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More small cities should require themed architecture. The next closest city that does this is Cape May New Jersey. It is worth checking out. They were also one of the first cities in America to create a pedestrian only main street which they did all the way back in 1970.
I lived in Santa Fe as a regional transportation planner for over a year and the long term residents there are all in on car culture. An attempt was recently made to pedestrianize a portion of Gallisteo street leading to the plaza (if I remember correctly) and it was met with screams of city corruption, real estate interests, money grabs, etc. One of the most nimby cities I’ve ever been to and lived in and I’ve also lived in Southern California. That said, the state is one of the most rural states in the country and so having a car is definitely a necessity. Transit outside of Santa Fe and abq is limited to demand response transit tailored towards seniors as New Mexico is also one of the oldest populations in the country. As a car free resident of nyc who is a huge champion of multimodal transportation, get a rental car if you visit Santa Fe or New Mexico broadly. The best parts of the state are the state parks/hiking trails, Native American pueblos, historic ruins/cave dwellings, and small towns. If you only have a day in Santa Fe, don’t miss Meow Wolf.
Ha, I should make a Meow Wolf video, I went to the one in Vegas too. So fun! Yeah, really the most spectacular spots in teh state are only accessible by car. But if you're just flying into ABQ and visiting Santa Fe, I really think Rail Runner +walk/bike/bus and occasional ridehail works well.
I actually lived in Santa Fe for a few months without a car. I spent the first few days missing the bus bc I did not know it was the bus. They looked like paratransit that takes people to their doctor appointments. My father was in the hospital at the time and it was difficult to travel to Albuquerque to fly out to see Pop. The bus drivers were very nice to me since my son is Native American (I'm mixed myself) and would stop for me even when it was not a bus stop. I ended up moving to ABQ bc of the transportation issues where they had free trolleys as well as traditional bus service. I walked most places, even in the heat. I think it's a lot better now with train service between the two cities. In the end I could never adjust to the slower pace
I'm from Santa Fe, and I grew up here, and I'm also an architecture student. Growing up here, I was mostly interacting with the long-time Hispano (Nuevomexicano) residents of the city. We sort of have three distinct populations, that being the wealthy transplants who have supplanted all of Downtown and the Eastside from their former Hispano residents, who now have had to move to other parts of the city, or out of it altogether, into Albuquerque and Rio Rancho; and then on the Southside (the nose of the horse), there's a larger recent-immigrant population of Mexicans and Central Americans. It has always frustrated me that the most historic and most walkable parts of town have been dispossessed of their historical Hispano populations, and is now mostly exclusive to wealthier residents. Plus the fact that new housing development, and especially affordable housing development is all relegated to much less pedestrian-friendly areas. It seems completely counterintuitive to me to not have more housing in the most walkable areas. Before the realty and investment offices and turquoise and rug and boot and hat stores, downtown used to be a place with actual grocery stores and department stores and places for normal residents. That being said, up until the 1940's and 1950's-ish, adobe was the default way to build in New Mexico (and Spanish was the majority language of New Mexico until the same timeframe), because that's what had been used historically, and so that's what the common practice was. So more of what you see is authentic than you'd think. The difference is that it was common to build buildings of many styles out of earthen materials (just look at the old Italianate Huning Castle that used to exist in Albuquerque, made out of terron, a type of earthen brick), so it really is strange to have a condition where a lot of buildings that look adobe aren't, and a lot of historical buildings that don't look adobe actually are. It was only with increasing Anglicization and the increased American-influence post-war that these changes rapidly set themselves to make New Mexico more typical of that of the rest of the US. There's a widespread perception of Santa Fe as "adobe Disneyland," both as a way of putting it down by outsiders, and as a way of criticizing outsiders/wealthy transplants/tourists for not understanding that this is an actual place that people live and work and have an actual culture and background dating back hundreds of years. As a Nuevomexicano, and someone who's really a proponent of architecture and urbanism, I think it is really important to honor the context and the history and the surroundings. I think it would be a shame to let modern architectural style fads diminish that. Just look at the rest of Northern New Mexico outside of Santa Fe to see what's still extant out there. Modern architecture should really embrace the concept of place that we've formed as one of the most historic regions in the nation, and that doesn't mean faking it or being set in stone, but incorporating those sensibilities into how we design buildings and spaces for the current era.
The gas stations and ihops with fake adobe are OBNOXIOUS. I'm fine if an apartment building or hotel leans into the style. Having the city enforce all buildings to look like they're made of adobe adds to the housing costs. Santa Fe is the exact opposite of Houston in planning and zoning and the more expensive housing shows.
Has adherence to traditional architecture made the new buildings better adapted to the climate than the average American building style? I noticed smaller and fewer windows on a lot of the buildings that would allow less heat from direct sunlight and the covered walkways in front of the stores would do the same.
Quite commonplace in the great historic cities of Europe (especially the UNESCO world heritage listed ones) - and as with Santa Fe, people vote with their presence and tourist dollars.
I agree. So many cities look generic. Even though it was done for tourism, I like that Santa Fe has a unique style based on the city's own history. I've never been there, but now I want to visit.
One thing that would make Santa Fe more car-free accessible is if the Rail Runner had an extension to the ABQ airport. Right now, it looks like you have to take a bus from the airport to the Rail Runner station. Once you also factor in the 15-minute walk (though doable) from the Santa Fe station to the plaza, I can see why people opt to just drive there when visiting. We also drove to Santa Fe this summer as part of our cross-country move, so we definitely contributed to it (though it also doesn't help that Amtrak wouldn't allow our dog on their trains), but I do agree there's a lot of potential to make Santa Fe's historic center completely car free.
I totally agree. I'm from LA but have a soft spot for Santa Fe and try to go a few times a year. I have driven in a few times, as well as flown, and there are pros and cons to both methods. I hated Santa Fe Municipal Airport (plus it costs way more to fly in/out of there vs. ABQ) and would love a more direct connection to get from ABQ to SF. I don't mind the bus to make the connection to the train, but obviously it'd be more efficient time-wise, plus you'd remove a step to get people on transit if you were able to get on from the airport.
As a ABQ Metro Resident I agree, there have been talks to connect the Sunport (yes we call it that) to the Convention Center which is next to a Rail Runner Station. Also, the city provides free fare for all so at least you don’t have to pay for the bus.
@@jacobstimmel7136ABQuerño as well. The city could very easily put in tram/rail/dedicated bus lanes throughout a lot of the city because most of the stroads have a huge as median in the middle. You just only use 2 of the 4 lanes for cars and convert the other 2 lanes for other transportation. Also for some reason I really dig the idea of an inverted monorail circumnavigating the city even though I know there are better cheaper options.
One thing that I was missing in the video was to mention how much sense it makes to emulate a building style that predates the invention of AC when building a city in the dessert. It's kinda crazy for me to see that in the US the houses in the scortching hot south look incredibly similar to the ones up in the north. Modern technology makes this possible, but it makes a lot of sense and it is a lot more efficient to use traditional methods to go most of the way.
my pet peeve is how so many suburbs are absolutely lacking in street trees. My neighborhood is pathetic thst way, and my town gets above 100 multiple days per summer
I live in an original 19th century adobe in Santa Fe, and have no need of A/C. Plus my old school iron radiators keep it toasty in winter. It's the perfect material for the landscape.
Um, while it does get warm in SF, it sits at about 6,500 ft which does limit how warm it gets. Nights are very cool, even in summer. It also is very dry and if the house is planned right one can run a swamp cooling system to cool the house when necessary. I grew up in ABQ (which is warmer at 5,000 ft) and we had central heat, but cooling was done with a swamp cooler. Please look them up, they are MUCH more efficient than central air, but are limited to locations with very low humidity which fits most of NM very well. Also, in high elevation, low humidity regions, shade works very well. In Santa Fe (which we used to call ‘Fanta Se’) I’d be more worried about staying warm. Winter nights there can be brutal with low humidity and high elevation (doesn’t hold the heat very well), single degree F nights are common. Finally, the ‘brick floor, thick adobe’ style is cooler in summer than you’d think, the trick is to avoid the strong sun (shade) and have the house cool in the night. It’s modern houses with few windows and few directions for breezes to pass through the house that have cooling issues.
@@philiparonson8315 Santa Fe has rarely or never hit 100°. You need a heater but not any air conditioner. I grew up without even a swamp cooler there.
From an outsider perspective, I like it. In Europe in tons of cities you have the center, which is historical, walkable, beautiful... And then you have the newer areas, which all more or less look the same, irrespective of culture, geography and history: big blocky concrete buildings. Santa Fe is maybe pushing it a little bit, but it's really cool that they enforce new buildings to reflect the historic and cultural realities of the area.
It really does get discouraging seeing the lengths people will go to just to avoid walking even a tiny bit in the U.S. Walking through a city, taking in the aesthetics, connecting with people as you go, getting easy exercise while going about your daily activities...these are things that contribute to a thriving community of happy people.
Or at least walk on vacation! Toddling around with luggage IS unpleasant. But IMO people will overuse whatever is most convenient, and for most that's Uber. If I were arriving by train I would have inquired into a hotel shuttle.
The worst part about it is the on-street parking in places you actually want to walk around in the US is almost always FULL or a pain in the ass to pay for, so the end result is both a wall of cars AND the need to walk a distance from somewhere else. To me, free and large/maneuverable multi-storey parking structures are the best solution. If you're going into a busy area, you know exactly where you're going to park, how far it is from your destination, and no need to allocate stress-laden time to 'find parking.' I get that there's older people that can't walk far, but we all know the real reason this doesn't happen is because of lazy people, codes, and businesses that think they'll get less traffic.
@@erawanpencilhow many of the people who “can’t walk that far” are in that state because of a lifetime of overeating and zero exercise? Note I am not generalizing this to everyone or even most people, but around 50% of the American population could be classified as obese? (I am a sugar addict myself so am not lean at all. But I also force myself to walk and cycle)
@@brianmiller5444 A huge portion you're right. But there's a lot who were healthy and in old age and can't walk well... the solution is to use a wheelchair, not allow parking everywhere. I get that there's prideful elderly people who don't want to but isolating at home isn't a solution either.
I lived up in the mountains of Santa Fe near a bus stop, but most of the time I walked downtown. It was just such a pleasant stroll. And even though I could head up the mountain for a nice hike through nature, I would usually head down into the city. The architecture felt natural: the brown earth, the blue sky, and the wood of the trees. Sometimes I would just walk to the library to read and head back home before the sun set.
it's pretty cool to see a city have such a distinct architecual identity. one has to commend them for putting in the effort to preserve and enforce historical design.
no its fake they pushed out the locals for these fake buildings thats is why downtown santa fe is only for old white people. in the 1920s the made this fake city look up john meem
Santa Fe wasn’t created on a grid, it’s mostly some old carriage trails that eventually got paved …. Albuquerque was designed on a grid so there’s way more room for walkways+ cars. All of the roads make sense and mostly lead you in one direction unless you turn. Santa Fe you will turn west and and up traveling east 😆
I have traveled all over the US and Santa Fe is one of my favorite places. The colors are magical, and it feels completely unique. The history is incredible and it feels like stepping back in time. Just my personal opinions. Great video!!
Santa Fe is a beautiful city. The "monotone" color is not off-putting. Go there during the Christmas holidays. It's magical! ❤ Tourquoise is everywhere around New Mexico. If you are in southern NM go to Mesilla to experience a mini version of the square. Parking and the car situation does suck in Santa Fe. Will you do an Albuquerque video?
You probably didn't notice this much as a non-driver, but Santa Fe's street network is full of weird one-ways, sharp curves, and lanes that appear and disappear as if by magic. It's maddening sometimes to navigate, even if the GPS is on. I typically find some place to park, usually near the capitol, and then spend a few hours downtown on foot. It would be great if more of the city were accessible without a car - most of the less expensive housing is pretty far from downtown.
The old part of Santa Fe is built like a spider web with the plaza in the center. The long strings of the web were once wagon trails. There wasn't a lot of city planning back then.
Bear in mind that the storied Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad never reached any of those cities. For Santa Fe they ran a spur from the main line south of town. The Denver and Rio Grande did run from Denver to Santa Fe, but was narrow gauge.
