Wait, Cleveland Has The Best BRT?

[@crazymatt2685]

Wonderful video! Cleveland is wonderful but has so much more potential to be one of the most preeminent urban centers of the Midwest. I hope Cleveland starts realizing that potential!

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

They have a great newish mayor that seems to really get it - so I’m hopeful!

[@NamelessProducts]

We do. Just tons of NIMBYs blocking everything.

[@technologistrevolution]

I moved to Cleveland for its excellent healthcare and thought I'd be here a year max but I loved it, there actually is surprisingly a lot to do, I made the move permanent and I DO tell my friends back in NYC that it's better here. And I don't have a car so the public transit here is a lifeline for me.

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

So glad to have you in Ohio!

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

Speaking of the riverfront, I have a love/hate relationship with the Arch. On the one hand it is iconic for sure; but if we didn’t have about 91 acres of riverfront property illegally razed and left as a literal parking lot for about 3 decades we probably would still be in the top 10 biggest cities… That being said, going up it while visitors are in town is very fun! Just north of the Arch National Park is also Lacledes Landing. A very beautiful yet small neighborhood that gives you a sense of what the city would be like if we didn’t build a big ol' sculpture in place of our most historic district. The Eads bridge which was the first steel truss one ever crosses the river here and carries the metrolink trains to IL.

[@thomashatchett4190]

This is a great look at a really underrated city! Keep up the good work - I’m excited to see your channel grow!

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the support.

[@FlyingOverTr0ut]

Great video, and it's good to see another urbanist on KZbin. I love your straight forward, easy to understand explanations of transit that are entertaining and positive. I think KZbinrs like you will keep growing and make a big difference. Support from here in LA, where we're slowly coming around to expanding transit and urbanist infrastructure!

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

Thank you so much! I'm traveling to LA later this month and excited to experience the transit. I grew up hearing about how terrible it is (my dad is from NYC), but it does seem like there's been a ton of development in recent years.

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

If you're in town I recommend checking out the Foundry, when you visit you can see some old rail infrastructure (viaducts) that is (unfortunately) going to become an elevated green-way like the high line in NY instead of carrying trains again. I hate to even bring them up, but I used to love our Orchestra as it is world renowned… However, they recently bought a 100+ year old house next to them and tore it down for a dumb new modernist entryway when they already had surface parking on other sides… so please don’t patronize them if you visit. The Grand Center Arts District neighborhood they are in is still cool to see and the FoxTheatre is Broadway level quality! (Worth just a tour as well) I also want to mention the Chain of Rocks bridge. It is a bike/ped only bridge on the north side. From it you can see two historic water intake towers in the Mississippi. Very nice bike trails to it. On the far south side of the city if Jefferson Barracks, which is in the National Parks system and very fun to explore.

[@Steve-tj9on]

My sister from DC area fell in love with Cleveland. Cleveland needs infill stations in your heavy rail or light rail. But you need the open up the backwards car centric thinking of local and state government leaders.

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

My wife and I lived in DC for 7 years. Much of my urbanism is informed by that experience. DC has so much going for it - and of course a lot of challenges too. Ultimately, we couldn’t afford to stay in DC and have a family (housing was just too expensive, even with both of us working and being fairly successful in our fields). Cities like Cleveland could do so much to be more livable while retaining affordability. I hope we are able to invest in transit more and get there!

[@jamesthegamer523]

I'm a fairly new Cleveland resident and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I lived near the Red line in Little Italy. I save so much going downtown since it's only 5 bucks for an all day ride ticket!

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

I love Little Italy. What an awesome neighborhood to live in!

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

There is simply too much for me to type it all out; but there are so many cool and interesting and fun things to experience in the Lou that I hope you will find the time to highlight some of them. Just a quick reminder for a video idea; our next metrolink line is set to be an LRT (most likely at grade unfortunately but I’ll take it) running on Jefferson Ave. in case you wanted to cover the future route. If you need anymore suggestions/advice please reply to me on here and I’ll be glad to give my input. (Also please steal as much of this info for videos as you want! lol) Looking forward to your future content.

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

Thank you so much for all of this. It sounds like I've got to fit in a StL video soon! I may hit you up for some more thoughts or even some b-roll footage. Thanks again!

