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

Different North American cities take different approaches to stadium and arena siting. To me, it says a lot about how cities view community events and the importance of urban environments as people places. Who does it well, and who does it poorly?
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[@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"?

[@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.

[@Imperfect21stCenturyPioneer]

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'

[@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.

[@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.

[@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. 🤣😂

[@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

[@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.

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!!

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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 :(

[@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.

[@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 😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌

[@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.

[@michaelreid6461]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@scottanno8861]

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

[@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.

[@mylesbarrett2031]

"Cascadian Urbanist Overlords" That phrase made my day.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@tomsmith4955]

I agree with other posts. I am surprised that Cleveland is not on the list. All three venues are downtown. I was in Cleveland last July for a Yankees game. Downtown was very walkable and everyone from my hotel walked to Progressive Field. There were also a ton of bars and restaurants in the area. Have you visited these venues or are you doing your research from a Google map?

[@sterlingmarshel6299]

Seattle's climate pledge Arena (Kraken/ Storm) is accessible by transit. Westlake Station Soundtransit, walk 2 min to Monorail on 5th. That will take you to Seattle Center for a pleasant walk to the stadium. Sonics coming soon. Vancouver should be ranked number two - only has NHL and MLS. Sorry CFL is not the NFL. Plus no MLB or NBA team

[@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.

[@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?

[@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.

[@dougclendening5896]

Detroit is making big decisions to bring people back and together. Moving two stadiums to the edge of downtown in little Caesars arena was huge.

[@tonyberardi3829]

Agreed, and she should have placed among the top five. I told him so.

[@SmashTheNumbers]

On the other hand "District Detroit" was a complete flop.

[@electric7487]

Lots of mixed-use homes-over-stores type buildings popping up in Detroit as well. Very exciting! Still needs better transit, though.

[@rapbrown8849]

Go sit upstairs at Little Caesar's Arena and tell me the seating up there is good, it's not, it's a warehousing of the crowd. The biggest joke of the arena next to Comerica Park, which is a dismal baseball park. The Illitches don't care about Detroit fans. City Nerd doesn't know what he's talking about. Big credibility loss on this video.

[@dougclendening5896]

@Rap Brown please stop spreading your hatred

[@joshuamountz6891]

You forgot about Cleveland, OH Cleveland browns stadium, Rocket mortgage field house and Progressive field are all within 2 miles of each other. Rocket mortgage Fieldhouse has and progressive field are across the street from each other and are a 5 minute walk from tower city center which has a large rta platform in the basement and 2 large parking garages. Cleveland browns stadium also is near a major rta bus station and is right next to the muni lot which also serves as a major parking facility for many downtown visitors and businesses including the Cuyahoga county criminal court. And are close to interstates 90,77 and 71.

[@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

[@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!

[@marcusaurelius113]

I'm shocked by Chicago's (non)placement on this list, especially given the challenges of many of your top ten choices. Everything is located within 2 miles of downtown (for now), within walking distance of one or multiple rail transit options, and yeah there's some immediate land use issues around the United Center and Sox Park, but those are mostly about disinvestment in those neighborhoods rather than cordoning off the surrounding areas for parking. This is especially jarring when considering FedEx Field is in the suburbs, as are a number of NY teams and Gillette Stadium up in Not Boston. FWIW, the Twin Cities should also be higher on the list. As you noted, all their stadium sites are well placed...

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@isaackeast3377]

Was happy to see my city at #1! But city nerd I must ask: have you visited Vancouver? I'm afraid you'll find it more auto-oriented than you think. Great city but the lack of highways is deceiving.

[@stefslon]

people just drive highway speeds on every arterial instead

[@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.

[@teddymacrae]

As someone born and raised in Vancouver I feel like the price thing kinda disqualifies it as N.A.s best city. I don’t even live there anymore cuz, well, I can’t. I spent three months looking and couldn’t find a transit accessible 1 bedroom for me and my partner for an already-more-than-I-can-really-afford $2k/month. Now I live in N.A.s actual best city, Montreal

[@haighter5115]

You can definitely find a one bedroom in Vancouver for under $2k. We moved into our two bedroom in the West End last year and pay $2,400. Before that we lived in a one bedroom in a new building in Metrotown and paid $1,800. Vancouver is incredibly expensive, and I don't blame you for moving to a city with comparable amenities and much lower prices, but it's definitely still possible to live here if you're willing to sacrifice some things (fancy vacations, owning a car, etc.).