I live in Topeka, the birthplace of the railroad, and most certainly assure you that they DID go here, and continued to do so until the merger. They also had a line to Atchison, but it got torn up in the 80’s. The station in Santa Fe is ex-ATSF, although it was served via Lamy (the tourist train’s route), and not directly from Albuquerque.
In response to your statement at 1:07, " Maybe I'm just weird..." Yes, you are but, in the best way possible! You are bringing your enthusiasm for the possibilities of cities to be great to more people and you're doing it with an artist's flair. Seeing things through your eyes is uplifting and positive. Thank you.
The foundations of the "oldest church" and "oldest house" you show several times were actually already there when the Spanish arrived. The Tlaxclalans who built the church and the house used the foundations of an older pueblo that was abandoned in 1300 I think. That whole area south of the Santa Fe River was designated for the Tlaxclalan allies (who also helped the Spanish defeat the Aztec) who came with the Spanish when they conquered NM.
@@calepatterson4093I think he’s hundreds and hundreds of miles off. The Pueblo nations in New Mexico have nothing to do with the Nahuatl speaking nations in Central Mexico. See the map in Wikipedia for an understanding of where the Tlaxcala lived and ruled. Oops. I was partly wrong. Some did come with the Spanish, but the original inhabitants far predated the Tlaxcalans and the pueblos were built by the original, still extant , nations
It's not on street parking that's the issue, it's that they put it in the middle of the area instead of on the periphery. Picking a few of the core streets to be car free but keeping parking on the surrounding side streets would be the way to go. It'd also give them the chance to do a little street-scaping instead of the monolithic slabs of cement and asphalt that they currently have.
I don't understand how they still allow street parking in town on Alameda. Especially with the number of oversized trucks and SUVs we have with TX plates.
Santa Fe really needs better transportation down to the southwest from downtown around Cerrillos. The popularity of Meow Wolf cannot be understated, and Cerrillos is about as stroady as you can get, making it really hard to get to the immersive art without being immersed in dangerous walking environments. I think a BRT route from the 599 rail runner station up to the downtown/capitol district, and making the blocks surrounding the plaza fully pedestrianized would both do wonders for the urban environment.
Route 2 (which is Cerillos I think?) actually runs every 15 minutes on weekdays, which is actuallly pretty good frequency for a bus line in a city of 100K! I know what you're saying though
I love walking around downtown Santa Fe but would NOT be comfortable walking down Cerillos. The traffic is intense and the sidewalks are really close to the road. Unfortunately, Santa Fe is pretty spread out, and most of the affordable "normal" shops (like groceriey stores) are a few miles down Cerillos. Also, someone would need a car if they wanted to go explore outside of the city, especially the mountains and small northern settlements.
The city has revised its bike, plan and transportation plans, which include more traffic, calming roundabouts, dedicated bike lanes(bishops lodge rd) which has the expected resistance. From the drivers. The resistance to eliminating of traffic downtown might come from a lot of locals also (i am, but not me). Those are the people that are car dependent and of course atr going to resist such measures. I wish the city would put work into making the southside more walkable such a Airport Road. @@CityNerd
@@toddinde A trip to Silver City is worthwhile if you're looking for a really reasonably priced education in the strip mining arts (or meth), and not otherwise. Deming is just waiting to be demolished. If the water table drops another inch, Deming will spontaneously combust.
i grew up in albuquerque, and went up to santa fe almost once a month - field trips, with family. it was usually in the back of my mind how downtown felt a lot like a tourist destination, like old town in ABQ. it's not really a city I ever thought about living in.
I've talked to a lot of young bartenders and service folk wokring and I always ask them "what is there to do around here at night?" Answer is its an old people town and the streets basically roll up at 9 except for couple of locations. So a lot house parties
I grew up in Santa Fe and now live in Albuquerque. Santa Fe is more beautiful but Albuquerque is friendlier. I enjoy playing tourist in my hometown but I don't want to live there.
I'm also an Albuquerque local. Santa Fe very much feels like the Las Vegas strip tourist place. Very nice to walk around, get lunch, and enjoy a festival event. But the real gems are hidden out in the sprawling suburbs and take some networking to find these locals' favorites.
There should either be a rail line from Santa Fe to Las Vegas, NM or just a frequent bus to Larmy regardless of Amtrak frequency (although a second train to El Paso would be nice)
The video fails to mention one of the drawbacks of the Railrunner. It does not go directly to the Albuquerque International Airport. I believe that that's a major reason for it's low ridership. If I remember correctly, the car-rental companies and shuttle companies lobbied against it.
Really great last sentence. It perfectly sums up what ‘we’ who follow your adventures desire. Not to pretend to want to have people centric vibrant communities. But actually go the distance and do it. I’m a huge fan of your work and am sympathetic to an occasional dark turn in your videos (WallE reference). Cheers Nerd
I go to Santa Fe a lot for work, and it's a shame that the best parts of Santa Fe in terms of vibe are the more spread out, suburban sprawl development areas along Cerrillos (st)Road in the south & west ends of the city. The beautiful, walkable center of town seems to be the exclusive domain of rich white people obsessed with "experiencing" Native American culture through the medium of high-end consumerism. I always have a much better time hanging out in the more working-class, quotidian areas that are inaccessible without cars.
In August 2018 I visited Santa Fe and did a lot of walking and exploring. I agree with you that nowhere looks truly “historic” or “authentic” with cars parked everywhere. If you’re talking about cities built to discourage cars, Santa Fe certainly discourages people like me who abhor having to parallel park! But why can’t we have more pedestrian-only zones? They are healthier not just because they force you to walk, but you’re not inhaling internal combustion fumes while doing so.
To that last point, you could make the argument "electric cars will be the norm in a decade anyway". Of course that doesn't make the area safe for pedestrians in all the other ways...
Santa Barbara, CA also has codes on how buildings must be designed. In their case Spanish missionary style. I think having a unified aesthetic is what gives a city a sense of place. That's why I can look at almost any random street in Paris and know it's Paris. I wish it was like this in more American cities.
Santa Barbara didn't originally have a unified style, but after an earthquake in 1925 leveled the brick downtown area they decide to rebuild in mission style. It looks good downtown. It starts to look a little more absurd and Taco Bell-ish when applied to strip mall developments with chain stores. I generally like it, except when it becomes an excuse to cancel projects. I've often parodied Santa Barbara architecture review as "your arches are the wrong shade of tan and your parking lot is too big and you don't have enough off-street parking." ;)
I live in Brooklyn, and I find it frustrating that extremely wealthy neighborhoods like Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights get to use historic preservation as a shield to exclude more affordable housing typologies.
Why is that frustrating? There are a thousand neighborhoods in NYC. Lots of them have affordable housing. So, some neighborhoods can't have exquisite, historically preserved, expensive housing? Why not? Such areas are so wonderful to visit, even if you can't afford them. Do you know what would happen to these neighborhoods if historic preservation was not a thing? I think you are being class conscious and rather condescending. You are being pretentiously unpretentious.
When I flew into the Santa Fe airport last year, it was quite a shock to find out there were no busses between the airport and city center. And Lyft and Uber are not very plentiful out there either.
@@eugenetswong I had to wait nearly an hour for a Lyft to be available. I guess that is why the only thing in the terminal at the airport is multiple car rental companies. Lol
I love Santa Fe. I wish the rail runner ran more trains though - it wasn't an option to take it from the sunport when I got in... they only ran like 3 trains that day. They also need to connect it to the sunport. It's annoying to have to take a 30 minute bus from the airport to the train station to get to the rail runner, although probably not as annoying as waiting in line at the car rental and then driving an hour up 25. Some of the stroads surrounding downtown Santa Fe could use a diet for sure - lots of very fast and loud traffic around there. But a lot of the more residential streets are narrow and some are even one-way traffic. Those streets were really pleasant to walk on. Would like to see more of that
Wow! How do you tell which day the train runs only three times a day? I’m thinking of flying into Albuquerque and taking the train and walking everywhere.
I used to visit friends in Santa Fe and it's really a small town and a bit monotonous. It's one large tourist trap with carbon-copy shops and trinkets. Like Vegas, I could only take it for 2-3 days at a time once or twice a year. Once you eat at the 3-4 nice places, you're done.
There's definitely some cool things in Santa Fe, but I think there are good alternatives if you want a cool New Mexico experience without being in such a touristy/$$$ place. Someone else in this thread mentioned Mesilla, and I think I enjoyed my visit there and Las Cruces more than I enjoyed Santa Fe.
Hi, CityNerd, i gotta say - I really love your channel! As a Gringo that lived in Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico for 7 years (at the behest of my ex-wife - btw I actually stayed there longer than she did), I appreciate the submission, although I should point out that there is a whole other Santa Fe on the west side - the Barrio - that is an alternative existence to the downtown tourist culture that you covered in this video. As part of the white culture, I admit your video brought back a lot of nostalgia for the entertaining, but very car-centric, downtown (I moved from NM to Western Massachusetts in 2000). But there remains a lot of issues in The City Different (or The City Diffident as people referred to it then). Low wages; high housing costs. Extreme social stratification. Same as it was in 1993 when we moved there… After a couple of years in Santa Fe, in the mid nineties, I moved north to Española (some White real estate agent called it the “armpit of New Mexico” when I was first trying to find housing there). After gaining the trust of the local inhabitants (some had family going back hundreds of years there), I realized what a wonderful, community-oriented people they are! The local cuisine (try El Paragua) is unbelievable. Despite the challenges, high crime, very high poverty rate), there is a rich culture underneath the surface that, I think, is yet to be fully discovered. I only hope that people who visit the wonders of Santa Fe also take time to travel north to the Hispanic highlands and learn about the rich culture that lies there.
People make the place. 1/4 of the population of Santa Fe are 65+ retirees. I'm sorry but I just can't with these sorts of places. I'm not "age-ist" but this demographic is making places unaffordable, and they aren't exactly making places interesting or exciting. That said, I bet Santa Fe was nice before it became unaffordable because the style is certainly unique.
I'm 22, Santa Fe is my hometown. You are 100% on point with this. The bulk of activity sponsored by the city is meant solely for tourists or the retirement population. Even cool niche local things like meow Wolf have become unaffordable and honestly unenjoyable because of how unbelievably packed they get, or just plain forgotten about. Local parks that were fresh when I was a kid have just been left to rot. I love this place, but there's not a lot of things to do as a non-milionaire local that won't empty your wallet...
Hey you are living in ABQ, I had no idea! Maybe I'll run into you some time at Michael Thomas coffee or on the Rail Runner. My wife and I take our young daughter on Rail Runner day-trips to Santa Fe about every other month. I feel SO lucky that we have this service in New Mexico. Honestly just astonishing for such a poor state. It shows that it really is just priorities when it comes to building this sort of stuff. Having worked a lot in Santa Fe over the years, and used the Rail Runner for commuting (not just joy-rides), I've noticed the same thing how car-centric SF is. Like, why aren't all four streets around the plaza closed? What is the purpose of having street-side parking by the plaza? And to your point, you really only showed one small part of Santa Fe. You skipped the sprawling stroad-y mess that heads southwest from downtown. Also the giant parking lot next to the second-to-last Rail Runner stop. That should be converted to housing for sure.
It was the other way around. The rich gringos came in the 1980s and gentrified it all and put the old people living in the city center out. Turned it into a Disneyland for the Rich. My family has lived here for 400 years, and I can tell you the whites largely replaced the working class Hispanics living here with rich white people from other places.
It’s actually the opposite. Santa Fe is my hometown. I feel very privileged to have grown up there-I always walked to and from school, always felt safe, and felt a good deal of pride in our sense of community-a community that included people of all income levels. At one time there was a Woolworth’s and a JCPenney downtown and a bus station just three blocks away from the plaza. As time went on and the word got out about the beautiful setting and architecture, and rich cultural life there, coastal elites swarmed in and downtown was transformed into an outdoor shopping mall for wealthy tourists and recently arrived residents. There was also a lot of undeveloped land on the outskirts, all of which is now covered in cookie cutter fauxdobe tract houses. Visiting now always makes me a little sad.