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

@@HeartlandUrbanist Oh no problem, sorry it was so much. I just wanted you to have plenty of stuff to reference and context for discussing it. :] (You could also use this as a pretty decent tour guide if I do say so myself if you wanna visit soon ;)

[@aegisofhonor]

live without a car for a week in Columbus and live with a car for a week in Cleveland, Cleveland destroys Columbus in non-car transit hands down. Columbus is a sprawling car hell almost as bad as LA, but Cleveland you can get around by bus, train, and many other ways. Cleveland has done a far better job at making getting around the city without a car easier.

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

No argument here - but I am hopeful that Columbus is making some important changes and investments to start moving in the right direction.

[@BIFC216]

​@@HeartlandUrbanist not with the direction that odot and state government is going to favor highways 😒

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

Regarding Soulard , this neighborhood is a must visit to get that quintessential StL feel. It’s one of the oldest parts of the city remaining, and home the Budweiser, and traditionally many other famous, breweries. Also Soulard Market is one of the oldest and best farmers markets in the country! This is also where we host Mardi Gras; you should come during it sometime, we have the 2nd largest in the country! Additionally, we put on the largest and oldest St. Patrick’s Day festivities east of the Mississippi. (5th biggest in the country with over 250,000 people at the main parade day) The main parade is on Market St., but most of the festivities are in Dogtown. This a cool neighborhood on the southwest side. I also wanted to bring up The Hill; our historic Italian neighborhood that still has TONS of family owned eateries and home of the toasted ravioli. The Tower Grove neighborhoods I mentioned earlier are areas currently undergoing a lot of revitalization and investment. Tower Grove Park is pretty large and cool and the Missouri Botanical Gardens are near there. They charge non-residents to get in but it’s worth it. Also down south you have Lafayette Square. This neighborhood also gives off quintessential StL vibes. I highly recommend a trip to the park and a stroll to the lake in the center or around the fence to admire the ‘painted ladies’ lining the streets, this is the nickname for the restored and repainted mansions that surround the park. There is also Cherokee St. even further south that has a lot of antique shops and other cool small businesses with a quaint aesthetic. This runs near the Dutchtown neighborhood which is actually the most dense currently but you wouldn't know it with it being primarily missing middle development. One last point of interest for the South side is the Bevo Mill, a big windmill in the neighborhood of the same name.

[@jimspies2775]

I go to CLE (from STL) about once a month for business, and the last 5 or so times stayed downtown and used RTA exclusively to get around. Love it. This time stayed close to Cleveland State on Euclid so used the HealthLine 4+ times a day. So, I have impressions. One, my first experience with BRT. I was expecting a train experience just on the road, and it's not that. It's a bus experience that just has a few more positives than a normal bus route. That's probably on me, and I should have had different expectations. Once I got over that, it was GREAT. Runs on-time almost 100%, very predictable (which is my #1 complaint about most buses, definitly including my 70-Grand here in STL, whcih SHOULD be BRT). I took it at 1130pm, rush hour both morning and evening, and 415am various day. ALWAYS full of riders, regardless of time of day, so a very popular route. The "stations", really enhanced bus stops,, are nice but could really use radiant heating. I can't imagine standing in those in January. Overall, very positive. Would definitly like more than 15 minute frequency during the day, but you get what the state government gives you, which you mentioned. MO is the same way.

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

Thanks so much for sharing this experience!

[@lukedenton4793]

Great thoughts and I appreciate the focus on Cleveland. You highlighted a lot of the BRT creep that us RTA riders have seen over the years. The worst in my opinion has been reduced headways. The same goes for the entire rail system. Buses and trains coming every 15 minutes on major corridors is too long. It requires too much planning and leads choice riders to drive instead. I would love a Euclid Ave subway, but I wonder if buses every 5 minutes could achieve the same goal.

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

I agree, frequency is king! My thinking is that a subway or other rail would reduce maintence costs and speed up trips. And if the line could be built autonomous, that would make it easier for RTA to increase the frequency.

[@BIFC216]

Cleveland is in the process of replacing its entire rail fleet and adding more rail lines

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

Very excited about this!