[@teddymacrae]

@@haighter5115 I don't own a car and haven't taken a vacation in many years. Good apartments do exist in Vancouver it's true, but if you're young and without a well established credit history or a above average income, it's very hard to get yourself at the front of the line of prospective tenants. If you're below average, youre only option is surrey which is also the only place I ruled out to live in. My point was more that this is the issue. It can't be a great city if you have to be quite privileged to find a comfortable place to live. In Montreal I'm in a 2 bedroom + dining room with 2 balconies, a 3 min walk to a metro station, on a quiet street in a similar caliber neighborhood to mount pleasant or Lonsdale with bikeshare/bike lanes all around and I pay $1500 and people here say THATS unaffordable. I get very tired of the attitude in Vancouver being "if you can't make it work here you're just not trying hard enough"

[@TheRandCrews]

I like both Vancouver and Montreal, both have their good urbanism feel and transit that both grows each day but im learning French to do university in Montreal and hopefully move there as well

[@cjspeak]

Hm, well Montreals winters are pretty bad and Van’s nature really is unparalleled. I think it’s fair to say Vancouver is NA’s best city, but definitely not the best city in NA for the average person (sadly). The NIMBYs here really do screw us in so many ways. Id highly recommend Utyae Lee’s “About Here” channel and the stuff he does with CBC. Solid videos

[@teddymacrae]

@@cjspeak oh I'm a giant Uytae stan. I'd recommend paige sanders or oh the urbanity in return. Don't get me wrong I think they're both in the top echelon of NA cities and I have no desire to stay here long term. I feel deeply attached to the land that is Vancouver and the PNW more broadly more so than I ever could have imagined. But in mtl vast swaths of the city are top tier neighborhoods that only maybe 3 or 4 small sections of van could compare. However I literally do not know how I will be able to live in Vancouver again, every time I look apartments are only more expensive than before. I'd like to retire someday.

[@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

[@geeky_sasha6813]

It's funny because I figured SF would be up there for sports because of Oracle Arena and Chase center. I guess that's because I'm a person who doesn't really follow sports, and has been invested in baseball and basket ball occasionally, and football never. The 49's Stadium used to be in the city at Candlestick Park, but was indeed moved down to the SJ area. Agree that Vancouver is a wonderful city, though I may look at it with vacation goggles.

[@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.

[@willrichards1118]

I'm just curious on what kept both Denver and Pittsburgh from making the top 10 (actually the top 5 would be more fitting) from making this list. Both cities have multiple sports venues that are not only state of the art facilities but also effectively woven into the urban fabric of the cities these venue represent. You will be hard pressed to find 10 cities that provide better access to their sports venues than Denver and Pittsburgh.

[@izzo2998]

Hmm. I used to live in Denver, and went to visit a buddy in Pittsburg for the first time about five years ago. I'm thinking long and hard about your comment, and I can't find anything wrong with it. I have to agree 100 percent. I wasn't a huge fan of PIT as a city, but, damn if I didn't enjoy walking to the Pirates game!

[@slgordon3]

I’d have to agree with you about Denver. Coors Field is a particular favorite.

[@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"

[@gannon3816]

In Philly right now, there’s heated debate about bringing the 76ers stadium into Center City on the fringes of Chinatown. While this would be a great victory for urbanism, some of the Chinatown community has spoken out against this. I’d love to hear your thoughts or anyone else’s thoughts on this.

[@volodymyrzablotsky5372]

It would ruin the vibe of the stadium complex. Love the ability to tailgate. Need to continue to build up the stadium complex with more restaurants, bars, museums

[@Meyers1793]

Bringing a stadium or arena downtown is usually good, but demolishing existing vibrant communities to make space is not good. It is never the homes and neighborhoods of wealthy white people that are demolished to make way for infrastructure or amenities.

