here. Acrisure, PNC Park, and the penguins stadium are all off major rail routes and walkable from downtown.

[@spencer5068]

I'm biased as a native, but Cleveland seems like an oversight here-especially considering the history of relocating venues from outer-lying suburbs into the downtown fabric (similar to Detroit, as you mention). In the 90s, the Gateway Project brought the Guardians and Cavs onto the same block, just a ten-minute walk from transit-connected Tower City. Cleveland Browns Stadium is a bit of a hike out to the lake shore, but not too far away to stumble over from pre-game festivities. As a car-dependent suburbanite, driving to the RTA park-n-ride (ugh, I know) before catching the Rapid downtown in high school was my first brush with transit of any kind. Thanks as always for the great content, Ray!

[@alexbabinski7318]

That's what I've been thinking, he seems to be wishy-washy with football locations in this video (Carolina example) but yeah Cleveland's stadiums are all in good spots

[@UserName-ts3sp]

i agree, cleveland has a nice setup

[@gabrielqueiroz9766]

I feel the same about Edmonton. We got Rogers Arena (hockey), Commonwealth Stadium (CFL) and Re/Max Field (baseball) all within about a mile from each other, right in the middle of the city, two connected to rail, one accessible by multiple bus routes (including a terminal), in, or around, downtown.

[@shills2634]

No you're spot on there. Even as a Pittsburgher I left a comment wondering how Pittsburgh and Cleveland were left off the list. Both incorporate their stadiums into the city phenomenally, and I know their public transit isn't as big as other cities, but it definitely is not hard to get to the stadiums in either city by using it. I may hate your teams, but the city definitely got the stadiums right. Recently got to visit Progressive too, and loved it. I'll always be biased towards PNC but definitely a great stadium there, and I can see why my dad wanted a stadium like it in Pittsburgh when he visited there in the late 90s before Three Rivers was demolished.

[@spencer5068]

@@shills2634 PNC is an absolute gem. 🤝 Amazing place to catch a game.

[@litz13]

Atlanta is great when you look at Mercedes Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena, both easily walkable and via rail. Bobby Dodd at GA Tech as well. Most of the surrounding surface parking will be gone in less than a couple years due to new development in the area as well. And then, then there’s the Braves with no transit access and a sea of parking. *sigh*

[@gregsells8549]

And Georgia State's Centre Park at the former home of the Braves/Centennial Olympic Stadium.

[@litz13]

@@gregsells8549 true, although the closest transit stop is several blocks on the other side of the highway. That's going to change, however, with the Capital Ave BRT line which will go right by the stadium.

[@zombesus]

I know you said that the White Sox Stadium is an E tier ballpark, but honestly it’s pretty accessible considering all the surface parking. I used to live in the neighborhood adjacent to it and would walk to games. Not to mention the Red line access, Metra access, and orange line a half mile away and it’s deceptively C tier imo.

[@mrmacross]

Green line, too.

[@petersomers4353]

G'Day. Have a look at Melbourne Australia. MCG, home to Victoria and Australia cricket, Richmond, Melbourne, Collingwood, Hawthorn AFL. Aami Park, home to Storm NRL, Rebels Rugby, Victory and City A League. Tennis Centre, home of the Australian Open. They are all within walking distance of each other and serviced by trains, trams and busses. Marvel Stadium is on the other side of the CBD in Docklands, home to St Kilda, Nth Melbourne, Footscray, Essendon and Carlton AFL, Renegades cricket, international soccer and rugby matches, and huge concerts.

[@Randomgen77]

Someday maybe Denver could place. Setting aside the travesty of the Rapids being all the way out in Commerce City, the other venues (Mile High, Ball, Coors) are all so close together that there’s been talk about a single mixed use corridor plan connecting them all.

[@aaronginsberg4993]

Your dislike of BMO Field should be mitigated by the fact that the parking lots around it are actually a fairground. It's the only reason the land isn't developed. If you Google BMO Field during CNE, you'll get an idea of why it needs all that dead space. Should there be a fairground in the middle of the city? Maybe not. But the parking lots aren't there for the stadium.

[@BasketBowlers]

For what it’s worth, Angels Stadium in Anaheim was built in 1966, and it did did host the MLB Angels and LA Rams between 1980-1994.

[@JesseNenninger]

As a St. Louis native, CITYPARK is absolutely S tier. I have been many times, and only by our light rail. We have tons of stuff to do/eat/visit nearby, and I have friends who live almost next door to the stadium

[@MattrickBT]

A key part of Toronto is that the main transit hub for the entire Greater Toronto Area, Union Station, is basically attached to Scotiabank Arena. It's a five minute walk from Roger's Center. And one GO train stop away is BMO Field/Coca-Cola Colliseum.