From India I was in USA in 2011.My host took us around LasVegas, Albuquerque ( enjoyed balloon ride), Santa Fe. In SanteFe it was cool, calm and no crowded but scenic roads. It started to rain and weather became more chill giving a soothing feel which I cherish even today. We visited the native Indian shops spread across the floor of building premises where one shopkeeper remarked ' yes we are all Indians' and this brought me all the more closer to Santa Fe. We travelled through Sedona as well. Yes Santa Fe resembles Sedona in many respects. Santa Fe has left a lovely life-time memory for me.
9:50 "if you wanna do the santa fe margarita trail and try 40 of the city's best agave-based beverages, you're probably going to have to do it by car." There needs to be more public transit in Santa Fe, at the very least along the trail so drunk driving accidents are decreased lol
My favourite part of this channel is the way you have elevated sarcasm to supreme art 😂 but seriously, you do a great job of highlighting points by not stating the obvious. Bravo!
😂 especially the part: "if you do the margarita trail, you're probably gonna be driving. in unrelated news, New Mexico leads the nation in pedestrian deaths " ☠
I agree with your final comment. I’m surprised that a failing US town or neighborhood hasn’t gone all-in on pedestrianization, just as Santa Fe went all in on ersatz Pueblo design. It’s an excellent way to differentiate your place from everywhere else. Car-free is a bright future for a town with enough guts to implement it.
This has been considered actually in some failing areas, but there has been concerns that that would attract wealthier individuals and gentrification would end up pushing out the existing residents. You can see in a different post here by somebody who is a Santa Fe native that just that process is what happened to downtown Santa Fe many decades ago to lead to the current afluent demographic, pushing out original residents.
@@GarrisIiariI’m going to say that the pushing out is due to property taxes not being fixed at the time of purchase of a home anywhere in the US that I know of. Property values will always go up when places become more livable but developers count on the impossible inflating property taxes to flip entire neighborhoods. If they can refurbish even one home, all the original residents are punished and forced to sell to escape the property tax explosion.
I think another dimension to the abundance of cars in Santa Fe is its proximity to national parks in that entire region. Nearly unlimited possibilities of day trips out to a different canyons, mesas, and parks. Yes, I definitely think the downtown area should not have street parking so that it can be truly pedestrian friendly and additional local transit will help move people around the city. But I don't think the cars will go away because there is still a significant number of people passing through Santa Fe on a road trip or going out to national parks from Santa Fe.
Here in Denver, people in a certain upscale neighborhood are fighting a bike lane because it takes away from the aesthetic character of the surrounding historical homes. The hidden agenda, of course, is car privilege yet again. Hearing about the preservation of car domination in Santa Fe (and, ironically, seeing its eyesore consequences) suggests to me that there is a direct line from there to here, and it ain't by train.
Lol the Nextdoor app comments on those bike lanes/poles are great. "Those poor homeowners on 7th avenue who bought pricey homes now have their property values at risk! Oh the humanity!"
@@alechagen6291 Would a bike lane actually reduce property values? Bikes are quieter than cars. I’d _love_ it if some of the auto traffic on the road outside my house was replaced by bike traffic.
As a New Mexican I love the Santa Fe highlight, so nice to hop on a train in Albuquerque and spend the day walking or biking around beautiful Santa Fe! Only thing I will say is that the ‘Santa Fe Style’ is more Spanish Pueblo Revival and less Colonial. Meant to emulate the Spanish Colonial Pueblos that are around us such as Quarai, Gran Quivira, Santa Clara, Taos Pueblo, and even Albuquerque started as Spanish-invaded Indigenous Pueblos.
Would it be a stretch to say that Santa Fe reminds me a lot of Sedona, AZ? Both are mostly walkable and have a lot of great history and scenery, but they’re also dominated by the wealthy and tourists, meaning lots and lots of expensive restaurants and tourist traps with almost nothing in between. Not to mention the color pallets being very similar and equally strict.
It would be a stretch.....Sedona is fake, full of rich retirees and tourists. Santa Fe has those, but they're the minority. Santa Fe is the Capital of NM....who do you think works in all those government buildings. It's a vibrant city, full of parks and schools and shopping centers and entertainment, and...........
LOL Sedona. My sister and her husband made a big deal about visiting the McDonald's there, which was the only McDonald's successfully forced out of its red and yellow corporate branding and into the brown and turquoise Sedona approved colors.
Sedona has no history and little culture, it had only about 55 people around 1900. Lots of natural beauty though. Santa Fe has world-class museums, chamber music, and the Santa Fe Opera.
Whether in residential or commercial architecture, I find courtyards to be the most tragic loss when adapting a European style into an American application. Street parking is ruining that chance for an organic meeting place of humans that is not focused on consumerism. And really with houses of these styles, you'll often see courtyards replaced by garages... What will it take for our country to embrace the magic of courtyards/plazas??
I should correct myself a bit here, and say the American interpretation of ANY architectural style, not just European ones. As I understand it, the Pueblo Revival is inspired by First Peoples, rather than just Spanish design.
The geographic and economic contrast between Albuquerque and Santa Fe reminds me a lot of Denver and Boulder. I wonder if there are other examples of smaller, wealthier cities (but not really suburbs) ~1 hour away from a much bigger counterpart. Would love a video on the topic if you think there’s something there to explore!
Could you do a video comparing some of the major Canadian cities? Vancouver isn't exactly a utopia but I just spent some time in Calgary and god it felt like driving across the country just to see friends
I definitely wanna get back to Vancouver soon. I've been to Calgary once, a really long time ago, would love to check out Edmonton and Winnipeg too. Toronto...meh
I feel like Toronto is just sprawl. I remember taking the train across Canada a few times, and decided to stay in a hostel. It was probably the 1st time travelling on my own, and wanted to do it without the help of relatives. The hostel felt so dumpy that I felt like a runaway kid, who disrespected his parents, and was going to be trafficked. I relented the next morning, and asked to stay with my wealthy relatives in a car centric part of Mississauga. hahaha Montreal & Quebec city were much nicer.@@CityNerd
Edmontonian and former Vancouverite here. I've visited Calgary, and if I had to overall rank the three, I'd rank Vancouver on top, Edmonton 2nd, and Calgary 3rd. Edmonton has more sprawl than Vancouver, but is also doing more to rectify it. Calgary has a nicer downtown than Edmonton, but otherwise has all the problems of Edmonton made even worse, with even more sprawl, a worse bus network, and nightmare freeways, while also lacking the natural vegetation of Edmonton that makes it nicer to be in. Both are outclassed by Vancouver as it currently stands, but that's because Vancouver didn't do car-dependent suburbia the same way Edmonton and Calgary did. Vancouver is held back by NIMBYism in a way that I feel will make it fall behind, both compared to its direct neighbour Burnaby, as well as Edmonton, which is decidedly YIMBY with quite a few of its recent decisions.
Re Moorish influence: You missed the Scottish Rights Temple just north of the plaza. The word Adobe itself comes from Arabic for sun dried bricks. The Moors brought Horno ovens from Egypt and Hollyhocks flowers, Apricot trees and Acequia irrigation to Spain who brought them here. If you go to the residential areas near downtown you'll find the oldest houses have no exterior windows and an open court yard. Theres a lot of subtle influences if you look.
Could you make a video on Boston? Particularly, your opinions on its walkability and urbanism? I find that individual neighborhoods are walkable but in some ways, the neighborhoods are disconnected in an odd way (such as South End being separated from Back Bay by a highway)
Any train along the Front Range of Colorado would probably run through downtown Denver. Then an airline passenger would take the A line (also heavy rail) to DIA. To have a major north-south rail line curve way over to DIA instead of running through central Denver would add substantially to the cost and really not make any sense from a practical perspective.
Remember 90's hippy earth homes made with hay bails and earth tone stucco? Those were my favorite houses back in the day and I wish more were made. I'd love to live in one and role play as a background character from a Star Wars movie.
If you’re still touring NM cities, you should consider going to and making a video about Los Alamos. The challenging terrain and land ownership contribute to major housing shortage for LANL employees. The transit system is a weird dichotomy of great coverage but few practica destinations. The whole town itself sends mixed messages, with a surprisingly walkable “downtown” and pedestrian-forward features, yet there is 4-5 lane main stroad for a few blocks, which constricts on one end down to a roundabout, and to two lanes on the other from a recent road diet. This goes back to 5 lanes after another few blocks, all to service a town of only ~15,000. Can’t forget to mention the two pedestrian bridges within 1000 feet. Cycling infrastructure is a mess. The Diamond - Trinity intersection is a must-see for how baffling and out of place it appears.
As touristy and honestly kinda tacky Santa Fe is I do love the style and urban fabric. I wish more of New Mexico's cities took a similar approach. It reminds me of some of the beautiful small towns in Europe I visited where all the buildings were made using the same materials and it had a cohesive style. Doing it today using city codes is definitely more artificial but it is a representation of an authentic style in New Mexico. What is funny is when the pueblo revival style is copied in Arizona and Southern California, but we also have California Mission Style architecture like the Alvarado station in Abq so it goes both ways. P.S. Turquoise and coral are given to you as soon as you are born pretty much in Pueblo and NM Hispano communities, wearing it is said to protect you. Also one of the oldest Turquoise mines in the world I believe is just south of Santa Fe in Cerrillos.
Well, it's near Cerrillos, but you need a guide to get you there with permission to go on the land. And the turquoise from that mine is quite green in color. I've been there, but couldn't tell you where it is exactly.
@@ziaride look up adam ruins art. I am a local I am telling you the santa fe art scene is a fraud all about money and maybe trafficking. there is hardly any art here that says anything. this is where your grandma goes to buy her nick at nite looking native american art
Hi City Nerd, I disagree with your opinion on the design standards. If they did not exist, this would be filled with ugly modern glass buildings and feel no different from other cities. Paris is considered one of the most best cities, also having strict design standards. I agree with the rest of your statements. In 2021, the city tried to pass multiple pedestrian street conversions but none passed. This is due to the demographics of the city-old rich white people who come from other states. They drive everywhere and they treat the less well off like they own them or their lives do not matter, even those who have lived here generationally. Much of the true New Mexican population has been largely displaced by the rich whites that live near the city center.
what you don't get is the santa fe style is so fake paris is real which is why it has young people my city didn't perserve anything they erased real history for this garbage look up 99 percent stuccoed in time
Love your videos and pleasantly surprised to see you’re currently hanging out in New Mexico. Any chance of doing a video on the dynamics between the National lab and surrounding communities? The housing situation in Los Alamos is pretty insane, commuter traffic is terrible, and the lab still wants to hire a few thousand more employees. I know small towns aren’t really your thing but I know some labbies who would definitely appreciate the issue getting more attention.
Blue/turquoise doorways are traditional, and long thought to be protective against bad spirits, still popular in local design. Turquoise is just one of many traditional materials used by our local Pueblo and Navajo artisans. New Mexicans wear their jewelry with pride, supporting local artists. There are free shuttles connecting the Railyard to Museum Hill. You must visit the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, and the Museum of International Folk Art!
We've been planning an Amtrak trip to Albuquerque and then the Railrunner to Santa Fe. Looking forward to it. Sorry to hear that the public transportation is not great. We'll still use it, I'm sure.
If I remember correctly, the westbound Southwest Chief always arrived and pretty much always departed from Albuquerque before the afternoon commuter RailRunner trains so there is a good connection there, it's just a short walk on the platform from one train to the other. Looks like the westbound Southwest Chief schedule lines up nicely with the midday RailRunner to Santa Fe
Fun facts: the style guidelines were expanded about 15 years ago so that every building in the entire city, not just downtown, needed to be in that style, with a selection of 5 colors of brown to choose from. A few years later, when it was shown that historically these buildings would have been plastered all sorts of colors, they relaxed that part, thankfully. The 2 pedestrian roads on the plaza were not created for the benefit of pedestrians. They were created to stop people from crusin' the plaza. (Driving around in circles showing off thier cars, trying to pick up girls) which, combined with the selection of which roads are one way which way create a situation where it is nearly impossible to circle around the downtown area. Also neither the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe nor the Santa Fe Southern railroad actually came through Santa Fe. The closest they came was actually Cerrillios. The spur line from Lamy, where the Sky Railway goes, is the old connection. Side note, come along the Turquoise Trail at some point! Cerrillios and Madrid are both very different exercises in walkability. The NMDOT is currently planning some sorely needed and less than perfect traffic calming for Madrid.