[@rileyenia9388]

They aren't adding more lines just cars for now

[@jacksonp2397]

I love the Healthline, it's super convenient for students from Cleveland State to visit the Arts district, and for Case Western students to visit Downtown. Many students cannot afford a car on campus. Cleveland State in particular would be unlivable without the Healthline. It's also a great way to get to Terminal Tower, where you can board any of the 3 rail lines in Cleveland. A great tragedy in Cleveland is that there is no adequate public transportation to Brooklyn Center (location of a hospital and major retail center), Old Brooklyn (location of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo), or to Parma (Cleveland's largest suburb). Each of places could be together served by a single subway underneath W.25th/Pearl Cleveland loves to dream about it's lakefront, but connecting Cleveland across the Cuyahoga might be THE most important thing for Cleveland's economic future.

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

Thank you so much for this! Maybe I’ll have to do a follow up video about what transit improvements would be most helpful to the city. That’s a really interesting idea!

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

Going back to the Loop Trolley, I would love to see the line extended down Lindell, just 1 mile east to the Central West End. This is one of the densest feeling neighborhoods in the city rn with plenty of mid and high rises hugging the street. I just wanted to address the prevailing discourse surrounding the Loop Trolley though. While it does have its problems right now, it is a great project overall! The problem is that it has to interact with too much traffic, but most of Delmar still has street parking on the route, if we removed this and made it just 1 lane for traffic each way and added some fencing so the trolley could go faster (maybe remove a few of the stops on the Loop) it could be much quicker. Also Joe Edwards, the man behind the project, (his story and the Loop revitalization would make a great video) ordered 3 trolley cars for it, but they have only ever run 2 at a time. If they ever run all 3 at once it could be about 10 min frequencies without even making the alignment improvements I mentioned! Also if we did just a 1 mile extension from its current terminus at the MO history museum east down Lindell.Which could run through Forest Park, it could connect to the CWE! I say through Forest Park because it is massive plus the city would already own the land so the nimbys couldn’t complain about Lindell losing lanes but you could still run it right next to the road to preserve the park and there is only one street that could have to be dealt with (maybe 1 stop there because it’s kind of in the middle) once you are at the Central West End (one of StL’s densest neighborhoods) there would be so much ridership potential! :]

[@bobsled3000]

My biggest problem with the loop trolley is it mimics rapid transit that already exists in its 2 largest pull areas. The forest park metro stop and the Delmar Loop stations provide a similar service that is faster and more reliable. A further extension to this would to the CWE would only further this mirroring of service. A bus makes more sense for the stop density here. Had I been provided funding for a 2.2 mile trolley a more interesting and compelling route would have been from Lacledes Landing to the Soulard farmers market, possibly running on Broadway or maybe a split Broadway and 4th street right of way. this would have provided a higher ROI on both tourist AND local users. I do acknowledge that this to would have mirrored service between Lacledes and Bush stadium but with the new service area further south I don't think it would be such a bad overlap.

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

@@bobsled3000 Let me start by acknowledging what you said about the Trolley providing similar service to the Red Line. That's why I would like to remove all the stops on Delmar except the one nearest to the Metrolink station and the one at the U-city library (western terminus). Also, I hope this is the start of a system not just a tourist attraction. Hence why I envision it running east down Lindelll to downtown eventually. Additionally, once Kingshighway has a rail corridor it would make the CWE s good connection hub. I also just wanted to say that you weren't the one that worked hard to secure 2.2 million dollars for the project though, that was Joe Edwards; a man I have spoken to many times and can tell he is sincere. It is on Delmar because that's where he COULD get it started. Afterall, most of its funding has come from the 1% tax him and other business owners on the Loop contribute. That being said, I LOVE your idea regarding Broadway! I stated this should be the second rail line we build after Kingshighway, but I wouldn't be mad at all if it happened first. Alongside rezoning a lot the riverfront to mixed use instead of industrial, and relocating some of the factories in areas in need of jobs; it would do a lot to reconnect our community to the beautiful river that made us great to begin with.

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

Here’s an unsolicited deluge of information on the Gateway City for ya… lol One of our many monikers is the 4th city because at some points in the 1800’s we were the 4th largest city in the country. (Only beat out by N.Y., Philly, and Brooklyn. Before that we were a French colony. (Hence why NoLa and us are called sister cities and have similar vibes sometimes) That head start is what allowed us to remain in the top 10 largest cities for over a century. In the 1870s the Great Divorce happened though. This split the city and county entirely and locked StL city into its roughly 66sq.mi. territory it has today. This is probably why suburbanization hit StL especially hard. Yet also why there is luckily so much historic fabric left.