[@billdaverne9389]

FYI added detail -- Scotiabank Arena is a top 10 NHL arena and great for concerts, Rogers Centre is one of the first domed baseball stadiums (and has a roof that opens) and is in the midst of a $300 million reno which will replace all seats and remove last vestiges of when it was convertible for football -- having a domed stadium in cold weather country means big concert tours have a venue in cold weather (e.g. Taylor Swift is playing 6 nights to 50,000+ -- a year from November after the renos are complete) and bg conventions have additional space -- it's a stone's throw from two Toronto's largest convention centres), BMO Field is where CFL Football and MLS soccer is played to rabid all-weather crowds. And the Coca-Cola Coliseum is where AHL hockey is played and horses parade during the annual Royal Winter Fair (which is all inside on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition). And as Mattrick pointed out, all are intimately connected to major transit, and because the Rogers Centre and Scotiabank Arena are right downtown and their functions are usually at night or on the weekend, people who need to drive can use parking which is typically occupied by the 9-5 workforce. The CNE has lots of parking for football, soccer and AHL hockey. My favourite city for venue clustering is Philadelphia. All three together. I'm only sorry the Spectrum was demolished because having the arenas together was great. Although East Rutherford, NJ (the Meadowlands) has some claim with an NHL-size arena, MetLife Stadium hosting two New York NFL teams and the Meadowlands horse racing track a two-minute walk from each other, and served by transit and great tailgating parking lots and the American dream mall and enterainment complex.

[@1nown]

Someone namedropped Brisbane, so I'm gonna say it... Of Australia's state capitals, at least 4 would comfortably make this top 10 if not top 5 if they were included in the same way the MLB included us in their schedule back in 2014. Sydney has so many fields, but the most notable ones are clustered in two locations with good public transport access and connection to the city centre, though the Olympic Park venues are a little bit in the middle between Parramatta and the CBD they have both their own station and second within a walkable distance. The Moore Park site is walkable from Central but also accessible via light rail and several bus lines. Melbourne goes without saying. Jolimont and Docklands sites both lie central to the city and are well-covered by trams and/or rail. Both Sydney and Melbourne also have a list of suburban teams (in the nrl and afl respectively) that also see significant traffic and generally sit better than american equivalents. Even Perth does a pretty good job for its venues. We are sports mad and it shows in our planning priorities. Visiting the US and going from Vancouver and Seattle to... Phoenix made it clear that the same passion is not found everywhere. Glendale is an atrocity.

[@orangeflaws8088]

I think the Moda Center in Portland is a good example of a venue that allows people to feel like it’s own separate thing but also feel integrated into the city. It’s part of a plaza with the old Memorial Coliseum which still hosts basketball and hockey occasionally as well as other events. There’s a couple parking structures right next two it but everything else around it is the actual city with not flat lots. People can commute relatively easily as well

[@hellojake7684]

“All the 5 boros… Manhattan Bronx Queens Brooklyn …and New Jersey” I see what you did there 😂

[@brianmiller5444]

Staten Island is a borough. And I am not even a New yorker🤪

[@jessebest5961]

They should trade Staten Island for the Jets and Giants.

[@jonathancathcart6339]

Leafs catching strays on CityNerd is the content I didn't know I needed.

[@blarneystone38]

The tone of voice he used to say "hapless Maple Leafs" is just top notch

[@kingstonsean]

La Stade Olympique (round, domed stadium) in Montreal is still standing. But it lost both its MLB and CFL tenants years ago. :)

[@davidheitzenrater9027]

What's crazy about United Center in Chicago is that it sits right next to the Blue line and like, two blocks from the Green line, and it still has that many parking spaces.

[@davik9003]

Chicago throats hard for cars. I love how Chicago has a highway park, and they like it. Lmao. Most confounding place I've ever been.

[@janmelantu7490]

Fairly certain the Parking for United completely spans the distance between the Green and Blue lines there.

[@dblissmn]

@@davik9003 Although in the weirdest way -- it has fewer lane-miles of freeway per capita than any other major metro and the worst traffic. It simply pokes other modes of transport in the eye.

[@ravibetzig7849]

@@janmelantu7490 Indeed! I almost got hit by a car on Warren walking to the Green Line from the United Center a few months ago.

[@olsta1011]

@@davik9003 a what?

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Don't get me started on the Meadowlands! I've been to the now-abandoned Izod Center twice, for Ringling Bros and for Smuckers Stars on Ice when I was a kid, the sad quality of the arena just added on to the fact it was in a sea of parking next to a mall that took forever to complete. And now after both the Nets and the Devils left the Izod Center for Brooklyn and Newark respectively, they're in home arenas that they can be proud of! And both the Barclays and Prudential Centers have helped move Downtown Brooklyn and Newark in the right direction. Not to mention all the transit with Newark Penn Station by the Prudential Center and Atlantic Ave on the subway at Barclays Center! Sure the Meadowlands has its own NJ Transit line but it's always a headache whenever there's a big event because of the way it was designed, and it interrupts the rest of the system which is the same reason why they won't run regular train service for the American Dream mall. Their Mass Transit Super Bowl strategy back in 2014 was a mess because the line couldn't handle the crowds. Also, on the topic of the NYC metro, tbf UBS Arena is NEXT to the city limits and while the Islanders no longer have subway access due to the move from Barclays Center, it's still served by the LIRR's Elmont station full-time which is on the Main Line (Belmont Park station is closer but that's just for race days now). Compared to their old Nassau Coliseum home (which had no LIRR station at all), it's still an upgrade.