I stayed a few miles outside of DT SF along Cerrillos Road. We even walked the 2.5 miles or so to downtown a couple times, but this was actually really hard to do because sometimes the sidewalks just end. Along a major road. I will give the bus system credit for only being a $1. So if you're going to force me to do exact change, at least its one single dollar bill rather than like $1.35 or whatever. And yes, housing is really expensive especially when you get a bit outside such as Los Alamos. And honestly I don't know what jobs everyone is doing to justify the expenses of the city.
There are a lot of wealthy retirees there and a lot of second homes. Also a lot of people involved in the art industry there, which generates serious money.
I visited Santa Fe a few years ago expecting to like the historic downtown. But something was off with the vibe of Santa Fe that really didn't sit well with me. It has promising attributes like being one of the oldest cities in America, having a lot of historic buildings, etc. But the expensive boutique, ritzy, car-oriented vibe of the city permeated everything. It made me feel like I was walking through a Disney theme park. Santa Fe is definitely a unique city, but sadly one that I have no interest in visiting again.
I have visited Santa Fe frequently to visit a family friend and you are correct. It's one of the few US cities whose cores I can think of that has gone all in on tourism both for people from outside and for the people who live there. The downtown really doesn't feel like I lived in place, because it really isn't. My friend who lives there rarely goes downtown unless it's for a play or show. If they want the food from downtown, they just have it delivered.
This is exactly what I felt when I visited a few weeks ago. A bougie southwestern faux adobie disneyland designed to cater to and vacuum the wallets of the elite.
Santa Fe is where you go with your mom so she can shop for jewelry all day. Although the American Indian Art Museum is awesome. It's a quaint little weird place. The real city is Albuquerque, anyways.
So I live in Chicago and don't drive. However, I did fly to Albuquerque and rented a car to drive to the Grand Canyon. There needs to be at least 10 trains a day trains between flagstaff and Albuquerque (potentially Sante Fe). The Grand Canyon is one of the largest tourist destinations in US. These train don't even need to be high speed as the scenery is beautiful (Amtrak's one train travels through this segment at night). And there needs to be a robust transport network to get people from stations to attractions (maybe double decker buses) .
I visited Santa Fe in 1967. My father, an Albuquerque TV news anchorman, was a friend of Governor David Cargo and we spent part of the day with the gov in the Capitol (which is the architectural exception, btw). The city wasn’t yet overrun with the “pseudo artists” my Dad said flocked there in the ensuing years. We later ate at a restaurant filled with white, sort of church lady types on a group tour who listened to two Hispanic children singing in Spanish, then applauded and gushed patronizingly. Likely, they had not understood one word they had just heard. To this day, though it’s not really my call to speak for those children, that encounter forms my definition of colonialism: if you sing for the tourists, you are colonized.
I live in Leavenworth, WA which is a slice of Bavaria in Washington State. The commercial buildings have to meet the design standard style of Bavaria of white stucco, dark wood, and painted murals by City code. Yes, even McDonald's, Safeway, and other chains. Leavenworth has routinely been voted to be among the best and prettiest Christmas towns in the US. Yes, we have a year round Christmas shop, Kris Kringle. We do have Link transit buses that come through town regularly. Amtrak does stop at Leavenworth and we do have a small building for passengers to wait.
I'm a big fan of the aesthetic. However, it can't really be enjoyed with gigantic SUVs and pickups everywhere, a lack of shade, and high rates of crime
I plan to go to Santa Fe pay for the first time for a short tourist visit in the coming months before the hot summer. I will not rent a car, but take the train from Albuquerque to Santa Fe and walk everywhere, maybe take the bus to go somewhere where I want to go. I don’t like hiring a car if I don’t need to since it’s somewhat expensive plus you need a car insurance plus if you are unfamiliar with the area, you either have to blindly follow the Google map or get the locals annoyed because you hesitate where to turn.
Some parts of the United States have six or more architectural styles on one block. I remember being in Baltimore, Maryland and thinking how monotone it looked because there is so much red brick. Santa Fe has taken it to a new level; the color of the buildings also match the color of most of the landscape.
If you think that’s the color of the landscape, you haven’t been into the sangre de cristo mountains right at the edge of the city, lots of beautiful green forest of pines and aspens and of course skiing. In fall the colors and foliage are very pretty,
Yeah, I personally like a city with more diverse architecture. Downtown LA has buildings reminiscent of Art Deco and next to modern Frank Gehry masterpieces!
@@PASH3227 Yes, it is a very subjective thing. It is partly esthetic, tradition, history, culture, and personal identity. Older cities rightly want to preserve historical areas. It is also understandable that a city as old as Santa Fe would also want to preserve its architectural identity. As shown in this video, it inevitably changes anyway.
@@barryrobbins7694 But having a gas station forced to look like an old abode building isn't historical. The style it's harkening back to never had gas stations. I think people should be given more leeway to do with their property. Santa Fe has urban growth boundaries but also has strict design standards and low rise buildings. So it can't sprawl nor can it be built vertically. No wonder it's such an overpriced city! Especially considering it lacks high paying finance and tech jobs like in Austin or Seattle.
Back in 2007 my daughter and I took a trip on Route 66. We took the old alignment that went through Santa Fe. We drove around the tight streets for awhile and never were able to get out and walk around because we never could find a parking spot.
I interviewed for a job in Santa Fe. Out of earshot of the higher-ups, one person summed up the city by saying, “Here, you either are a maid or have maids working for you.”
I just visited Santa Fe in September. It was the first time in my adult life that I’ve been let down by a location. It felt like going to an amusement park and having all the rides shut down. It felt like going to a National Park and only having the loop next to the parking lot open.
Can you do a topic on Atlanta and or other large southern cities. Atlanta would be cool though because I want to hear your perspective on the beltline and the potential for future urbanism
Atlanta has so much potential. The Beltline is really showing what that city wants to be, and if they're to get a transit line to go along it (for which many are advocating), I think it would really change the whole transportation of the city. The MARTA is also a good start, but it's really just a north-south connector suburbanites take to go see 1:00 PM Falcons games, after they park their car in Doraville. If downtown gets some actual housing though, I think Atlanta could have a bit of a renaissance.
@@christophercorley8531 Streetcar rail is on the Beltline master plan. They are actually building some lines that would serve as a foundation for that. It just seems it takes MARTA forever to get down to building anything. They have been going all in on BRT too, so we will see how that goes, and if it really ends up being BRT or stuck in mixed traffic.
A long ago hippie me hitch hiking through Santa Fe felt moved by the artsy ambiance to offer my songs as a busker. Oops. The native Americans owned merchandising the market square. They kindly pointed my euro heritage self to a nearby cafe open stage.
Your point about how much better a car-less Santa Fe would be is well taken. A lot of older cities, or old sections of cities, would benefit greatly from a car ban. When I visited, our car stayed in the hotel lot the entire time. We saw most of what we wanted, visited the museums, ate in some great restaurants, and never regretted not using it. If you think about it, there were no cars when the old, authentic adobe structures were built. If the really wanted to lean into the historic thing, ban cars and run shuttle busses. It will probably never happen though.....
If any place should have an almost entirely pedestrianized downtown it's Santa Fe ... they're going for this historic rural town vibe and it's completely ruined by the cars parked everywhere (breaking the illusions of preservation) and the general car traffic. Imagine how incredible walking around Santa Fe could be if the streets were all car free and some kind of historic surface.
i live in santa fe, and the architecture makes sense downtown. but in the neighborhoods everyone hates having to follow the brown stucco and santa fe style. The flat top roofs are awful because the water piles up when it rains which causes water damage on our ceilings. Only some of the areas downtown are walkable, a lot of the sidewalks are extremely thin and don’t provide any protection from cars speeding past you. often times i would have to park 4-5 blocks away and have to walk on dangerous sidewalks. outside of downtown the rest of santa fe is super car dependent, it’s impossible to do anything without a car, and the public transportation system is terrible. the zoning in santa fe means i live in a suburban sprawl where nothing but houses can exist in a 3 mile radius. even driving to walmart take me more than 20 mins because i have to zigzag through all these neighborhoods. i never understood why people would want to live in santa fe, it’s a very small town with nothing to do. i think of santa fe as a place that people would want to visit maybe once and never go back
Food for thought: does forcing every building in a city to match a unified historical architectural style cheapen the significance of the real historic buildings and districts?
I am probably the umpteenth person to point this out, but the AT&SF mainline never actually made it to Santa Fe. The Santa Fe station was in Lamy and they may have ran a service from there. In order to get the NMRX to Santa Fe entirely new trackage had to be built north of Waldo into Santa Fe until it connected with the line from Lamy.
I've visited Santa Fe a few times in the last couple of years and I remember Cerillos street being a huge car traffic artery. Aside from the downtown area the city as a whole did not seem very pedestrian friendly.
Correct, and I'm surprised he didn't address this. Aside from the small area of The pedestrian downtown, virtually none of the rest of the larger city is pedestrian-friendly at all. In fact, the city itself really doesn't feel like a city. It feels like a suburb that happens to have a tourist oriented dense tiny center.
@@GarrisIiari Yes! That's a perfect way to describe it. I never could put into words what the city feels like but you described it perfectly. The only reason I've ever gone there was to visit a good friend who lives there because he works at the lab.
Having lived in the second largest city in NM for almost 8 years, I can't help but throw some shade at Santa Fe, a place that doesn't really capture NM. I only went there right before I left the state to visit Meow Wolf and was shocked at the crazy high prices for basic things completely out of line with what one would pay in Cruces, or even ABQ. One way to summarize many parts of the state is a small town/city has a plaza. That plaza will contain; a church, a gazebo and historic looking shops. I learned to at least appreciate the adobe and abobe-ish building style, but was not a fan of the actual adobe walls in my place with its leaky roof during the monsoons. The walls made sense during the dust storm season and it was nice to be able to cycle year round though not past 9am in the summer. However, the absolute addiction to cars/trucks/driving that most New Mexicans have completely blew my mind. I lived in downtown Cruces and would walk to the downtown for yoga, drinks, events etc. More than once, people stopped to ask me if I needed a lift b/c I was walking. And no, I don't think it was some weird creep trying to pick me up - it was the very thought of walking anywhere! Students would miss lectures at the university because they couldn't find parking - close to their building. Despite having the cheapest parking of any university I have ever known, and even free parking for students - if you walked 15 minutes which at many other universities is the standard distance you may have to walk to your next class. This also baffled me since it is a commuter school with most students living locally in multi-generational households or with all family within the community keeping it close knit. If you have to drive to campus then take advantage of that free parking, right? Wrong! Circle around the Horseshoe hoping for that spot to open for your class. It is really ironic since a lot of people do cycle in NM, but they see it only from a recreational perspective but not practical. Commuting to work by bike was nice - only not possible from mid-May-September unless dying of heat stroke was something you were into. I also could not get over the number of stroads/strip malls in the areas of newer development on the East Mesa. Many people moved there to live someplace that visually looked different but still needed their safe stores and brands close by. The lack of variety of cuisine was always a sore spot for me personally as you can only eat so many slightly different variations of New Mexican cuisine - though I miss the chips and salsa bar. However, the North/South bias in state politics and subsequent priorities drove me mad as Southern NM never got any real attention from the Roundhouse. A train from Cruces to ABQ would have been nice. A train from Cruces to El Paso and the airport would have been amazing . . . but those are just dreams. Because in New Mexico you drive - how else would you get there?
That's a gross oversimplification. Rich people aren't ruining it, it's just the end results of what Santa Fe did for its economic development a very long time ago. Santa Fe is, impressively, something like the third biggest art market in the US after New York and Miami. For a city of about 100,000, that's incredibly impressive, and is going to bring along with it some serious wealth and seriously wealthy residents, for better or worse. The rich people weren't an unfortunate side effect, they were they goal.
I'm surprised CityNerd didn't show how the buildings of many national chains get forced into the Santa Fe building codes. It's always funny to me seeing, for instance, a McDonald's done in pueblo style architecture
So we DID spot you on the streets in SF a few weeks ago. Living between Abq and SF in a rural area called Placitas, I confess we are usually in the car. But on weekends, we usually head to SF for the day, as its very enjoyable and easy to run errands, farmers market, movies, hiking trails, etc and much of it on foot. Much better than in Abq, which is dismally decrepit. Hope you enjoyed the time in NM.