[@alcubierrevj]

From the proposed area website: "The 76ers are ready to bring a new, championship caliber arena back to the heart of Philadelphia." Unfortunately, the team itself isn't championship caliber, so good luck claiming that the Arena is. 🤣 However, moving the arena downtown would be an opportunity to bolster the already excellent rail transit options in and out of Center City, such as adding a 2nd and/or third Patco line to serve Camden and Glouster counties, as well as further connecting the underground concourses (former Gallery/Fashion Ave) from Jefferson Station at 11th down to the 8th and Market Patco station, to the MFL stops at 11th, 13th, and BSL City Hall and Chinatown stops. What I hear, though, is that the Sixers didn't even consult SEPTA over the potential conflict between 76Place and Jefferson Station's lofted ceilings, so I think any coordination between the Sixers and SEPTA/PATCO/NJTransit is off to a rocky start. But of greater concern is that this Arena has the potential to carve up/disrupt portions of Chinatown as badly as the Vine Street Expwy did 30 years ago. I think Chinatown will ultimately block the project. While it's easy to say that would be a NIMBY victory, I would agree with that stance. If transit options to Center City could be improved without building the Arena, that would be even better.

[@szehui6800]

Look at what happened to DC Chinatown after Capital One Arena was built. There's nothing left there but fast food chains with Google translated Chinese signs.

[@gannon3816]

@@volodymyrzablotsky5372 Seems like the most logical idea

[@mrL9122]

I live in the Twin Cities, we have built all our stadiums in the last 20 or so years. They all used to play in the Metrodome and I loved it as a kid! We wasted a ton of space and money building separate stadiums, some have heated fields but no roof. They have to bring shovels to dig snow off the seats....

[@Kevin_geekgineering]

Hey CityNerd, if you could post more videos on bike infrastructure (or lack of that rather) in north america and some thoughts on that, would be really helpful for all of us who do use bicycle as the main mode of transport, we really appreciate that Thanks for great videos

[@joehopfield]

Your conversation with Dr Gerald looks really important. I guess I'll finally have to sign up for Nebula. Thank you!

[@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…

[@averybondeson3322]

as someone who loves american geography, sports, and urbanism, this scratches a very specific itch for me that i really appreciate

[@jamessanford2991]

I feel like Cincinnati does a pretty good job with the sports venues all being downtown and all feeling pretty accessible for pedestrians and decent for transit accessibility

[@timolson4809]

Yeah I was surprised when I was there considering how much 75 ruins the city

[@tonywalters7298]

@@timolson4809 I believe 75 predates the interstate system. It used to be route 25. Some of the route follows the old Miami and Erie Canal, which is how lockland got its name.

[@calebkent6706]

Us bank arena is awful tho

[@dogcowrph]

The Royals (now Kings) should return.

[@danielmenetrey6876]

I was curious to see where Cincinnati ranked on the list. TQL Stadium is nicely woven into the west side of town. I wonder if its because PayCor Stadium and GAPB are kind of cut off from the rest of downtown by the interstate, but make a nice setting along the river.

[@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.

[@wayne2k33]

Curious to know where Houston ranked on this list. All of the sports venues are centrally located and served pretty well (given that it’s Houston) by transit.

[@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

[@leopoldleoleo]

I was wondering how SF was going to place! Also I lived in Vancouver and while the stadiums are definitely crazy accessible, it’s kinda disappointing that they’re located next to some flyovers and empty parking lots - there’s plans to redevelop the area, but for now it’s pretty empty and ugly.

[@willd1790]

At least there's a Skytrain station right beneath it. It really is too bad that the viaducts are still there, though.

[@cinemapigeon4898]

They're removing that highway next to them. Also a Costco is right next to them, cheap hotdogs and food court.

[@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.

[@Ianmackable]

I keep hoping to see some Edmonton props here. Seems to me my old hometown ticks every box for a list like this one.

[@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.

[@IanZainea1990]

Cleveland should have got a mention (maybe not even honorable). Espeically if the pedestrian bridge to the football stadium gets built.

[@stevenroshni1228]

Staten Island being replaced by New Jersey lol 4:39 NYCFC is putting plans together to build a stadium at Willis-Point. The history pushing teams from S or A Tier locations to that area is a video topic of it's own.

[@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)

[@christophercjc2]

It's easy to dunk on Texas for poor transit (rightfully so), but honestly the transit into Dallas for their NBA and NHL arena is S-tier. There's a light rail and train station literally a 1-min walk away, and so many people actually take advantage of it for its convenient, hassle-free travel from the suburbs into downtown and for its free parking, even at stations only 1 or 2 stops away.

[@ryanh1892]

If you think the Leafs are hapless... what'd you think about the Coyotes' arena vote? That may be an interesting topic: land use / funding of these huge "entertainment districts"

[@erins9271]

I was there once back in 2009. It was so far outside of town surrounded by seas of parking. It was horrendous

[@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.