[@bigjimmy6956]

Yeah I’m from lower manhattan but I spend a lot of time in dt Brooklyn nowadays, it’s a beautiful area. The whole city has been cleaned up now basically it seems like

[@pranavpitchala8402]

You should look at Columbus. They have an Arena District downtown. The NHL Blue Jackets, MLS Crew (new stadium), and Minor League Clippers all have stadiums there. There aren’t big ugly parking lots and the area is very nice and walkable.

[@C_money]

I feel like Minneapolis is one of the few cities that has appropriately integrated an NFL stadium into their downtown, and I think that warrants a bump up the list ahead of a city like Boston.

[@ShantyIrishman]

I agree, the demerit for the Wild and Timberwolves having their own buildings was weak sauce.

[@williamletourneau1446]

@@ShantyIrishman especially since they were located in two different cities on purpose so that St. Paul would have a team.

[@Knightmessenger]

New Orleans, Atlanta, Indianapolis and Detroit are other NFL stadiums that come to mind.

[@pukas8885]

Denver will be #1 on this list when the basketball/hockey and football stadium parking lots are redeveloped into a skyscraper park with the river mile project.

[@jackofallgamesTV]

Cleveland shoukd have been up there with the Cavs and Guardians in Downtown, and though there could be better uses for lakefront property, the Browns play by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The soccer team, the Cleveland Crunch play at the IX center, a large multipurpose building by the airport. And yes there is an RTA rapid to the Airport and local shuttle busses to the IX.

[@jfjjgbggkhv]

MAybe it reflects the current status with the Waterfront line closed down due to a faulty bridge? And Cleveland might have scored higher if there was a infill station south of Tower City Center by the Stadiums?

[@xanfulton]

Would be curious to see how he rated Cleveland. Lot of things that we could do better, but putting the sports centers in the town center, accessible by foot/transit, without "parking moats" around them...I mean, we're doing alright on that.

[@cinemapigeon4898]

Big 49ers fan, and their stadium location went from decent at Candlestick in SF to different city in Santa Clara in the middle of a big industrial business park, far worse location.

[@rcfanatic2000]

St. Louis’s new soccer stadium is also great cause they put it over the remains of I-755, a planned inner belt highway that was never built due to local opposition. We somehow got out of some of the horrible urban highways Kansas City has. On the St. Charles side is some truly awful urban design. My highschool moved their graduation to possibly the most disgusting arena in our area. The Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri. It’s literally just in the middle of a forrest along the river. Some poor soul asked if you could park anywhere nearby and walk to it, and it’s just impossible. Exists in an island of parking 30 minutes from anything else. It’s just such an ugly building too. St. Charles has a special place in my heart, as one of the most unpleasantly designed places. Just infinite suburban hell, and Missouri’s fastest growing suburb.

[@skypesos]

St Charles has a pretty nice historical downtown area though (already more than I can say about Chesterfield, whose "downtown" is a dead mall), but it falls flat in the rest of the city. Though I read somewhere that there's a plan to develop the riverfront with mixed-use stuff from the casino all the way down to the Family Arena, following the Katy Trail. If they can pull it off, that would be nice to see, though it doesn't solve the issue with the lack of public transit in St Charles County (and NIMBYs in the county blocking MetroLink extensions there)

[@laneoakes3403]

family arena 😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌

[@Vex-MTG]

The SkyDome is another stadium that was built for both baseball and football, and is still standing. Of course, they kicked the football team out about a decade ago, and have been making renovations to make it less multi-purpose

[@dreimer2112]

Did they kick the Argos out, or did they leave willingly? I thought it was the latter, because the Skydome was a terrible venue for CFL when you could only draw 15-20000 people to a game.

[@Vex-MTG]

@@dreimer2112 yeah, once they had BMO field, it was an easy choice. I was intending that to come across as more jocular than it did.

[@kingess-jay2961]

I've seen CFL games at both, definitely BMO field over the Skydome for football. Skydome is slowly getting modernized for baseball only. Another round of renos next offseason for it

[@Vex-MTG]

@@kingess-jay2961 it's going to be so much better next year when they reorient the seats to actually face towards the infield.

[@__init__3493]

They even spent $200M equipping it with bound-for-street mechanics that are used exceedingly rarely, if ever, in football

[@flipside2086]

I have absolutely fallen in love with St. Louis recently... I moved there recently and have been delightfully surprised by the goings on here. I got rained out of a Cardinals game and I'm slightly bummed but the nearest Metro Station is 10 minutes from my house so I can't complain. I would love a more Walkable city but St Louis is kinda taking my heart since I'm gonna be here for awhile.