I got enough of Santa Fe in a week. That being said, I love that it’s there for all the people who really love it. Variety is great, even when it’s created using uniform building standards. Albuquerque is just down the road for anyone who wants to live in the area, but not in Santa Fe.
@@evanhughes1510 It wasn’t ski season, but we did go up that way. I have roots in NM, and have been all over. Like many western vacation areas, I just don’t see myself living there. If I had bought a place in a ski area back when that was doable, I’d be enjoying it, but still couldn’t live in one year round. I’m not that much into art or food, and can’t stand the politics of the terminally out of touch who don’t realize it.
As someone who grew up in New Mexico, I've been to Santa Fe a few times, and I feel a little conflicted on it. Notably, the downtown was probably my first experience with walkable urbanism - when I've stayed in a nearby hotel I'd never have to take a car anywhere once I was actually there. And the uniform architectural style is quite charming. But it's also very expensive, and I'm sure the architectural requirements negatively impacts things (although I'm sure if developers had some creativity they could make some decent, medium-density housing that fits the style).
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Can you do a topic on Albuquerque? I have enjoyed your videos and perspective on design, transportation, and cities!
Sante Fe Opera is quite famous in Opera circles. An open air venue outside of town. Summer season when most Opera houses in US are closed. Lots of tailgating plus there is shuttle buses.
Been waiting for this one! Santa Fe is definitely a unique city. Only other places that remind me of it are St. Augustine Florida and bits and pieces of downtown Golden Colorado 🙂
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Green or red?
you dont sound very excited when talking about santa fe
@@superhussein He rarely sounds excited.😀
More small cities should require themed architecture. The next closest city that does this is Cape May New Jersey. It is worth checking out. They were also one of the first cities in America to create a pedestrian only main street which they did all the way back in 1970.
I lived in Santa Fe as a regional transportation planner for over a year and the long term residents there are all in on car culture. An attempt was recently made to pedestrianize a portion of Gallisteo street leading to the plaza (if I remember correctly) and it was met with screams of city corruption, real estate interests, money grabs, etc. One of the most nimby cities I’ve ever been to and lived in and I’ve also lived in Southern California. That said, the state is one of the most rural states in the country and so having a car is definitely a necessity. Transit outside of Santa Fe and abq is limited to demand response transit tailored towards seniors as New Mexico is also one of the oldest populations in the country. As a car free resident of nyc who is a huge champion of multimodal transportation, get a rental car if you visit Santa Fe or New Mexico broadly. The best parts of the state are the state parks/hiking trails, Native American pueblos, historic ruins/cave dwellings, and small towns. If you only have a day in Santa Fe, don’t miss Meow Wolf.
*sigh* but at least Santa Fe is rural being justifying the nimbyism for the short run
That is extremely frustrating. I was planning to move to Santa Fe and bus to work if I had gotten a job with LANL. How long ago were you there though?
Ha, I should make a Meow Wolf video, I went to the one in Vegas too. So fun! Yeah, really the most spectacular spots in teh state are only accessible by car. But if you're just flying into ABQ and visiting Santa Fe, I really think Rail Runner +walk/bike/bus and occasional ridehail works well.
@@micosstar it’s not rural at all tf
I actually lived in Santa Fe for a few months without a car. I spent the first few days missing the bus bc I did not know it was the bus. They looked like paratransit that takes people to their doctor appointments. My father was in the hospital at the time and it was difficult to travel to Albuquerque to fly out to see Pop. The bus drivers were very nice to me since my son is Native American (I'm mixed myself) and would stop for me even when it was not a bus stop. I ended up moving to ABQ bc of the transportation issues where they had free trolleys as well as traditional bus service. I walked most places, even in the heat. I think it's a lot better now with train service between the two cities. In the end I could never adjust to the slower pace
I'm from Santa Fe, and I grew up here, and I'm also an architecture student. Growing up here, I was mostly interacting with the long-time Hispano (Nuevomexicano) residents of the city.
We sort of have three distinct populations, that being the wealthy transplants who have supplanted all of Downtown and the Eastside from their former Hispano residents, who now have had to move to other parts of the city, or out of it altogether, into Albuquerque and Rio Rancho; and then on the Southside (the nose of the horse), there's a larger recent-immigrant population of Mexicans and Central Americans. It has always frustrated me that the most historic and most walkable parts of town have been dispossessed of their historical Hispano populations, and is now mostly exclusive to wealthier residents. Plus the fact that new housing development, and especially affordable housing development is all relegated to much less pedestrian-friendly areas. It seems completely counterintuitive to me to not have more housing in the most walkable areas. Before the realty and investment offices and turquoise and rug and boot and hat stores, downtown used to be a place with actual grocery stores and department stores and places for normal residents.
That being said, up until the 1940's and 1950's-ish, adobe was the default way to build in New Mexico (and Spanish was the majority language of New Mexico until the same timeframe), because that's what had been used historically, and so that's what the common practice was. So more of what you see is authentic than you'd think. The difference is that it was common to build buildings of many styles out of earthen materials (just look at the old Italianate Huning Castle that used to exist in Albuquerque, made out of terron, a type of earthen brick), so it really is strange to have a condition where a lot of buildings that look adobe aren't, and a lot of historical buildings that don't look adobe actually are. It was only with increasing Anglicization and the increased American-influence post-war that these changes rapidly set themselves to make New Mexico more typical of that of the rest of the US. There's a widespread perception of Santa Fe as "adobe Disneyland," both as a way of putting it down by outsiders, and as a way of criticizing outsiders/wealthy transplants/tourists for not understanding that this is an actual place that people live and work and have an actual culture and background dating back hundreds of years.
As a Nuevomexicano, and someone who's really a proponent of architecture and urbanism, I think it is really important to honor the context and the history and the surroundings. I think it would be a shame to let modern architectural style fads diminish that. Just look at the rest of Northern New Mexico outside of Santa Fe to see what's still extant out there. Modern architecture should really embrace the concept of place that we've formed as one of the most historic regions in the nation, and that doesn't mean faking it or being set in stone, but incorporating those sensibilities into how we design buildings and spaces for the current era.
The gas stations and ihops with fake adobe are OBNOXIOUS. I'm fine if an apartment building or hotel leans into the style. Having the city enforce all buildings to look like they're made of adobe adds to the housing costs. Santa Fe is the exact opposite of Houston in planning and zoning and the more expensive housing shows.
@@PASH3227LOL how are you gonna compare Houston to Santa Fe 😂
@@PASH3227 yeah, that WOULD be obnoxious...........if there were such things. ~Santa Fe resident
Has adherence to traditional architecture made the new buildings better adapted to the climate than the average American building style? I noticed smaller and fewer windows on a lot of the buildings that would allow less heat from direct sunlight and the covered walkways in front of the stores would do the same.
a great, informative comment, thank you
i honestly love an intentional coherent city design style. this reminds me of the building design codes in kyoto.
Once he started talking, I realize I like visiting Santa Fe and the French Quarter because they have an intentional style
kyoto was the first thought i had too.
I agrée!
Quite commonplace in the great historic cities of Europe (especially the UNESCO world heritage listed ones) - and as with Santa Fe, people vote with their presence and tourist dollars.
I agree. So many cities look generic. Even though it was done for tourism, I like that Santa Fe has a unique style based on the city's own history. I've never been there, but now I want to visit.
One thing that would make Santa Fe more car-free accessible is if the Rail Runner had an extension to the ABQ airport. Right now, it looks like you have to take a bus from the airport to the Rail Runner station. Once you also factor in the 15-minute walk (though doable) from the Santa Fe station to the plaza, I can see why people opt to just drive there when visiting. We also drove to Santa Fe this summer as part of our cross-country move, so we definitely contributed to it (though it also doesn't help that Amtrak wouldn't allow our dog on their trains), but I do agree there's a lot of potential to make Santa Fe's historic center completely car free.
Indeed!
More Airport Rail Links!
I wish one could cycle to the airport, too
I totally agree. I'm from LA but have a soft spot for Santa Fe and try to go a few times a year. I have driven in a few times, as well as flown, and there are pros and cons to both methods. I hated Santa Fe Municipal Airport (plus it costs way more to fly in/out of there vs. ABQ) and would love a more direct connection to get from ABQ to SF. I don't mind the bus to make the connection to the train, but obviously it'd be more efficient time-wise, plus you'd remove a step to get people on transit if you were able to get on from the airport.
In some countries, 15-minute walk is "factor", is some countries it is called "a one-kilometer stroll that a normal person does not even acknowledge".
As a ABQ Metro Resident I agree, there have been talks to connect the Sunport (yes we call it that) to the Convention Center which is next to a Rail Runner Station. Also, the city provides free fare for all so at least you don’t have to pay for the bus.
@@jacobstimmel7136ABQuerño as well. The city could very easily put in tram/rail/dedicated bus lanes throughout a lot of the city because most of the stroads have a huge as median in the middle. You just only use 2 of the 4 lanes for cars and convert the other 2 lanes for other transportation.
Also for some reason I really dig the idea of an inverted monorail circumnavigating the city even though I know there are better cheaper options.
One thing that I was missing in the video was to mention how much sense it makes to emulate a building style that predates the invention of AC when building a city in the dessert. It's kinda crazy for me to see that in the US the houses in the scortching hot south look incredibly similar to the ones up in the north. Modern technology makes this possible, but it makes a lot of sense and it is a lot more efficient to use traditional methods to go most of the way.
my pet peeve is how so many suburbs are absolutely lacking in street trees. My neighborhood is pathetic thst way, and my town gets above 100 multiple days per summer
I live in an original 19th century adobe in Santa Fe, and have no need of A/C. Plus my old school iron radiators keep it toasty in winter. It's the perfect material for the landscape.
Um, while it does get warm in SF, it sits at about 6,500 ft which does limit how warm it gets. Nights are very cool, even in summer. It also is very dry and if the house is planned right one can run a swamp cooling system to cool the house when necessary. I grew up in ABQ (which is warmer at 5,000 ft) and we had central heat, but cooling was done with a swamp cooler. Please look them up, they are MUCH more efficient than central air, but are limited to locations with very low humidity which fits most of NM very well. Also, in high elevation, low humidity regions, shade works very well. In Santa Fe (which we used to call ‘Fanta Se’) I’d be more worried about staying warm. Winter nights there can be brutal with low humidity and high elevation (doesn’t hold the heat very well), single degree F nights are common. Finally, the ‘brick floor, thick adobe’ style is cooler in summer than you’d think, the trick is to avoid the strong sun (shade) and have the house cool in the night. It’s modern houses with few windows and few directions for breezes to pass through the house that have cooling issues.
@@philiparonson8315 Santa Fe has rarely or never hit 100°. You need a heater but not any air conditioner. I grew up without even a swamp cooler there.
@@brianmiller5444 Phoenix isn't like this, where do you live?
From an outsider perspective, I like it. In Europe in tons of cities you have the center, which is historical, walkable, beautiful... And then you have the newer areas, which all more or less look the same, irrespective of culture, geography and history: big blocky concrete buildings. Santa Fe is maybe pushing it a little bit, but it's really cool that they enforce new buildings to reflect the historic and cultural realities of the area.
It really does get discouraging seeing the lengths people will go to just to avoid walking even a tiny bit in the U.S. Walking through a city, taking in the aesthetics, connecting with people as you go, getting easy exercise while going about your daily activities...these are things that contribute to a thriving community of happy people.
Or at least walk on vacation! Toddling around with luggage IS unpleasant. But IMO people will overuse whatever is most convenient, and for most that's Uber. If I were arriving by train I would have inquired into a hotel shuttle.
The worst part about it is the on-street parking in places you actually want to walk around in the US is almost always FULL or a pain in the ass to pay for, so the end result is both a wall of cars AND the need to walk a distance from somewhere else. To me, free and large/maneuverable multi-storey parking structures are the best solution. If you're going into a busy area, you know exactly where you're going to park, how far it is from your destination, and no need to allocate stress-laden time to 'find parking.' I get that there's older people that can't walk far, but we all know the real reason this doesn't happen is because of lazy people, codes, and businesses that think they'll get less traffic.