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

We are also known as Mound City because the indigenous people had built hundreds of earthen structures throughout the region. Just across the river is Cahokia Mounds, the remains that you can visit of one of the largest pre-European settlements in the Americas. Unfortunately most of the mounds in the city are gone now but this site is definitely worth a visit!

[@fermatachambersoloists]

You’re forgetting they have one of the greatest symphony orchestras in the world!

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

Yes! Thank you for the call out. Truly an underrated city.

[@travisalbert276]

I love Cleveland. I wish they treated their lakefront more like milwaukee. When I visited it seemed like it wasn't as accessible. But that square downtown and the transit.. chefs kiss

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

Cleveland has been trying to figure out how to reconnect with its waterfront for decades from what I understand.

[@adhillA97]

Yeah, they also sort of stuck an airport right on some of the most valuable waterfront land. Not the best move ever, tbh (remind anyone of a particular UK airport?)

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

I gotta bring up trolleys one more time. We used to have one of the largest streetcar systems in the country. There is the famous trolley song from ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’ (the movie is based on a real autobiography I might add) ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ was penned and set in StL. Additionally, when the StL Cardinals and StL Browns of the MLB played to see who would be the world champions, the series was called the ‘Streetcar Series’ because of our strong cultural identity surrounding them. Therefore, I think a video about historic streetcars would be really cool through the StL lens.

[@ClassyWhale]

*stares in Pittsburgh*

[@kalebrobinette94]

Ive been trying to study the maps for the transit lines as im moving to Lakewood/Edgewater soon. It looks a bit complicated but manageable

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

Very cool! Seems like you'll be close to the Cleveland State Line (BRT-lite) and not too far from the Red Line of the Rapid (Heavy Rail).

[@zythr9999]

@@HeartlandUrbanist Or walk to Detroit and take the #26, #26A

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

Love your new channel! I cannot wait for you to cover the Lou. :]

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

What would you recommend I cover in St. Louis?

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

@@HeartlandUrbanist OH i have plenty of ideas! Is there an e-mail or something I could use to send information to you more easily? If not, I am fine commenting on here, but I could be your go-to St. Louisan if you wanted. :] I am kinda busy today so may not be able to reply again until tomorrow afternoon just fyi Like I said, if you don't feel comfortable sharing anymore info on here I can just leave some detailed comments for ideas then. :]

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

Hey - please reach out to me at matt [at] mattcaffrey DOT com!

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

@@HeartlandUrbanistI just sent a message to what I think is your Linkedin. I hope it worked lol

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

I just realized that despite taking so much time some of my comments were lost in the mix and they are all out of order now.. :/ Sorry for the confusion everyone.

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

Here's a little more context kn Mound City. It was in the top 10 largest U.S. cities for many decades. During the 1860’s it was actually the 3rd largest metro in the U.S.! (technically 4th largest city because Brooklyn and NYC had not yet combined) Speaking of annexation, in 1876 the city and county of StL voted to become entirely separate entities. The only other major city in America that Ik of that’s like this is Baltimore. This meant the city became landlocked at 66 sq. miles. Despite this small size there were nearly 1 million people in the city around 1950. We all know what happened then. Yet, while most cities responded to suburbanization by growing geographically, StL could not. This has been a blessing and a curse as most of the city still feels so dense while having only 1/3 of its peak population. I will discuss the crime stigma in another comment but if more and more people continue to move into the Lou and development is done right it could be a true urbanist Mecca for the U.S.! ❤

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

Very helpful history - thank you for sharing! I love the sense of opportunity across so many Midwestern cities right now.

[@78Mathius]

Cleavland also has 3 major league sports teams. Several wonderful ethnic enclaves with the best food around. Vibrant music offerings And dozens of other museums around university circle.

[@78Mathius]

Plus close access to a national park.

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

Great points! Cleveland has so much going for it.

[@Invest4Cashflow]

🎉🎉🎉

[@eldermoose7938]

Honestly, Cleveland and the 3 C's in general are pretty slept on

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

Yep!

[@Newbyte]

Columbus kinda sucks. With Cleveland I agree.