[@rickcobos1724]

You'll need vehicle access or ride service, but make time to visit Castlewood State Park in the suburbs. Fabulous natural wonder.

[@sammyrice1182]

Thanks for another great video. You are now the only reason I still log on to YT. What lurks behind everything you talk about in your videos? Car dependence.

[@michaelreid6461]

Love your content! But no Pittsburgh? North Shore facilities with the 'T', PPG Paints Arena central location and station square has Highmark Stadium.

[@jamesmcdermott1194]

I was initially surprised to see Cincinnati not included in the honorable mentions, but I guess a lot of cities do stadiums correctly. If we could get actual rapid transit maybe we would appear on this list in the future.

[@AliceYobby]

Yeah if you’re missing rapid transit you’re missing functional transit

[@AliceYobby]

Olympia, WA (Thurston County) with its free, but dreadfully scarce, bus system, is a great example.

[@AliceYobby]

Just two or three smartly routed and frequent rapid lines could increase its viability so much, and yet the only rapid line goes like 10 blocks down a single street to a farmers market.

[@mahtinp]

"A lot of cities do stadiums correctly" Having lived in suburban Cincy, the things that are good about the riverfront venues don't seem to get any bonus points in his list here. I think Cincy ought to get bonus points here for using the same chunk of land, building two new stadiums adjacent, while keeping Riverfront open. Also, the thing I loved doing, parking in Newport at Hofbrau or the Levee and walking across the bridge to games, doesn't really sound as fun or urbanist as it actually felt.

[@FranBushardt]

I’m from Buffalo and visited Cincinnati and was Very Impressed with their 3 Venue setup! It should have been highly ranked!!

[@Mackay402]

Coors Field in Denver isn't terrible, but all the other stadiums bring it down, especially Dick's Sporting Goods Park. At least there are proposals to turn the parking lots between Ball Arena and Mile High into high density mixed use development and that area is already served by light rail. Dick's Sporting Goods Park is a lot cause though. The silver lining is that the Rapids Supporters group offers supporters busses (and away team busses) from several downtown bars, it really makes being a carless Rapids season ticket holder more doable.

[@danieldaniels7571]

I lived in that area about 33 years ago before Coors Stadium was built. It's amazing how much that area has changed.

[@JohnJohnson-kg4ek]

If there is going to be a new Broncos stadium, it should be in the parking lot of Ball Arena right next to the light rail station on the Eastern side of I25. It would be awesome having both stadiums in the same location. Especially considering how easy it is to get to Ball Arena using the light rail.

[@gosnooky]

@@JohnJohnson-kg4ek That would be great. Now only if the Broncos can start winning again, the cost could be justified.

[@andrewheimlich4503]

Would Denver had cracked the top 10 if you excluded Dicks Sporting Goods Park? The other venues are downtown adjacent and the land around Ball Arena (formerly the Pepsi Center) will be redeveloped

[@beefstartswithaB]

Wake up babe. New CityNerd video out

[@gvs376]

Nashville's football stadium, hockey arena, and MiLB baseball stadium are all downtown. They are also all within walking distance of each other. The largest MLS stadium in the U.S. is also within its city limits.

[@ThreeRunHomer]

Yes, but Nashville doesn’t do transit which is key to his rankings. And the NFL stadium is surrounded by an ocean of parking wasting valuable downtown-ish real estate.

[@gvs376]

@@ThreeRunHomer MetLife Stadium is also in a sea of parking lots, about a mile from transit, and isn't even in the same state! In fact, the only downtown New York arena on his list is MSG. I understand the transit issue, but that's not really necessary when you can walk, bike or scooter instead.

[@sterlingmarshel6299]

no transit to downtown - that kills it

[@Knightmessenger]

So why does Nashville need a new NFL stadium? It looks perfectly fine.

[@gvs376]

@@Knightmessenger Nissan Stadium is still in excellent shape. It’s simply a grab for the Super Bowl. And honestly, I believe that Nashville will host within the next 10 years.

[@fooledbyasmile]

I'm confused- how did DC and Boston get on this list when their stadiums are far from Downtown, meanwhile Cleveland's stadiums/arenas are right downtown and have light rail right next to it, and they aren't on the top 10 list at all?

[@americangiant1003]

Fenway Park is not far from Downtown Boston. Probably the closest to being in the City Center than all of the current 30 MLB teams geography wise.

[@gabrielqueiroz9766]

@@americangiant1003 I think he was referring to Gillete Stadium, not Fenway. I guess that is why we use the typical terminology: soccer/footbal = stadium, hockey/basketball = arena, baseball = ballpark.