@@erawanpencilhow many of the people who “can’t walk that far” are in that state because of a lifetime of overeating and zero exercise? Note I am not generalizing this to everyone or even most people, but around 50% of the American population could be classified as obese? (I am a sugar addict myself so am not lean at all. But I also force myself to walk and cycle)
I always walk as much as possible and never let the anti-pedestrian crowd stop me.
@@brianmiller5444 A huge portion you're right. But there's a lot who were healthy and in old age and can't walk well... the solution is to use a wheelchair, not allow parking everywhere. I get that there's prideful elderly people who don't want to but isolating at home isn't a solution either.
I lived up in the mountains of Santa Fe near a bus stop, but most of the time I walked downtown. It was just such a pleasant stroll. And even though I could head up the mountain for a nice hike through nature, I would usually head down into the city. The architecture felt natural: the brown earth, the blue sky, and the wood of the trees. Sometimes I would just walk to the library to read and head back home before the sun set.
it's pretty cool to see a city have such a distinct architecual identity. one has to commend them for putting in the effort to preserve and enforce historical design.
no its fake they pushed out the locals for these fake buildings thats is why downtown santa fe is only for old white people. in the 1920s the made this fake city look up john meem
Santa Fe could be so cool with more pedestrian spaces. The ones they already have do look so different than most cities in the US. Great video
Santa Fe wasn’t created on a grid, it’s mostly some old carriage trails that eventually got paved …. Albuquerque was designed on a grid so there’s way more room for walkways+ cars. All of the roads make sense and mostly lead you in one direction unless you turn. Santa Fe you will turn west and and up traveling east 😆
I have traveled all over the US and Santa Fe is one of my favorite places. The colors are magical, and it feels completely unique. The history is incredible and it feels like stepping back in time. Just my personal opinions. Great video!!
you must be old and white only old white people in turqoise and cowboy hats like santa fe
Santa Fe is a beautiful city. The "monotone" color is not off-putting. Go there during the Christmas holidays. It's magical! ❤ Tourquoise is everywhere around New Mexico. If you are in southern NM go to Mesilla to experience a mini version of the square. Parking and the car situation does suck in Santa Fe. Will you do an Albuquerque video?
You probably didn't notice this much as a non-driver, but Santa Fe's street network is full of weird one-ways, sharp curves, and lanes that appear and disappear as if by magic. It's maddening sometimes to navigate, even if the GPS is on. I typically find some place to park, usually near the capitol, and then spend a few hours downtown on foot. It would be great if more of the city were accessible without a car - most of the less expensive housing is pretty far from downtown.
The old part of Santa Fe is built like a spider web with the plaza in the center. The long strings of the web were once wagon trails. There wasn't a lot of city planning back then.
Bear in mind that the storied Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad never reached any of those cities. For Santa Fe they ran a spur from the main line south of town. The Denver and Rio Grande did run from Denver to Santa Fe, but was narrow gauge.
I live in Topeka, the birthplace of the railroad, and most certainly assure you that they DID go here, and continued to do so until the merger. They also had a line to Atchison, but it got torn up in the 80’s. The station in Santa Fe is ex-ATSF, although it was served via Lamy (the tourist train’s route), and not directly from Albuquerque.
At their peak they did offer a one-seat ride from Chicago to LA.
In response to your statement at 1:07, " Maybe I'm just weird..." Yes, you are but, in the best way possible!
You are bringing your enthusiasm for the possibilities of cities to be great to more people and you're doing it with an artist's flair. Seeing things through your eyes is uplifting and positive. Thank you.
Embrace your weirdness!
"This is CityNerd, uplifting and positive content on cities and transportation" just doesn't have the same ring to it
The foundations of the "oldest church" and "oldest house" you show several times were actually already there when the Spanish arrived. The Tlaxclalans who built the church and the house used the foundations of an older pueblo that was abandoned in 1300 I think. That whole area south of the Santa Fe River was designated for the Tlaxclalan allies (who also helped the Spanish defeat the Aztec) who came with the Spanish when they conquered NM.
Do you have a source on this? Not disputing just wanting to know more.
That explains Alto street 😏
I think some of those pueblos are even older
@@calepatterson4093I think he’s
hundreds and hundreds of miles off. The Pueblo nations in New Mexico have nothing to do with the Nahuatl speaking nations in Central Mexico. See the map in Wikipedia for an understanding of where the Tlaxcala lived and ruled.
Oops. I was partly wrong. Some did come with the Spanish, but the original inhabitants far predated the Tlaxcalans and the pueblos were built by the original, still extant , nations
wow! fascinating. Thanks for the info. :) 😃
It's not on street parking that's the issue, it's that they put it in the middle of the area instead of on the periphery. Picking a few of the core streets to be car free but keeping parking on the surrounding side streets would be the way to go. It'd also give them the chance to do a little street-scaping instead of the monolithic slabs of cement and asphalt that they currently have.
I don't understand how they still allow street parking in town on Alameda. Especially with the number of oversized trucks and SUVs we have with TX plates.
Santa Fe really needs better transportation down to the southwest from downtown around Cerrillos. The popularity of Meow Wolf cannot be understated, and Cerrillos is about as stroady as you can get, making it really hard to get to the immersive art without being immersed in dangerous walking environments.
I think a BRT route from the 599 rail runner station up to the downtown/capitol district, and making the blocks surrounding the plaza fully pedestrianized would both do wonders for the urban environment.
Route 2 (which is Cerillos I think?) actually runs every 15 minutes on weekdays, which is actuallly pretty good frequency for a bus line in a city of 100K! I know what you're saying though
I love walking around downtown Santa Fe but would NOT be comfortable walking down Cerillos. The traffic is intense and the sidewalks are really close to the road. Unfortunately, Santa Fe is pretty spread out, and most of the affordable "normal" shops (like groceriey stores) are a few miles down Cerillos.
Also, someone would need a car if they wanted to go explore outside of the city, especially the mountains and small northern settlements.
The city has revised its bike, plan and transportation plans, which include more traffic, calming roundabouts, dedicated bike lanes(bishops lodge rd) which has the expected resistance. From the drivers. The resistance to eliminating of traffic downtown might come from a lot of locals also (i am, but not me). Those are the people that are car dependent and of course atr going to resist such measures. I wish the city would put work into making the southside more walkable such a Airport Road. @@CityNerd
more new mexico content please, what a bizarre but interesting place
Yes! And please cover Albuquerque. I thought it was way more walkable than most US cities, with the possible exception of New Orleans.
Would love to go.
A trip to Silver City is worthwhile and Deming is just waiting to be discovered.
I went to Roswell last month and thought about doing a video about UFO-based tourism but there's just wasn't enough to talk about
@@toddinde A trip to Silver City is worthwhile if you're looking for a really reasonably priced education in the strip mining arts (or meth), and not otherwise. Deming is just waiting to be demolished. If the water table drops another inch, Deming will spontaneously combust.
i grew up in albuquerque, and went up to santa fe almost once a month - field trips, with family. it was usually in the back of my mind how downtown felt a lot like a tourist destination, like old town in ABQ. it's not really a city I ever thought about living in.
I've talked to a lot of young bartenders and service folk wokring and I always ask them "what is there to do around here at night?" Answer is its an old people town and the streets basically roll up at 9 except for couple of locations.
So a lot house parties
Old Town ABQ is a whole other topic I have thoughts on
I grew up in Santa Fe and now live in Albuquerque. Santa Fe is more beautiful but Albuquerque is friendlier.
I enjoy playing tourist in my hometown but I don't want to live there.
I'm also an Albuquerque local. Santa Fe very much feels like the Las Vegas strip tourist place. Very nice to walk around, get lunch, and enjoy a festival event. But the real gems are hidden out in the sprawling suburbs and take some networking to find these locals' favorites.
There should either be a rail line from Santa Fe to Las Vegas, NM or just a frequent bus to Larmy regardless of Amtrak frequency (although a second train to El Paso would be nice)
The video fails to mention one of the drawbacks of the Railrunner. It does not go directly to the Albuquerque International Airport. I believe that that's a major reason for it's low ridership. If I remember correctly, the car-rental companies and shuttle companies lobbied against it.
Really great last sentence. It perfectly sums up what ‘we’ who follow your adventures desire. Not to pretend to want to have people centric vibrant communities. But actually go the distance and do it. I’m a huge fan of your work and am sympathetic to an occasional dark turn in your videos (WallE reference). Cheers Nerd
I go to Santa Fe a lot for work, and it's a shame that the best parts of Santa Fe in terms of vibe are the more spread out, suburban sprawl development areas along Cerrillos (st)Road in the south & west ends of the city. The beautiful, walkable center of town seems to be the exclusive domain of rich white people obsessed with "experiencing" Native American culture through the medium of high-end consumerism. I always have a much better time hanging out in the more working-class, quotidian areas that are inaccessible without cars.
yup
In August 2018 I visited Santa Fe and did a lot of walking and exploring. I agree with you that nowhere looks truly “historic” or “authentic” with cars parked everywhere. If you’re talking about cities built to discourage cars, Santa Fe certainly discourages people like me who abhor having to parallel park! But why can’t we have more pedestrian-only zones? They are healthier not just because they force you to walk, but you’re not inhaling internal combustion fumes while doing so.
To that last point, you could make the argument "electric cars will be the norm in a decade anyway". Of course that doesn't make the area safe for pedestrians in all the other ways...
Santa Barbara, CA also has codes on how buildings must be designed. In their case Spanish missionary style. I think having a unified aesthetic is what gives a city a sense of place. That's why I can look at almost any random street in Paris and know it's Paris. I wish it was like this in more American cities.
Santa Barbara didn't originally have a unified style, but after an earthquake in 1925 leveled the brick downtown area they decide to rebuild in mission style.
It looks good downtown. It starts to look a little more absurd and Taco Bell-ish when applied to strip mall developments with chain stores.
I generally like it, except when it becomes an excuse to cancel projects. I've often parodied Santa Barbara architecture review as "your arches are the wrong shade of tan and your parking lot is too big and you don't have enough off-street parking." ;)
I live in Brooklyn, and I find it frustrating that extremely wealthy neighborhoods like Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights get to use historic preservation as a shield to exclude more affordable housing typologies.
There's no good reason for that... lots of historic housing is microscopic by today's standards!
Park Slope is extremely dense. Personally I would infill Queens
Why is that frustrating? There are a thousand neighborhoods in NYC. Lots of them have affordable housing. So, some neighborhoods can't have exquisite, historically preserved, expensive housing? Why not? Such areas are so wonderful to visit, even if you can't afford them.
Do you know what would happen to these neighborhoods if historic preservation was not a thing?
I think you are being class conscious and rather condescending. You are being pretentiously unpretentious.
@@andyiswonderful Those last two lines read like something straight out of a cartoon in The New Yorker.
Funny how YIMBY'S never demand the redevelopment of Staten Island. Too busy bootlicking for cops and Mayor Adams.
When I flew into the Santa Fe airport last year, it was quite a shock to find out there were no busses between the airport and city center. And Lyft and Uber are not very plentiful out there either.
Wait. What? How did you get to the city centre? I suppose that a taxi is necessary.
@@eugenetswong I had to wait nearly an hour for a Lyft to be available.
I guess that is why the only thing in the terminal at the airport is multiple car rental companies. Lol
Santa Fe airport isn't really designed for commercial passenger travel. It is more for bringing your own plane.
@@kylehendra6740 hahah from the looks of it, yeah!
Being a capital city though, they should do better 😝
@@eugenetswongPeople don’t really use Santa Fe. ABQ is the prominent airport (‘sunport’)
I love Santa Fe. I wish the rail runner ran more trains though - it wasn't an option to take it from the sunport when I got in... they only ran like 3 trains that day. They also need to connect it to the sunport. It's annoying to have to take a 30 minute bus from the airport to the train station to get to the rail runner, although probably not as annoying as waiting in line at the car rental and then driving an hour up 25.
Some of the stroads surrounding downtown Santa Fe could use a diet for sure - lots of very fast and loud traffic around there. But a lot of the more residential streets are narrow and some are even one-way traffic. Those streets were really pleasant to walk on. Would like to see more of that
Wow! How do you tell which day the train runs only three times a day? I’m thinking of flying into Albuquerque and taking the train and walking everywhere.