[@matthewwelsh294]

Every city should have MAX like system like how Portland Oregon currently has. Five different lines that can take you everywhere in Portland and the surrounding areas

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

Also, I get why the current rulers think the first North/South line should be on Jefferson. However, I feel we should’ve done Kingshighway instead. That way, if the Loop Trolley extension I mentioned was realized (which would prolly only cost about 40 million in my estimate) then it would have a network effect with the new North/South line! Even more so if the trolley continued east to downtown via Lindell Going on Kingshighway would connect Bellefontaine and Calvary cemetery to Forest Park, The Hill, Tower Grove Park, and the Botanical Gardens and of course all the neighborhoods along it. :] The next one we should build I.m.o. would be on a Broadway alignment. We should do more to revitalize and reconnect with our river shores that made our city so great in the first place. This new Development plans for Chouteaus Landing is a great start :]

[@bobsled3000]

as a fellow STL resident I would say the most logical place imo for North South would have probably been Grand replacing the highly successful #70 bus between Fairgrounds and Carondelet parks. That being said the Jefferson plan makes sense mainly to bring additional value to the area around the NGA campus. But to maximize that value we need to build soon so that the NGA campus employees get access to this asap so they don't get dependent on cars before the system opens.

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

@@bobsled3000 The reason why I didn't say Grand is because from what I understand, Metro has already invested a lot of money into charging and related infrastructure that allows the articulated electric buses that make up the popular #70 route to run on it. Ideally we can replace this with a trolley someday, as rail is always superior, but at least that corridor is already well used in a somewhat environmentally sustainable way.

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

@@bobsled3000 I totally agree with what you said about the NGA employees though! (No matter how I feel about the project overall)

[@00.00-.._-...-._]

🙌🙌

[@TransitAndTeslas]

So should I move from Arizona to Cleveland? I want better transit!

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

I’m a huge champion of the Midwest so I want to say yea, but coming from Arizona the winters might be a little intense for you!

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

Come to the Lou. 🤍

[@qolspony]

They have a transit system that is built for a much larger city. City's like Charlotte and Houston would die for a system like this! Which are growing at leaps and bounds. You can't say that about Cleveland.

[@eugeneking1462]

I was hoping Cleveland would build another light rail line instead of the Health Line BRT. Hopefully it will be converted to light rail in the not too distant future. Bonus question: Has a decision been made on replacement railcars for the Red, Green, and Blue lines?

[@eugeneking1462]

After I asked the question I found the answer: The Siemens S200 [or a car based on that design].

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

Yeah, they look pretty nice! I also heard but have been having a hard time verifying, that the RTA is considering a plan to convert the HealthLine to LRT.

[@StLouis-yu9iz]

Speaking of Delmar Blvd, I would like to add that while it is uncomfortable to mention, one reason why building a North/South rail link in StL is SO crucial is because our redlining mostly took the form of the Delmar divide. Meaning the racist planners back in the day wanted all minority groups to live north of Delmar Blvd. (the same one the trolley runs on) This segregation has led to a situation where property values are still significantly lower and crime still significantly higher in the Northern half of the city compared to the Southern in general. Having 2 East/West metro lines is great, but more North/South rail links will do wonders for healing the scars in our region! I cannot wait to be there on opening day for the Jefferson Avenue line! This is a new north/south line that should begin construction soon and hopefully many more in the future! :]

[@qolspony]

Why should the Federal Government help fund rail transit in a city that is not growing? It already has a transit built for a much larger city. And people rarely support that system.

[@xlxl9440]

Let's be real. The Medical BRT line should have been a heavy rail SUBWAY line. The BRT health line is just a super cheap substitute.

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

It was a compromise, but it has done a lot of good. Hopefully it can be a stepping stone towards a better system.

[@zythr9999]

@@HeartlandUrbanist In some areas, namely Downtown and University Circle.

[@Standoffmuffin]

It's not detroit! So there's that.

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

Haha, yep.