[@GuyIncognito575]

St. Louis, Toronto, Detroit, and Minneapolis are all in the top ten and have downtown baseball stadiums.

[@markdc31]

TD Garden is smack in the middle of Downtown Boston and it’s connected to a Commuter Rail station and two train lines. It has an NBA and NHL team, both of which are legendary. And you can walk to the North End from ‘The Garden.’ I’ve been to sporting events in Cleveland too. But we have baseball, basketball and hockey all right in the city. And Foxboro isn’t very far, honestly.

[@robertl.andersonii5926]

Cap One Arena is right in the middle of downtown and the other complexes are by the river. None are in the sticks. All are Metro accessible. FedEx Field is obviously the outlier.

[@Puppy_sisters]

Where did you rank Pittsburgh? I think they have done a great job integrating their stadiums into the urban fabric of the city.

[@scottydude456]

2:49 “the stroads of sports venues” is the best thing I think I’ve ever heard as an urbanist sports enjoyer

[@scottydude456]

This is why I hate having to deal with the MSG Penn station drama but MSG should move to somewhere else with transit access

[@stephenshaw7593]

Props for calling them the Bullets! I'm surprised FedEx Field didn't drop DC further down the list but Capitol One Arena, Nats Park, and Audi Field are all great venues!

[@stevendiaz7633]

I went to Climate Pledge in Seattle you can use the rail and then transfer to the Monorail to help with confusion. The rail ends but you have to walk up a few flights to get to the monorail. It takes you right next to the Space Needle making it a nice ride.

[@mylesbarrett2031]

"Cascadian Urbanist Overlords" That phrase made my day.

[@romannestorowicz1121]

I’m surprised Detroit didn’t rate higher on your list. The placement of three stadiums for four sports adjacent to the theater district with three large theatrical venues, ensure there is activity in the area almost always. The placement allowed for a few parking garages that service all venues. I would agree that Detroit’s Q-Line (streetcar) is not great transit but it serves as a great shuttle. It passes right through the stadium district and for those three blocks it’s separated from street traffic allowing it it not be caught in traffic. Unfortunately outside of those three blocks it shares the road with cars. As a shuttle it works well with the district as the parking garages charge $25-$30 during events but you can park in the midtown area and take the Q-Line to the stadiums. It works great for that. Little Caesars arena is a fantastic arena both architectural and to see sports and concerts. Ford Field has a great reuse and integration of the former Hudson’s warehouse. Hudson’s was a former department store chain. Instead of tearing down the warehouse, they only partially gutted it and integrated the football stadium into it. This preserved the brick exterior and its relation to the street scape. I will say the following regarding the Q-line. It’s limited distance makes it more like a shuttle than regional transit but it’s amazing to watch the development that it’s attracting. When Huntington Bank decided to build a new office building downtown, it’s located not on the riverfront but on Woodward near a stop on the Q-line. And in this current economy there are two more buildings under construction further south both next to stations on the Q-line. And all through midtown there has been and still is construction all along the Q-line. The new condos and apartments closest to the line tend to be 5 or 6 stories and those farther away are 3 or 4. I credit that streetcar as kickstarting the building as midtown is one of two growing areas. The other booming area in the city is CorkTown but that I feel is helped by Ford renovation of the old Michigan Central train station. For decades it was a sign of Detroit’s decay as it sat empty. Instead of trains it’s becoming a tech hub for autonomous vehicles. It’s set to open next year I believe. You should check it out.

[@electric7487]

An extension of the Q-Line to Pontiac would do wonders for the communities all along Woodward Avenue, and a spur route along Old Woodward would also be great for making downtown Birmingham car-free. Metropolitan Parkway and 12 Mile Road from Novi eastwards would also be great for tram lines.

[@DaveHogg]

@@electric7487 I cover 150-plus events in the stadium complex, and running the Q-Line to Birmingham (ideally Pontiac) would be a massive game changer.

[@DaveHogg]

If District Detroit ever comes close to completion, Detroit is top 3.

[@braden_tmoore]

I always love hearing people talk about the twin cities, but you seriously missed out on mentioning the st paul saints stadium. it is incredibly interwoven into the downtown, at the green line terminus, and the seasonal outdoor farmers market, really a lively part of the city. a few blocks from union station, i used to ride my bike down kellogg and park it right outside in like the 6th inning and the gates would be open and you could sit and watch the best part of a ball game. and they always had the best fireworks for the 4th. its a shame st paul is the unrecognized twin, theres so much charm there.

[@coteries655]

Something I'd be interested in is a video about the benefits of urban stadiums. In Philadelphia there's a big fight being had over the planned 76ers stadium in Center City, and a lot of the arguments I'm hearing are that having a giant stadium complex in South Philly is fine and is better for the city overall. Is there evidence that it's better to have a central city stadium?