@@enjoyslearningandtravel7957 Look up the Rail Runner. It has a schedule. I think that it runs less often on the weekends.
I used to visit friends in Santa Fe and it's really a small town and a bit monotonous. It's one large tourist trap with carbon-copy shops and trinkets. Like Vegas, I could only take it for 2-3 days at a time once or twice a year. Once you eat at the 3-4 nice places, you're done.
There's definitely some cool things in Santa Fe, but I think there are good alternatives if you want a cool New Mexico experience without being in such a touristy/$$$ place. Someone else in this thread mentioned Mesilla, and I think I enjoyed my visit there and Las Cruces more than I enjoyed Santa Fe.
Hi, CityNerd, i gotta say - I really love your channel! As a Gringo that lived in Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico for 7 years (at the behest of my ex-wife - btw I actually stayed there longer than she did), I appreciate the submission, although I should point out that there is a whole other Santa Fe on the west side - the Barrio - that is an alternative existence to the downtown tourist culture that you covered in this video. As part of the white culture, I admit your video brought back a lot of nostalgia for the entertaining, but very car-centric, downtown (I moved from NM to Western Massachusetts in 2000). But there remains a lot of issues in The City Different (or The City Diffident as people referred to it then). Low wages; high housing costs. Extreme social stratification. Same as it was in 1993 when we moved there… After a couple of years in Santa Fe, in the mid nineties, I moved north to Española (some White real estate agent called it the “armpit of New Mexico” when I was first trying to find housing there). After gaining the trust of the local inhabitants (some had family going back hundreds of years there), I realized what a wonderful, community-oriented people they are! The local cuisine (try El Paragua) is unbelievable. Despite the challenges, high crime, very high poverty rate), there is a rich culture underneath the surface that, I think, is yet to be fully discovered. I only hope that people who visit the wonders of Santa Fe also take time to travel north to the Hispanic highlands and learn about the rich culture that lies there.
People make the place. 1/4 of the population of Santa Fe are 65+ retirees. I'm sorry but I just can't with these sorts of places. I'm not "age-ist" but this demographic is making places unaffordable, and they aren't exactly making places interesting or exciting. That said, I bet Santa Fe was nice before it became unaffordable because the style is certainly unique.
I'm 22, Santa Fe is my hometown. You are 100% on point with this. The bulk of activity sponsored by the city is meant solely for tourists or the retirement population. Even cool niche local things like meow Wolf have become unaffordable and honestly unenjoyable because of how unbelievably packed they get, or just plain forgotten about. Local parks that were fresh when I was a kid have just been left to rot. I love this place, but there's not a lot of things to do as a non-milionaire local that won't empty your wallet...
Hey you are living in ABQ, I had no idea! Maybe I'll run into you some time at Michael Thomas coffee or on the Rail Runner. My wife and I take our young daughter on Rail Runner day-trips to Santa Fe about every other month. I feel SO lucky that we have this service in New Mexico. Honestly just astonishing for such a poor state. It shows that it really is just priorities when it comes to building this sort of stuff. Having worked a lot in Santa Fe over the years, and used the Rail Runner for commuting (not just joy-rides), I've noticed the same thing how car-centric SF is. Like, why aren't all four streets around the plaza closed? What is the purpose of having street-side parking by the plaza? And to your point, you really only showed one small part of Santa Fe. You skipped the sprawling stroad-y mess that heads southwest from downtown. Also the giant parking lot next to the second-to-last Rail Runner stop. That should be converted to housing for sure.
This looks like a lifestyle center that became a city
It was the other way around. The rich gringos came in the 1980s and gentrified it all and put the old people living in the city center out. Turned it into a Disneyland for the Rich. My family has lived here for 400 years, and I can tell you the whites largely replaced the working class Hispanics living here with rich white people from other places.
It’s actually the opposite. Santa Fe is my hometown. I feel very privileged to have grown up there-I always walked to and from school, always felt safe, and felt a good deal of pride in our sense of community-a community that included people of all income levels. At one time there was a Woolworth’s and a JCPenney downtown and a bus station just three blocks away from the plaza. As time went on and the word got out about the beautiful setting and architecture, and rich cultural life there, coastal elites swarmed in and downtown was transformed into an outdoor shopping mall for wealthy tourists and recently arrived residents. There was also a lot of undeveloped land on the outskirts, all of which is now covered in cookie cutter fauxdobe tract houses. Visiting now always makes me a little sad.
Or a city that became a lifestyle center
Nah santa fe has better urbanism than 99% of america and better than 100% of US cities of comparable size
@@ecurewitzExactly!
From India I was in USA in 2011.My host took us around LasVegas, Albuquerque ( enjoyed balloon ride), Santa Fe. In SanteFe it was cool, calm and no crowded but scenic roads. It started to rain and weather became more chill giving a soothing feel which I cherish even today. We visited the native Indian shops spread across the floor of building premises where one shopkeeper remarked ' yes we are all Indians' and this brought me all the more closer to Santa Fe. We travelled through Sedona as well. Yes Santa Fe resembles Sedona in many respects. Santa Fe has left a lovely life-time memory for me.
9:50 "if you wanna do the santa fe margarita trail and try 40 of the city's best agave-based beverages, you're probably going to have to do it by car." There needs to be more public transit in Santa Fe, at the very least along the trail so drunk driving accidents are decreased lol
My favourite part of this channel is the way you have elevated sarcasm to supreme art 😂 but seriously, you do a great job of highlighting points by not stating the obvious. Bravo!
😂 especially the part: "if you do the margarita trail, you're probably gonna be driving. in unrelated news, New Mexico leads the nation in pedestrian deaths " ☠
I agree with your final comment. I’m surprised that a failing US town or neighborhood hasn’t gone all-in on pedestrianization, just as Santa Fe went all in on ersatz Pueblo design. It’s an excellent way to differentiate your place from everywhere else. Car-free is a bright future for a town with enough guts to implement it.
Towns dont want to go bankrupt in order to satisfy the cult of "I hate cars".
This has been considered actually in some failing areas, but there has been concerns that that would attract wealthier individuals and gentrification would end up pushing out the existing residents. You can see in a different post here by somebody who is a Santa Fe native that just that process is what happened to downtown Santa Fe many decades ago to lead to the current afluent demographic, pushing out original residents.
@@GarrisIiariI’m going to say that the pushing out is due to property taxes not being fixed at the time of purchase of a home anywhere in the US that I know of. Property values will always go up when places become more livable but developers count on the impossible inflating property taxes to flip entire neighborhoods. If they can refurbish even one home, all the original residents are punished and forced to sell to escape the property tax explosion.
I think another dimension to the abundance of cars in Santa Fe is its proximity to national parks in that entire region. Nearly unlimited possibilities of day trips out to a different canyons, mesas, and parks. Yes, I definitely think the downtown area should not have street parking so that it can be truly pedestrian friendly and additional local transit will help move people around the city. But I don't think the cars will go away because there is still a significant number of people passing through Santa Fe on a road trip or going out to national parks from Santa Fe.
Here in Denver, people in a certain upscale neighborhood are fighting a bike lane because it takes away from the aesthetic character of the surrounding historical homes. The hidden agenda, of course, is car privilege yet again. Hearing about the preservation of car domination in Santa Fe (and, ironically, seeing its eyesore consequences) suggests to me that there is a direct line from there to here, and it ain't by train.
Lol the Nextdoor app comments on those bike lanes/poles are great. "Those poor homeowners on 7th avenue who bought pricey homes now have their property values at risk! Oh the humanity!"
@@alechagen6291 Would a bike lane actually reduce property values? Bikes are quieter than cars. I’d _love_ it if some of the auto traffic on the road outside my house was replaced by bike traffic.
You just have to live in Denver for a while to understand. There is no arguing with insanity.@@amicaaranearum
As opposed to all those historic SUVs that are parked there now? ;)
As a New Mexican I love the Santa Fe highlight, so nice to hop on a train in Albuquerque and spend the day walking or biking around beautiful Santa Fe! Only thing I will say is that the ‘Santa Fe Style’ is more Spanish Pueblo Revival and less Colonial. Meant to emulate the Spanish Colonial Pueblos that are around us such as Quarai, Gran Quivira, Santa Clara, Taos Pueblo, and even Albuquerque started as Spanish-invaded Indigenous Pueblos.
Would it be a stretch to say that Santa Fe reminds me a lot of Sedona, AZ? Both are mostly walkable and have a lot of great history and scenery, but they’re also dominated by the wealthy and tourists, meaning lots and lots of expensive restaurants and tourist traps with almost nothing in between. Not to mention the color pallets being very similar and equally strict.
It would be a stretch.....Sedona is fake, full of rich retirees and tourists. Santa Fe has those, but they're the minority. Santa Fe is the Capital of NM....who do you think works in all those government buildings. It's a vibrant city, full of parks and schools and shopping centers and entertainment, and...........
LOL Sedona. My sister and her husband made a big deal about visiting the McDonald's there, which was the only McDonald's successfully forced out of its red and yellow corporate branding and into the brown and turquoise Sedona approved colors.
Sedona has no history and little culture, it had only about 55 people around 1900. Lots of natural beauty though. Santa Fe has world-class museums, chamber music, and the Santa Fe Opera.
I grew up in Santa Fe. Santa Fe has way more history but I do get a somewhat familiar vibe from Sedona.
Whether in residential or commercial architecture, I find courtyards to be the most tragic loss when adapting a European style into an American application. Street parking is ruining that chance for an organic meeting place of humans that is not focused on consumerism. And really with houses of these styles, you'll often see courtyards replaced by garages... What will it take for our country to embrace the magic of courtyards/plazas??
I should correct myself a bit here, and say the American interpretation of ANY architectural style, not just European ones. As I understand it, the Pueblo Revival is inspired by First Peoples, rather than just Spanish design.
Downsizing roads, for one thing. It's hard to fix after there are improvements along the road.
The geographic and economic contrast between Albuquerque and Santa Fe reminds me a lot of Denver and Boulder. I wonder if there are other examples of smaller, wealthier cities (but not really suburbs) ~1 hour away from a much bigger counterpart. Would love a video on the topic if you think there’s something there to explore!
Could you do a video comparing some of the major Canadian cities? Vancouver isn't exactly a utopia but I just spent some time in Calgary and god it felt like driving across the country just to see friends
I'd like to see that as well.
I definitely wanna get back to Vancouver soon. I've been to Calgary once, a really long time ago, would love to check out Edmonton and Winnipeg too. Toronto...meh
I feel like Toronto is just sprawl.
I remember taking the train across Canada a few times, and decided to stay in a hostel. It was probably the 1st time travelling on my own, and wanted to do it without the help of relatives. The hostel felt so dumpy that I felt like a runaway kid, who disrespected his parents, and was going to be trafficked. I relented the next morning, and asked to stay with my wealthy relatives in a car centric part of Mississauga. hahaha
Montreal & Quebec city were much nicer.@@CityNerd
Edmontonian and former Vancouverite here. I've visited Calgary, and if I had to overall rank the three, I'd rank Vancouver on top, Edmonton 2nd, and Calgary 3rd. Edmonton has more sprawl than Vancouver, but is also doing more to rectify it. Calgary has a nicer downtown than Edmonton, but otherwise has all the problems of Edmonton made even worse, with even more sprawl, a worse bus network, and nightmare freeways, while also lacking the natural vegetation of Edmonton that makes it nicer to be in.
Both are outclassed by Vancouver as it currently stands, but that's because Vancouver didn't do car-dependent suburbia the same way Edmonton and Calgary did. Vancouver is held back by NIMBYism in a way that I feel will make it fall behind, both compared to its direct neighbour Burnaby, as well as Edmonton, which is decidedly YIMBY with quite a few of its recent decisions.
I wouldn't give up hope in Vancouver. NIMBYism might actually help them to resist trendy urbanism in favour of making calculated decisions.@@yaygya
Re Moorish influence: You missed the Scottish Rights Temple just north of the plaza. The word Adobe itself comes from Arabic for sun dried bricks. The Moors brought Horno ovens from Egypt and Hollyhocks flowers, Apricot trees and Acequia irrigation to Spain who brought them here. If you go to the residential areas near downtown you'll find the oldest houses have no exterior windows and an open court yard. Theres a lot of subtle influences if you look.