[@idiotcow3721]

san jose, california is an interesting one. i think we knocked it out of the park with the tank (sap center). it’s right next to downtown and you can get to it via transit from almost anywhere in the valley, anywhere caltrain runs, and anywhere BART runs once they have that station finally done. spartan stadium and municipal stadium are sorta outta the way and hard to get to by transit, but both were put up almost 100 years ago, long before san jose became the city it is now. finally, techcu arena is in a good location next to municipal stadium. sure, it suffers from the same issues as municipal and spartan stadium, but it’s built into the ice center, so it makes an awful lot of sense.

[@EvanEscher]

Agree with all that, I just wish Levi's was built in a better location, but it was a fallback option because that's where the Niners training facility is, and there isn't much room in SF for an NFL stadium.

[@idiotcow3721]

@@EvanEscher for sure. that deal has aged like milk. there’s also a pretty decent chance that’s part of the reason that great america is gonna close down. i’d argue that great america is much a much more important part of the valley than the niners

[@tmghui888]

Should have just put and ranked the whole Bay Area as one. The South Bay teams are also part of the Bay Area market.

[@EvanEscher]

@@tmghui888 yeah, even though San Jose is considered a different MSA and urban area, the Bay Area is really all one big continuous urban area.

[@nicholas4662]

As someone from Minnesota. I do like that each Minneapolis and St. Paul each have stadiums.

[@garyholt8315]

and not way out of town by an ice cave lol !

[@vincentspringer3936]

Regrettably, Indianapolis did not qualify for your search parameters because it only hosts two professional sports teams (Colts, Pacers). You should look at it anyway because you will score the city very high on every measurable except maybe public transportation. Also, the city arguably has the best AAA baseball stadium in the country, and amateur sports are well represented with locations like the Natatorium and the headquarters for the NCAA. Based on the parameters you used for this video, I would love to hear your opinion of Indianapolis.

[@chitwoodmedia7376]

Most people sleep on Indianapolis, and that keeps us humble 😊 ..check out the plans for Eleven Park (Indy Eleven's new soccer stadium and neighborhood development)

[@rgreed20081]

Cincinnati had the right ideal by locating two of its stadiums and one of its arenas on the riverfront. Some people will continue to question why the Riverfront is important. The best answer to a lot of the questions about the Riverfront is that it is located in a geographic center. The center of the Greater Cincinnati area is located near where the Licking River flows into the Ohio, Three counties meet near the mouth of the Licking River. The only honest issue about the Riverfront is the location of the Fort Washington Way. Fort Washington Way is a big pit between the Riverfront and Downtown Cincinnati. Oddly where Fort Washington Way is was the one of the proposed locations for Cincinnati's Union Terminal. There is a lot of people in Cincinnati who seem to have the habit of condemning the city without much knowledge about it. They continue to complain for no logical reason except to complain about something. One of the great things about Cincinnati is learning from a lot of its mistakes. Locating two of the major stadiums along the Riverfront was one of the best ideals for the city had. Oddly the Cincinnati Streetcar connects the Riverfront, Downtown, and parts of the Over the Rhine Neighborhood. Yet a lot of people claim that the streetcar was a waste of TAXPAYERS' MONEY. Giving the choice between wasting money on more Bread and Circuses and spending money wisely like on projects whose results are not seen in the short run, a lot of people will choose wasting tax dollars on more Bread and Circuses. As expected, Cincinnati is going to make some mistakes. Oddly one ideal which I have for the city is a shuttle going between Eden Park, Fountain Square and the Cincinnati Union Terminal Museum Center. The Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and the Southwestern Indiana area is a oddly a well known open secret. Despite of the area's flaws, it is worth for anyone who wants to spend a lot of time in one area on occasion. Now how the city is going to figure out where to place the area's central arena.

[@strudelninja]

Yay, St. Louis finally on a list that doesn't suck! Our fourth venue, the Dome, also has a dedicated metro stop. Bonus points to Enterprise for saving the Kiel Theater which gives the property a lot of presence on Market St. And it's not the Enterprise's fault that the city govt buildings to its east are all surrounded by a BUNCH of parking. Also, do you know how hard it is for me to type this and use the current stadium names? We don't change what we call something in this city even if the sponsorship changes. It's still the Savvis Center for a lot of us. What is it about CityPark (or, stylized, CITYPARK) that makes it so euro-like? I can't say there's much of a draw in that immediate vicinity to draw in foot traffic. My roommate works at a dispensary literally across the street from it and they do a fraction of what her former employer did in The Grove, which isn't even downtown but has more of a neighborhood foot presence than any of downtown STL (you're either living downtown because you can't afford not to, or because you can afford to pay for an underground garage parking permit for your condo).

