1. What the City Observatory demonstrated in its quantifiable mappins
Boston:

The City Observatory reports that the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy metropolitan region includes 2,715 storefronts in its core. Although these storefronts are distributed throughout the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy area, they are primarily clustered around the waterfront urban core area of Boston. This number of storefronts places the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy metropolitan region in league with other American cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, New Orleans and Philadelphia.

New York:

By contrast, with 9,905 storefronts listed, the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island storefront index is the largest listing in the country. The majority of the storefront listings for the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island metropolitan region are distributed throughout but are concentrated in the region’s central business district. In fact, at present there are more than 9,900 customer-facing businesses located within a 3-mile radius of Times Square. This number of storefronts is far higher than the average of 900 storefront businesses located within 3 miles of the central business districts of the nation’s 50 largest cities.

Urban Design/Planning and Mobility

How does the urban core affect mobility?

Despite the availability of public and private transportation in most larger American cities, accessing the urban core can be highly problematic for residents in some cities due to the distance and traffic congestion that is involved. Nevertheless, cities’ urban cores attract larger numbers of residents and tourists alike, further exacerbating the traffic congestion problem. For instance, according to the City Observatory (2019), “The urban core is the nucleus of the metropolitan area and its health is vital to regional economic success. Certain functions happen best and only in dense cores” (What is the urban core?, 2019, para. 2).

Comparison of New York and Boston’s pedestrian mobility and economies

Despite its size, Boston is rated well on mobility with a walk score of 81, a transit score of 72 and a bike score of 69. These laudable ratings translate into more efficient transportation for commerce, thereby contributing to the region’s economy. In fact, according to Walkscore.com (2019), Boston leads the nation in pedestrian mobility. In this regard, Walkscore reports that, “Dubbed ‘The Walking City’ Boston is a pedestrian's perfect city. Bostonites can catch a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, or visit Boston Common, the oldest public park in the US” (Living in Boston, 2019, para. 3).

Although larger in geographic area, New York still manages to score well on mobility, with a walk score of 89,, a transit score of 84 and a bike score of 68. Besides having miles of bike lanes, New York also offers a bike share program and public transportation in the form...…breakdown resembles the averages for the United States. the city’s burgeoning job market has drawn increasing numbers of foreigners in search of a great place to live in the nation’s heartland (Nashville population, 2019).

5. Challenges foreseen, strategies to meet these challenges and action plan timetable. Same as above.

6. Available resources. In addition to $21,000 in personal savings, I also have several extended family members and high school friends living in the Nashville area.

7. Selection of optimal community. One of the most walkable communities in Nashville is the East End district (Living in Nashville-Davidson, 2019).

8. Cost of living indicators (rent, mobility and other costs). The cost of living for rent and transportation in Nashville is about 10% higher than the national average, but the costs of food are approximately 10% less than the national average (Cost of living in Nashville, 2019).

9. Personal relocation budget and city lifer resident budget for one year. A typical one-bedroom apartment in Nashville costs around $8,640 a year. Other annual expenses include utilities which will cost about $2,532; food will average around $3,424; transportation will cost approximately $2,532; clothing and entertainment will be about $1,272 each; and renter’s and car insurance will cost about $1,250 for a total of $20,922 per year (Cost of living reality check, 2019).

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