[@rockinmel1]

The stadium siting in Seattle is just the best to me - bars/restaurants all around, in mixed-use areas (although true mixed-use west of 5th Ave and south of Pike/Pine seriously needs work to resuscitate the office tower canyon that basically died in the pandemic), and the SoDo stadiums have good access by bus, bike, train (both light and commuter), AND ferries. It's more of a pain to get to CPA, but I've found the monorail(!) is the best "last mile" connection from downtown until the Ballard rail line is finished in (checks notes) 2040.

[@richjenkins9253]

It's not walkable from downtown. I think there was some PNW shilling here.

[@rockinmel1]

@@richjenkins9253 As someone who has personally walked from downtown to Lumen Field (and T-Mobile Park) on numerous occasions, I can tell you it's absolutely walkable from downtown. CPA is a much longer walk (not a bad one at that) but never purported to be downtown-adjacent, and you can literally catch a local bus there from downtown every 5 minutes that gets you there in 10 or less.

[@CodyWhite210]

I find it hilarious so many Kansas City residents are up in arms about moving their baseball stadium downtown, because of course - "Where will we park?!" As if downtown Kansas City isn't just 50% surface parking in the first place.

[@Steve-tj9on]

KC needs to really consider a good viable rail transit system. They need to look at their other MO city St Louis to see how it's done.

[@saddestchord7622]

I think people want to park right next to their seat. Or maybe they just want to watch a ballgame drive-in style. I love Kaufman, though.

[@skidawg22]

"Where will we park?" and "Kauffman's a nice place" are the two biggest excuses you hear from those people.

[@boogitybear2283]

I love Kauffman Stadium! I hope they remain there. It’s such a nice venue and 2 World Series Championships!

[@NicCageCDXX]

In defense of the United Center, every other team in the NBA has spent the last three decades trying to have a more iconic player intro than the Bulls have with "Sirius" starting in a darkened arena, quickly followed by "AAAAAAAAAND NOW"

[@kevhayden6506]

If you would have included XFL, I think Orlando would have made the list. The citrus bowl is used by the xfl, wrestlemania, and EDC Orlando, which is on the same street as the soccer stadium which is on the same street as the Amway, all downtown.

[@kylefarley5851]

It would’ve helped DC big time too since the defenders seem to be more popular than the commanders

[@Earth1218]

It would have added another downtown stadium mention to St. Louis. The Edward Jones Dome, where the Battlehawks play. It has a subway stop, as well.

[@NebraskaGonvilleJones]

I urge you to look into Melbourne (Australia). It is a model of how to do it. Perhaps the best city in the world for its huge array sporting facilities holding massive events done the right way. MCG a 100,000+ seat stadium that holds regular multiple international events including the Olympics, Rod Laver arena holding one of the four tennis majors, Albert Park Circuit holding the Australian GP of over 400,000 spectators, Flemington race course with over 120,000…. all within a short tram ride of the city centre or you can even just walk!

[@TransCanadaPhil]

don't forget the Australian Rules Football (AFL) grand final :-) I'm always sure to watch that every September.

[@richardmacklen2658]

Surprised Columbus, Ohio didn't at least get an honorable mention. We got the hockey arena, baseball stadium, and soccer stadium all on the same street with a whole district of restaurants and bars (and expensive apartments). Probably what kills it is a lack of any rail system here.

[@declanandrews6776]

love to see seattle so high up this list! i wonder what it would be like if the SODO arena for the sonics had been approved, and we had the kraken and a reborn Sonics playing there, instead of at Climate Pledge, which will definitely be the best arena/stadium location in the city once Link reaches it

[@PGar58]

And the Sonics WILL be back! Adam Silver is being coy but he’s waiting for the media deal before announcing Seattle and Vegas will join the Association.

[@jefferyduplessis1577]

New Orleans has a great setup with the multi purpose/NFL Super Dome and NBA arena right next door to each other with the Champions Square event venue in between. Transit is handy (no rail) but street cars are Loyola Ave. about 1 block away. Parking is in multi level garage.

[@Zay0321]

I think Philly got it mostly right. Traffic is already so bad in a tight street clustered city. The stadiums are only in one side of the city but as you said a sub and bus puts you right there. I feel like putting them anywhere else would be a nightmare

[@kourii]

Especially the Linc! That would be horrible anywhere else except far the fuck in the north somewhere

[@dhs0801]

Two interesting things about Boston, from a Bostonian: 1. TD Garden is right above North Station which connects most of the North Shore directly to the arena through the commuter rail. It's perhaps the most accessible arena in the NBA and NHL because of that. 2. Gillette Stadium, while in the weirdest location, actually has a shopping area around the stadium, which gives it a little bit more of a purpose outside of football season. It's still in a horrible location, but the shopping mall and movie theater connected to it makes it a little less horrible.

[@tomsmith5584]

I'm surprised Cleveland wasn't on this list given that all the stadiums are within a fifteen minute walk of the central public transit hub (even if the rail system is a bit rudimentary).