[@CityNerd]

The (Edward Jones?) Dome is interesting -- not a fan of that stadium style, but the location and integration are better than I'd expect. (Never went to a game there but definitely walked the area a couple years ago.) Love the note about the Kiel Theater, was worth a mention. As far as West Downtown, it's just got all the pieces you want for redevelopment just as soon as I can get the urbanist hordes to descend on the city and demand more shops and services. Union Station is an amazing building, and I just really love the architectural style ("urban fabric," I guess) of that area (where buildings have been preserved). European in terms of being wedged into an otherwise historic neighborhood and squared off to the street grid.

[@strudelninja]

@@CityNerd Ah, I see. I was just at the Wheel at Union Station this weekend (moms rode free) and I was surprised at how much they've done to the place. Last time I was there was when it was still a mall, so like 2006-ish? It's now a carnival atmosphere (with less jankiness) that really surprised me. Yeah I think most of us still remember it as the Edward Jones Dome but personally I recall when it was the TWA Dome.

[@strudelninja]

Oh, I forgot to say that the atmosphere at Union Station reminds me of City Foundry/The Armory, which are both close and new. The Armory is interesting as it's basically a big bar that people drive to, and there are concerns that it's too close to the metrolink stop and that's why everyone's cars are getting broken in to. Also, a bar that people drive to next to a metrolink stop...yeah, our city has issues with classism and public transportation. And no one in the county will ever admit that the reasons they dislike the city are because they have access to it but don't have to support it economically.

[@colinlangella6795]

I think you missed a major problem that most football stadiums have that other sports don't which is tailgate culture. For teams like the eagles, commanders, and Vikings which you had problems with, tailgating is an important part of the experience for tons of fans. I'm not one to defend car dependency or car centered infrastructure but in this case it's imo an integral part of the sport which sadly requires massive parking which either wastes space or moves the stadium out of the city. Not sure what the solution would be but I think it's worth considering.

[@sri-kaushalramana437]

surprised Atlanta didn't even make honorable mentions. State Farm arena and Mercedes Benz stadium are both located next to each other in downtown next to 2 subways stations and minimal parking. trust park in located in a near suburb but is surrounded with a mixed use lifestyle center.

[@andrewdale3695]

That awful new baseball stadium out in the burbs ruins Atlanta.

[@thelonelyphish]

The one thing I'm most proud of as a San Diego resident is our sports stadiums and their accessibility and I've been waiting for this channel to mention it so you wouldn't believe how excited I was when I saw this video. Then we didn't even qualify fml, in another universe we'd have an NFL and MLS team right now too.

[@bjf10]

I was very proud as a former Seattleite when we kicked out our basketball team. It's so rare for cities to break up with their toxic sportsball teams.

[@thelonelyphish]

@@bjf10 yeah, plenty of us hate the chargers now, really proud of the city for not caving. I can't say I'd feel the same about the Padres though lol.

[@gypseysurprise]

You just got an MLS team today!

[@thelonelyphish]

@@gypseysurprise I know! I'm very excited to catch the games, but the stadium does have some flaws, it's still mostly parking lot like the old Qualcomm stadium and there should be a bit more shading for fans, it gets hot as balls in mission valley. At least there is a trolley stop at the stadium so it's easily accessible!

[@adianchowdhury9016]

@@thelonelyphish hopefully they will accelerate plans to develop the area around the stadium into SDSU west as well as upgrade the stadium to include shading (which they should've done the first time, but better late than never)

[@averagejoe4932]

Philly's venues are in a perfect location plenty of parking, space for tailgating and all the stadiums are together. Its very easy and convenient

[@jakestar121]

I think in about a decade a lot of the issues with BMO Field in Toronto will be largely resolved after the new automated subway line gets built near there at the renovated Exhibition Station (which should allow for 90s headways on the metro and 15min headways for regional rail service as well). The nearby Liberty Village is also quickly growing to be a young urbanist hub in the city. From there it wouldn’t be surprising to see a permanent closure of much of BMO Fields parking lot for TOD; it’s been closed down before temporarily on many occasions to house the Exhibition fair and IndyCar racing so the BMO Field venue already knows how to deal with hosting events without ample parking lots

[@jakestar121]