[@commentorsilensor3734]

Not going to watch. Have watched many KZbin videos, claim this city has best rail and this video talk about best BRT. Outside of New York, metro areas of Chicago, SF and DC, no other places can claim the best of something in public transportation. To be the best of anything in public transportation such as BRT, the most n must criteria is ability to get to your destinations within radius of 3 to 5 miles of stations by other mode of public transportation or 15 minute walking distance. Of course, i am not talking about buses to the middle of nowhere in the mountains. I never been in Cleveland. Do some research, Cleveland is not friendly to non car drivers. There is rail system. 25 years ago, the company i worked tried to send me to do maintenance. Eventually, the company didn't send me because i don't drive. I stayed at that job for another year until i got the other job. Years later,The company hired another guy who cannot drive. He got this performance review. He cannot drive, so he cannot do work. Yes, he couldn't to do computer programming maintenance. ONLY IN AMERICA, COMPUTER PROGRAMMERS CANNOT MAINTAIN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS IF THEY DON'T DRIVE. oh, what about BRT, if the jobs are not related to driving, can non drivers do some maintenance on BRT?

[@HeartlandUrbanist]

In my professional life, I’ve known multiple staff members based in Cleveland who do not drive. It’s certainly possible. I also reject the idea that only four (super unaffordable) cities can claim to have any good transit. As I’ve researched for this channel, I’ve found many example of good transit across the Midwest (though certainly all could be better). What’s more, significant percentages of the population in each of these cities DO live car free. Cleveland’s BRT was groundbreaking when it launched and is still perhaps the best in the nation based on its features and service. Watch the video if you want evidence for that claim 😉

[@commentorsilensor3734]

@HeartlandUrbanist As a person, my definition is very simple. It doesn't have to be New York. Be able to find the job in most fields. It doesn't have to be Silicone Valley, but you need the job. The hiring managers will not give you hard time if you take buses. That company I mentioned, one manager even asked me how I was going to work. Hmm, a company writing subway systems asked that question. I got job because I am Taiwanese. The company had a project in Taipei. My performance was ok, but it convinced the company to hire another person who doesn't drive. Then he had that performance review on CTDS review. The second criteria is getting grocery n necessity. This requirement has been less significant with free Amazon free delivery with certain amounts even if you don't have prime. You still need. The third requirement is hospitals n clinics. This is tough one. US medical cost is high. Some insurance will not cover. I don't even care which MD n hospitals to choose. It's difficult. I choose Kaiser for only one reason, within 3 hour bus ride, I can find hospitals. one time I had phone interview for Houston job, it was job transfer , so I told the managers that I don't drive. It was internal transfer n government projects, the managers can only say if I can find a place within easy walking distance to that site, shopping, hospitals, feel free to call them back. Yes, those three knock down to most cities. Yes, some people take taxi, ubet. That doesn't count . Good public transportation is counted. I have done research on public transportation cities. Besides Chicago, none of Midwest cities meet that requirement. Madison got F. LA，where I live, I give F------. Why I gave high F in Madison because one company website said you can drive or there is a bus stop outside our campus. Madison public transportation may not be as good as LA crappy LA public transportation, but at least one corporation dare to say it. No company in LA even downtown would say that. Good public transportation means high living cost. That's true in Taipei, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Guangzhou. Hong Kong apartments are so expensive n so small. It jumps to most unaffordable city. Some poor people in Beijing lived in underground tunnel for years. Those are lucky one. Some have to live far away n take trains to Beijing. Sounds like LA or Cleveland. No, because once they reach Beijing, they don't need cars. In all transit friendly cities, living near subway cost more. However, living near bus stops,may or may not cost more. In USA, despite poor public transportation, living near bus stops. You have to be able to afford TESLA to live near subway or BRTS. Unfortunately, most non car drivers cannot. LA keeps building rails, and the people live nearby keep driving. I am professional. I use uber to get to work. Before Uber, I found apartments within 60 minute walking distance. Forget about grocery. Couple time, I lived 15 minutes or less from grocery store. One time, grocery stores were so far, my father had to get it for.now My father is too old to drive. I am living n paying mortgage my father bought. Before pandemic, I take Uber. Now, I work remote. I take lousy bus to grocery stores. I take losy buses to kaiser hospitals. Ironically, there is one within 3 miles. Walking is faster. Plenty of restaurants n entertainment 5 to 7 miles away. Forget it. If I have to take my parents to see MD, Medicare bus or call my friends. Worst choice, uber. I think that's how professional live in Midwest or even worst. That's the reason people worry about us sending us to do maintenance at CTDS.