[@danielsavitz5774]

Heard they're getting the Waterfront Line running again this year!

[@neilbender3050]

I’m not holding my breath!

[@JoannDavi]

Vancouver?! One stadium that seats under 55K and one arena. No MLB, no NBA, and I feel gross putting the CFL in the same sentence with the NFL.

[@ben5380]

Call me a suburbanite sympathist, but as a native Bostonian I've always thought of Gillette Stadium as the ONE asset I don't mind being in the hands of rural New England. (American) Football is notoriously a blue collar sport and attracts many in the surrounding suburbs. Of course, the price you pay is the 2 hours it'll take to get in and out of the stadium on the single lane road before and after the game. Bonus Fact: The commuter rail runs in and out of the stadium from Boston on game days! 😉 Great video as always!!!

[@ben5380]

Also, no Denver!? All the major pro sports teams are within a 30 minutes walk to one another 😃

[@03086rm]

Where would Boston have ranked if Gillette wasn’t considered? It has 3 teams in two venues which are S-tier.

[@Knightmessenger]

I think the area around Gillete could have been better developed and pedestrian friendly. When the original Foxboro Stadium opened, it probably wasn't a big consideration, but thanks in part to a guy named Tom Brady, Gillette has hosted a lot of night and weeknight marquee nfl games, making the commute more of an issue. I havent been to Foxboro but aerial images look about as accesible as the Washington REDACTED nfl stadium.

[@danieljleslie]

How is Denver not on this list? Denver has venues for all 4 of its professional sports teams (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL) right in downtown (with the NFL stadium on the edge of downtown). Light rail connects all the venues. Denver should be #1 on this list.

[@7beachbum]

You omitted the Colorado Rapids.

[@gogreen7794]

​@7beachbum That is an outlier for sure, but the three major sports venues needed for this list (NFL, NHL, NBA) are downtown or near enough. I think Denver wasn't ranked because of the current large parking lot around the basketball and hockey arena and because Mile High is just west of I-25 instead of on the east side. I'm only speculating, of course.

[@smallmj2886]

Toronto may climb a bit on your list when the Ontario Line is built. That will bring better transit access to BMO field. Maybe they can build something useful on one or two of the parking lots after that.

[@theearlofwellington]

I'm torn because obviously the CNE is a great use for the area, and even the Toronto Indy is pretty cool. It still has a connection to the GO train and streetcars. It's just a shame that it's such a sheer amount of impervious surface that goes unused most months of the year.

[@pauly5418]

@@theearlofwellington There's a lot more going on in the area than you think. It's not just the CNE, Toronto FC games and the Indy. The National Home Show and Toronto Int'l Boat Show, as well as many trade shows and conferences use the Enercare Centre. The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair also takes place there. The Queen Elizabeth Theatre has a steady number of events year round. An ESports arena has been proposed and will likely be built on one of those parking lots. Just south is the to-be-revitalized/redeveloped Ontario Place, where there are many summer concerts at the Budweiser Stage which will be upgraded for year round use. There is at least one hotel on the Exhibition grounds...maybe two? The Toronto Raptors also have their practice facility there.

[@t2hughes]

Yep. And while it is surrounded by asphalt ... it's right on a streetcar line and regional transit (GO) line, not to mention highly walkable for downtown residents. Pretty accessible. Both modes packed after the games, of course, but lightyears better than trying to leave in your car after a Bills or Ti-Cats game.

[@Argonaut121]

The fact that Rogers Centre (I still call it the SkyDome) and the Scotiabank Arena (I still call it the Air Canada Centre) are just two blocks apart, in the heart of downtown Toronto, easily accessible by public transit, and close to where people live, is part of what makes the city great. On any given night you have tens of thousands of fans downtown, patronizing bars, restaurants and clubs, keeping the core vibrant. And the venue for football and soccer is only another few blocks west, in another vibrant residential neighbourhood.

[@AndreBeverly]

Imagine if they built transit under these massive stadiums and kept the stadiums close to each other so we can reduce the amount of space parking takes up.Madison Square Garden is a pretty good example of having everything come to your arena.Las Vegas do that with the Oakland...I mean the Las Vegas A's cause T-Mobile Arena and Allegiant Stadium are so close.

[@pex3]

Toronto Ontario Canada is what you're looking for

[@TheRandCrews]

⁠@@pex3 and Montreal

[@timdella92]

“Vancouver is the best city in the continent” if you have a lot of money. If you can handle winter and the French language, Montreal is actually the best city in the continent.

[@AustinSersen]

Touche, but it is actually Calgary that is the best mon ami. Endless sunny skies, a transit system that punches way above its weight class, the world's largest municipal pathway system stretching more than 1,000km, and plenty of rednecks in excessive pickup trucks to laugh at when they roll by looking for attention. ;)

[@nogonoma]

@@AustinSersen the last time I was in Calgary the DT was dead by 6 pm with no street life. Maybe this has changed…? Also, winter…

[@colinjohnson8511]

"Your house in the middle of BC " as the TA like to sing when they win at BC Place . that aside , proud Vancouver resident , and seconds into this video i just knew we would be in the top spot . shame our teams dont perform in sinc with that. also , lots of football supporters love the soccer specific stadium narrative, which gets counter pointed here very well through an urbanist lens .