If you need any evidence of this claim btw just look at how the areas around Torontos hockey and baseball stadiums look when they were constructed (parking lot city!) and now that area near the lake has become argubly the most dense and urban area of the city. With 3 quick transit connections from downtown to BMO field (Subway, GO Train and Streetcar) it won’t take long at all for the area near Liberty Village to urbanize

[@lazyidiotofthemonth]

There is a reason why the Minnesota Sports teams don't share venues. For the Wild and the Timberwolves, it was contracts the Timberwolves had a fairly lengthy contract with the Target Center, and the Target Center is very small by NHL standards, and moreover the City of St. Paul bent over backwards to get the Hockey Team. The Twins, Vikings and Golden Gophers did share a stadium for three decades, but the team was very Vikings friendly and almost completely unworkable for the Twins. As for the Loons, MLS requirments were that they play on natural grass when possible and US bank stadium was always going to be synthetic, and moreover, The Twin Cities had the space and finances to build the stadiums.

[@Mark_LaCroix]

"...almost completely unworkable for the Twins." Um, they won two World Series there. There may be reasons the teams no longer share venues, but truly, they are all supremely stupid reasons.

[@lazyidiotofthemonth]

@@Mark_LaCroix Okay, you are misunderstanding what I am talking about, I am not talking about whether the team placed well in the standings or won the world series, I am talking about the fact that the Twins were severely handicaped financially by playing in the Viking's stadium. 1st. The seats did not face the diamond, so people would have to look over their shoulder almost if they were on the 1st or 3rd baseline. 2. The VIkings were the ones who started building, owned ALL of the suites, and took nearly all the concession revenue, the Twins only took home the tickets for their games. Moreover the Metrodome had other series flaws as a baseball field, the baggie(the roof) was nearly the exact same color as a baseball, and the Metrodome was the most error prone field, as players routinely lost the ball against the background of the roof. The playing surface was extremely bouncy, dribblers would become hot grounders because the Astroturf was basically one very thin layer of padding over concrete. That they won in the Metrodome, could be argued that they had an unfair advantage from being more used to the field, and having more experience finding a ball against the ceiling.

[@Mark_LaCroix]

@@lazyidiotofthemonth No I fully understood what you were getting at. I remember hearing all those awful facts about just how bad things were at the Dome back when the poor suffering billionaire owner of the always very profitable Twins franchise was convincing Hennepin county to tax its citizens to help pay for a new ballpark. Tiny violin then, tiny violin now.

[@sk8rgrlteen]

Oooh! Can you look at cities that had Olympic parks and rank them on how well they did long term?

[@tzacharyn]

honestly thought i'd see pittsburgh on this list. all of their stadiums are bus and metro (the t) accessible. we have hockey, soccer, football, and baseball. both the steelers and the university of pittsburgh share heinz field. pnc park is one of the most well-known baseball stadiums for aesthetics. the baseball, football, and soccer fields are all along the river and just outside of the major downtown area to avoid highway traffic from those that are coming from the suburbs. etc. etc. etc.

[@Vex-MTG]

Visiting PNC park was such a highlight for me, and right by some great museums as well

[@tzacharyn]

@@Vex-MTG the north shore truly is a hidden gem over there! and pnc park is soooo pretty. :)

[@ThreeRunHomer]

Anti-Pittsburgh bias! (Anti-Baltimore too). I think he forgot those cities exist. 😆

[@tzacharyn]

@@ThreeRunHomer he's actually had a handful of favorable pgh videos recently, so i can't complain too much lol, but haven't seen many baltimore ones lol

[@TohaBgood2]

For the millionth time, no one thinks of San Jose and SF as separate metro areas. The only reason why you see some data on "separate" SF and SJ "metros" is continuity of recordkeeping. The locals don't consider these two cities as being part of two separate regions. People live and commute to/from both cities. Urban development is continuous between the two jurisdictions. These are not separate or separable regions economically, culturally, or logistically. I understand that this is hard to grasp for a non-local, but it's completely normal for us locals who are used to living in a multi-polar metro area with multiple urban nexuses. In fact we have over 100 downtowns of various sizes ranging from a few thousand person cities to million population cities. You go to different cities for different things. I, for example, live in Berkely and work in Santa Clara. My neighbors/friends work all around the Bay Area in Sausalito, San Jose, San Rafael, Dublin, Walnut Creek, etc. So going to a sports game in San Jose or San Francisco or Oakland is completely normal! It's all one giant metro area.

