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Does Dumbo Have an Equivalent City?

March 8th, 2007

Photo courtesy of mr. rayburn

The post by Cameron Marlow on his blog titled “San Francisco guide to New York neighborhoods” may be older, but it’s an interesting feature about neighborhoods in SF and their equivalent in NYC. I didn’t see Dumbo’s equivalent neighborhood in SF. I’ve asked some of my friends, some well travelled, some from California. They say that SoMa, being a warehouse district, could be like Dumbo but for the most part, people say that there really is no equivalent.

Most people wouldn’t argue that Dumbo is unique. It has one of the best views of Manhattan, where the streets follow into the waterfront. It is anchored by two famous bridges grounded by Belgian Block streets and pre-war buildings. It can somehow be a quiet place surrounded by a noisy subway on the Manhattan Bridge and fast moving cars on the bridges and the BQE. Oddly enough, that’s a good thing for me. But there’s no doubt that the area is changing. How it will shape out is yet to be seen.

So I ask you; Are there any cities anywhere that is Dumbo’s equivalent? Is Dumbo really unique? If so, what do you like about it?

{San Francisco guide to New York neighborhoods, overstated.net}

Filed in Dumbo Streetscapes at 12:43 am

6 Responses to “Does Dumbo Have an Equivalent City?”

Lou Says:
March 8th, 2007 at 10:09 am
Docklands in London?
epc Says:
March 8th, 2007 at 10:51 am
Maybe Illinois Center in Chicago (a former railyard east of Michigan at the river, which has been redeveloped into office and condo towers), or the Rocks in Sydney (a warehouse district between the Sydney CBD and the Harbour Bridge, when faced with an Atlantic Yards style redevelopment was landmarked, preserving the 19thC buildings).
Gary Says:
March 8th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Although it’s much more industrial, Dumbo to me feels like the Ile St Louis in Paris. Bounded by elevated expressways instead of rivers, there is a real “island” feel to Dumbo. On the Ile St. Louis you have a couple of bakeries,a few bistros, a good sushi place, a dry cleaners, some light retail, some expensive apartments/condos, and world class ice cream people line up for (Berthillon). In Dumbo you have a few restaurants, a dry cleaners, light retail, world class french chocolate, etc. I bet if you asked Jacques Torres why he chose to set up in Dumbo he would compare it to the Ile St. Louis. Maybe not architecturally but in the cozy, island-in-the-middle-of-urban-life vibe.
j7 Says:
March 8th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
toronto, canada: distillery district. it’s similar, as it has stone paved streets, pedestrian-friendly, little galleries, good restaurants and shops (and a very good ice-creamery or two), isolated-feeling (berm for trains, poor transit connections) despite being very close to city centre (like gazing across the river at manhattan from DUMBO). there is even a chocolate place with expansive glazing to the prep area, like jacques torres. the distillery district is also becoming encircled/encroached upon by condos. but it is next door to a massive brownfield waterfront redevelopment that will finally give it some waterfront access (right now it is separated by a large highway, and construction plywood fencing).
Amanda Says:
March 11th, 2007 at 9:53 am
I’ve always thought it was a little like the Speicherstadt in Hamburg. Not sure why - I guess the scale of the old brick warehouses and the re-purposing of the old buildings, plus the access to to the water and the positioning of each neighborhood on the edge of fabulous cities that serve as media centers of their respective countries… dunnoh, might be reaching…
Eddie Wilson Says:
April 9th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
Soho about five years after the movie “After Dark”