[@a.j.petrarca2268]

I know we're getting knocked for our teams being the bottom 2 of the top 5 leagues(NHL and MLS), a minor league team, and a college team, but Columbus has 3 of it's major sports venues all located on one road within a 10 minute walk of each other and the other woven into the university neighborhood. I'd say we're definitely in the top 20! Especially if Hockey, Soccer, College football, or AAA Baseball tickle your fancy haha

[@scottanno8861]

I remember when Candlestick Park in San Francisco was so bad it blew its own electric transformers in the middle of a game 😅

[@kskssxoxskskss2189]

The splicing and editing on this one is tremendous!

[@perrondenais684]

YESSS! Finally a subscriber count - stadium capacity callout! I've missed those so much

[@derekc5175]

He should start doing a subscriber count comparison vs cities now.

[@perrondenais684]

@@derekc5175 that's what I've been saying! (or maybe just thinking)

[@JonMartinYXD]

Future dishonorable mention needs to go to Calgary, who is going to spend $1.2B CAD to replace the Saddledome. The Saddledome was filled with water to the tenth row during the 2013 flood, and the new arena will built less than 200 metres away but slightly _lower_ in the flood plain. By the province's own projections the new site has a 58% chance of being flooded in the next 30 years. The worst part about it is that the provincial party in power (we're in the middle of an election) made a secret deal to make this happen, committing at least $330M in provincial taxpayer's money. The whole thing stinks to high heaven and is a slap in the face of other cities who had badly needed public welfare projects (eg. medical testing lab facilities) cancelled by the same government to save money, even though some of those projects were already under construction.

[@gabrielqueiroz9766]

One correction: the deal was anything BUT secret. The current premier and her party have been hinting at this for months, before announcing it.

[@JonMartinYXD]

@@gabrielqueiroz9766 The existence of the deal is not secret, but the deal itself - what it actually says - is secret. The devil is in the details. Who is going to cover cost overruns? What are the flood mitigations? What happens if it can't be insured against flooding? Why is it breaking a longstanding norm/rule that the province does not pay for municipal road construction?

[@Chionomania]

I would love to see your scathing critiques of the various B and C tier Canadian cities sometime. You talk about Toronto Montreal and Vancouver now and then since they're big enough to be on your American radar, but I'd love to hear you talk about Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Quebec City, Halifax etc. Maybe something like a cost-benefit analysis in the 10 largest Canadian metro areas.

[@TheRandCrews]

Sports wise it’s nice that Winnipeg & Edmonton’s Arenas for hockey is downtown though the CFL stadiums of Calgary & Edmonton is connected by LRT. Hope Winnipeg gets one someday. Now just Halifax and Quebec City hopefully either follows through with the three cities. Rip Regina though, has a good stadium a bit ways to downtown and by a rail corridor going to the former downtown train station, now a casino, at least it has a pedestrian street for a city it’s size

[@tristanridley1601]

He could call it "So you're moving to Canada" and go through the options. He'd have to put Montreal in its own "winner, but French" category.

[@milkbag682]

I was hoping the Canadian Tire Centre would be mentioned, as it is in the middle of nowhere and we refuse to build a stadium in the downtown core (lebreton flats is literally empty)

[@curlybearington1734]

Toronto is a bit underranked IMO. Rogers Centre is centrally located and surrounded by tourist attractions (CN Tower, Aquarium, etc) and is walking distance to Scotiabank Arena which literally has condos, restaurants, and bars all around it - AND both arenas can be accessed by public transit without requiring more than 100 feet of walking outdoors (a big plus in the winter time!) BMO Field is a bit out of the way and has a large parking footprint, but that's also because it's a part of the Exhibition, which hosts major annual events and is home to a large outdoor concert venue, a banquet hall, and a convention centre. For a city with a mediocre (at best) metro system, the sports venues are fantastically located.

[@toocloseforcomfort8247]

Interested how far up Cleveland was on the list. Definitely we’ll placed and transit accessible.

[@grahamdavis14]

You’re spot on about the United Center, but I think Guaranteed Rate Field seems worse on Google Earth. It has several great neighborhoods surrounding it and is a 5 minutes walk from a college campus. Its also easily accessible by two CTA train lines as well as bus. It’s by no means as well integrated as Wrigley, but not many stadiums are.

[@tomsadd9864]

Look into Cleveland, OH. Amongst the many mistakes the stadium locations are a huge win for the city.

[@thedoeguy]

Not only are all the venues accessible via transit, but they ballpark and arena are pretty well integrated into the urban fabric.