[@punchnazis3498]

This guy often has bad takes on the Bay Area. He doesn't seem to understand (or agree with?) the idea that the Bay Area acts as one metro area, and is only separated due to methodology that doesn't work well with geographically constrained/polycentric urban areas. SF has two of the best located sports venues in the nation, right next to downtown, with light rail, ferry, and commuter rail access, and the Oakland Coliseum (right next to a metro station and commuter rail stop) and SAP Center (next to a commuter/light rail station, in downtown SJ) are also well located, yet he gives SF a "dishonorable mention" because the football team plays in a suburb? lol terrible logic

[@mattdub96]

Idk how Toronto isn’t higher. Rogers Centre and scotiabank are both right downtown and BMO field is served by existing regional transit and streetcar service as well as a future subway line. It’s also right beside liberty village which is one of the densest neighbourhoods in Toronto

[@luislicona386]

I loved the video but why no Mexico? 🥺 Most of the stadiums share with the Women’s League and some LFA (American Football League), as well as college leagues. There’s also tons of great baseball parks I think most people outside of MX don’t know about that deserve diffusion. Still a great video tho

[@LookItFrancis]

Given your Seattle connection, I’d be curious to hear your take on where to put the new central light rail hub. The transit map makes the CID a natural geographic choice, but given the very real risk it poses for that vital and historic neighborhood and its residents, there’s also a lot of reason to avoid stressing it further with a major construction project and more physical disruption. Still, the more northern government plaza alternative leaves a lot to be desired in terms of transit system efficiency.

[@jason.simone]

Something I wonder about is whether there tend to be good schools, or any schools at all, in the most urban downtown areas? I feel like the densest places where I have lived basically don't have any schools or if they do they tend to be the stereotypically underfunded ones, which makes no sense to me due to the high property tax value of dense neighborhoods. Am I wrong about this?

[@tonyberardi3829]

I would have placed Detroit at least in the top five, but I knew you weren't going to. While I was sure she had to make the top ten, I was surprised you raked her as high as number seven. Go Lions.

[@frabrex7646]

So great to see my Alouettes mentioned! Would be interesting to see something about the AHL or other smaller professional sports leagues typically based in smaller cities :)

[@ocularpatdown]

Went to an Als/Argos game last year, while we were visiting Montreal. That was an amazing venue. I liked Molson Stadium. It gave me a Franklin Field (in Philly) vibe.

[@ozgirl45]

I’m glad to see Montreal made it on your list. The Molson Stadium is part of McGill University and the views over downtown are amazing. There is an on and off movement to get a MLB team back in Montreal (remember the Expos?) and one problem is who would pay for a stadium. The various levels of government are unwilling to do this without substantial private investment as well. The site that has been proposed is close to the Bell Centre so it would also be downtown.

[@TheRandCrews]

Would it be possible if they took over the Montreal Forum, being a former nhl stadium? Not sure if renovating or demolishing it (heritage building so probably not) or by Jarry Park having that big land with both areas close to a metro connection

[@ozgirl45]

I think the suggestion for a stadium location downtown was on or near the site of the old planetarium. The Forum site is too small (it has cinemas now).

[@bebobebo4407]

Montreal should also get a NBA team and have them play at Bell Centre.

[@TheRandCrews]

@@ozgirl45 that seems to be a better area 👍

[@shauncameron8390]

Near the heavily gentrified Griffintown neighborhood.

[@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....

[@senecaflint6853]

Fiserv Forum and the Deer District in Milwaukee have been huge assets to downtown. It’s just a shame Miller Park (home of the brewers) is completely inaccessible from downtown except by car

[@whatadamnusername]

There'll be a nice soccer stadium built downtown, too, in the next few years. Also, Miller Park (AmFam Field) is where it is mostly because it's where County Stadium was, and they were able to just reuse the parking lots. Also there weren't too many places Downtown with enough room for it to be built; I believe one proposed location was in the MSOE area.

[@EvanEscher]

I remember visiting Milwaukee years ago and taking a bus out there that only runs on game days.

[@501764727]

@@EvanEscher Unfortunately due to budget issues after 2020, MCTS cut that line. Now you have to either have a car and park in a huge lot or I suggest going to 1 of the local bars near the park and taking their shuttle in on game day.

[@EvanEscher]

@@501764727 yeah this was back in 2008, I imagine things have changed since then.