Could you make a video on Boston? Particularly, your opinions on its walkability and urbanism? I find that individual neighborhoods are walkable but in some ways, the neighborhoods are disconnected in an odd way (such as South End being separated from Back Bay by a highway)
I would love a train from Denver to Santa Fe. Really, the train should go from _at least_ Cheyenne to Albuquerque.
With a stop at the Denver airport.
Any train along the Front Range of Colorado would probably run through downtown Denver. Then an airline passenger would take the A line (also heavy rail) to DIA. To have a major north-south rail line curve way over to DIA instead of running through central Denver would add substantially to the cost and really not make any sense from a practical perspective.
Cheyenne-Denver-Albuquerque-El Paso is the route I would like to see.
Remember 90's hippy earth homes made with hay bails and earth tone stucco? Those were my favorite houses back in the day and I wish more were made. I'd love to live in one and role play as a background character from a Star Wars movie.
They have entire neighborhoods in Taos New Mexico where they still build them today! 100% Off Grid and Self-Sustaining
Lookup Taos earthships
If you’re still touring NM cities, you should consider going to and making a video about Los Alamos. The challenging terrain and land ownership contribute to major housing shortage for LANL employees. The transit system is a weird dichotomy of great coverage but few practica destinations. The whole town itself sends mixed messages, with a surprisingly walkable “downtown” and pedestrian-forward features, yet there is 4-5 lane main stroad for a few blocks, which constricts on one end down to a roundabout, and to two lanes on the other from a recent road diet. This goes back to 5 lanes after another few blocks, all to service a town of only ~15,000. Can’t forget to mention the two pedestrian bridges within 1000 feet. Cycling infrastructure is a mess. The Diamond - Trinity intersection is a must-see for how baffling and out of place it appears.
As touristy and honestly kinda tacky Santa Fe is I do love the style and urban fabric. I wish more of New Mexico's cities took a similar approach. It reminds me of some of the beautiful small towns in Europe I visited where all the buildings were made using the same materials and it had a cohesive style.
Doing it today using city codes is definitely more artificial but it is a representation of an authentic style in New Mexico. What is funny is when the pueblo revival style is copied in Arizona and Southern California, but we also have California Mission Style architecture like the Alvarado station in Abq so it goes both ways.
P.S. Turquoise and coral are given to you as soon as you are born pretty much in Pueblo and NM Hispano communities, wearing it is said to protect you. Also one of the oldest Turquoise mines in the world I believe is just south of Santa Fe in Cerrillos.
Well, it's near Cerrillos, but you need a guide to get you there with permission to go on the land. And the turquoise from that mine is quite green in color. I've been there, but couldn't tell you where it is exactly.
The galleries in Santa Fe have such great wildlife art. In fact, a lot of the southwest is rich with amazing wildlife artists.
santa fe art is a huge rip off front for drugs
Santa Fe is 3rd in the nation for dollars of art sold, behind NYC and LA with roughly 1/90th the population.
@@ziaride look up adam ruins art. I am a local I am telling you the santa fe art scene is a fraud all about money and maybe trafficking. there is hardly any art here that says anything. this is where your grandma goes to buy her nick at nite looking native american art
Excellent video and review, I agree, there definitely needs to be an emphasis on pedestrian-only infrastructure in US cities.
last time i was this early to a citynerd video robert moses was still bulldozing neighborhoods
Hi City Nerd,
I disagree with your opinion on the design standards. If they did not exist, this would be filled with ugly modern glass buildings and feel no different from other cities. Paris is considered one of the most best cities, also having strict design standards. I agree with the rest of your statements. In 2021, the city tried to pass multiple pedestrian street conversions but none passed. This is due to the demographics of the city-old rich white people who come from other states. They drive everywhere and they treat the less well off like they own them or their lives do not matter, even those who have lived here generationally. Much of the true New Mexican population has been largely displaced by the rich whites that live near the city center.
what you don't get is the santa fe style is so fake paris is real which is why it has young people my city didn't perserve anything they erased real history for this garbage look up 99 percent stuccoed in time
Love your videos and pleasantly surprised to see you’re currently hanging out in New Mexico. Any chance of doing a video on the dynamics between the National lab and surrounding communities? The housing situation in Los Alamos is pretty insane, commuter traffic is terrible, and the lab still wants to hire a few thousand more employees. I know small towns aren’t really your thing but I know some labbies who would definitely appreciate the issue getting more attention.
Blue/turquoise doorways are traditional, and long thought to be protective against bad spirits, still popular in local design. Turquoise is just one of many traditional materials used by our local Pueblo and Navajo artisans. New Mexicans wear their jewelry with pride, supporting local artists. There are free shuttles connecting the Railyard to Museum Hill. You must visit the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, and the Museum of International Folk Art!
We've been planning an Amtrak trip to Albuquerque and then the Railrunner to Santa Fe. Looking forward to it. Sorry to hear that the public transportation is not great. We'll still use it, I'm sure.
If I remember correctly, the westbound Southwest Chief always arrived and pretty much always departed from Albuquerque before the afternoon commuter RailRunner trains so there is a good connection there, it's just a short walk on the platform from one train to the other. Looks like the westbound Southwest Chief schedule lines up nicely with the midday RailRunner to Santa Fe
(9:05) Nothing says "tourist town" like a bench too narrow to sit on so that no one can sleep on it.
NYC has installed those types of benches too, not just a tourist town.
Fun facts: the style guidelines were expanded about 15 years ago so that every building in the entire city, not just downtown, needed to be in that style, with a selection of 5 colors of brown to choose from. A few years later, when it was shown that historically these buildings would have been plastered all sorts of colors, they relaxed that part, thankfully.
The 2 pedestrian roads on the plaza were not created for the benefit of pedestrians. They were created to stop people from crusin' the plaza. (Driving around in circles showing off thier cars, trying to pick up girls) which, combined with the selection of which roads are one way which way create a situation where it is nearly impossible to circle around the downtown area.
Also neither the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe nor the Santa Fe Southern railroad actually came through Santa Fe. The closest they came was actually Cerrillios. The spur line from Lamy, where the Sky Railway goes, is the old connection.
Side note, come along the Turquoise Trail at some point! Cerrillios and Madrid are both very different exercises in walkability. The NMDOT is currently planning some sorely needed and less than perfect traffic calming for Madrid.
I stayed a few miles outside of DT SF along Cerrillos Road. We even walked the 2.5 miles or so to downtown a couple times, but this was actually really hard to do because sometimes the sidewalks just end. Along a major road.
I will give the bus system credit for only being a $1. So if you're going to force me to do exact change, at least its one single dollar bill rather than like $1.35 or whatever.
And yes, housing is really expensive especially when you get a bit outside such as Los Alamos. And honestly I don't know what jobs everyone is doing to justify the expenses of the city.
There are a lot of wealthy retirees there and a lot of second homes. Also a lot of people involved in the art industry there, which generates serious money.
I used to live on Franklin Avenue, in Santa Fe, just behind the Owl Liquor Store.
It looks like the Owl has been sold to Middle Easterners.
I visited Santa Fe a few years ago expecting to like the historic downtown. But something was off with the vibe of Santa Fe that really didn't sit well with me. It has promising attributes like being one of the oldest cities in America, having a lot of historic buildings, etc. But the expensive boutique, ritzy, car-oriented vibe of the city permeated everything. It made me feel like I was walking through a Disney theme park. Santa Fe is definitely a unique city, but sadly one that I have no interest in visiting again.
I have visited Santa Fe frequently to visit a family friend and you are correct. It's one of the few US cities whose cores I can think of that has gone all in on tourism both for people from outside and for the people who live there. The downtown really doesn't feel like I lived in place, because it really isn't. My friend who lives there rarely goes downtown unless it's for a play or show. If they want the food from downtown, they just have it delivered.
Locals call santa Fe adobe disney land
This is exactly what I felt when I visited a few weeks ago. A bougie southwestern faux adobie disneyland designed to cater to and vacuum the wallets of the elite.
@@carlosmartinez6227I grew up there in the 80's I never heard that. We called it Fanta Se (Fantasy).
We love Santa Fe. It's historic, beautiful and has a very good food scene.
Santa Fe is where you go with your mom so she can shop for jewelry all day. Although the American Indian Art Museum is awesome. It's a quaint little weird place. The real city is Albuquerque, anyways.
So I live in Chicago and don't drive. However, I did fly to Albuquerque and rented a car to drive to the Grand Canyon. There needs to be at least 10 trains a day trains between flagstaff and Albuquerque (potentially Sante Fe). The Grand Canyon is one of the largest tourist destinations in US. These train don't even need to be high speed as the scenery is beautiful (Amtrak's one train travels through this segment at night). And there needs to be a robust transport network to get people from stations to attractions (maybe double decker buses) .
I visited Santa Fe in 1967. My father, an Albuquerque TV news anchorman, was a friend of Governor David Cargo and we spent part of the day with the gov in the Capitol (which is the architectural exception, btw). The city wasn’t yet overrun with the “pseudo artists” my Dad said flocked there in the ensuing years. We later ate at a restaurant filled with white, sort of church lady types on a group tour who listened to two Hispanic children singing in Spanish, then applauded and gushed patronizingly. Likely, they had not understood one word they had just heard.
To this day, though it’s not really my call to speak for those children, that encounter forms my definition of colonialism: if you sing for the tourists, you are colonized.
I live in Leavenworth, WA which is a slice of Bavaria in Washington State. The commercial buildings have to meet the design standard style of Bavaria of white stucco, dark wood, and painted murals by City code. Yes, even McDonald's, Safeway, and other chains.
Leavenworth has routinely been voted to be among the best and prettiest Christmas towns in the US. Yes, we have a year round Christmas shop, Kris Kringle.
We do have Link transit buses that come through town regularly.
Amtrak does stop at Leavenworth and we do have a small building for passengers to wait.
I'm a big fan of the aesthetic. However, it can't really be enjoyed with gigantic SUVs and pickups everywhere, a lack of shade, and high rates of crime
High rates of crime?
I plan to go to Santa Fe pay for the first time for a short tourist visit in the coming months before the hot summer. I will not rent a car, but take the train from Albuquerque to Santa Fe and walk everywhere, maybe take the bus to go somewhere where I want to go. I don’t like hiring a car if I don’t need to since it’s somewhat expensive plus you need a car insurance plus if you are unfamiliar with the area, you either have to blindly follow the Google map or get the locals annoyed because you hesitate where to turn.
Some parts of the United States have six or more architectural styles on one block. I remember being in Baltimore, Maryland and thinking how monotone it looked because there is so much red brick. Santa Fe has taken it to a new level; the color of the buildings also match the color of most of the landscape.
If you think that’s the color of the landscape, you haven’t been into the sangre de cristo mountains right at the edge of the city, lots of beautiful green forest of pines and aspens and of course skiing. In fall the colors and foliage are very pretty,
@@evanhughes1510 Yes, it is quite beautiful too.
Yeah, I personally like a city with more diverse architecture. Downtown LA has buildings reminiscent of Art Deco and next to modern Frank Gehry masterpieces!
@@PASH3227 Yes, it is a very subjective thing. It is partly esthetic, tradition, history, culture, and personal identity.
Older cities rightly want to preserve historical areas. It is also understandable that a city as old as Santa Fe would also want to preserve its architectural identity. As shown in this video, it inevitably changes anyway.
@@barryrobbins7694 But having a gas station forced to look like an old abode building isn't historical. The style it's harkening back to never had gas stations. I think people should be given more leeway to do with their property. Santa Fe has urban growth boundaries but also has strict design standards and low rise buildings. So it can't sprawl nor can it be built vertically.
No wonder it's such an overpriced city! Especially considering it lacks high paying finance and tech jobs like in Austin or Seattle.
Back in 2007 my daughter and I took a trip on Route 66. We took the old alignment that went through Santa Fe. We drove around the tight streets for awhile and never were able to get out and walk around because we never could find a parking spot.
There are parking structures in and around the heart of downtown Santa Fe. I never even try to park on the street.
I interviewed for a job in Santa Fe. Out of earshot of the higher-ups, one person summed up the city by saying, “Here, you either are a maid or have maids working for you.”
Never thought I'd see you do a video about the town I grew up in! You're spot on with your information as usual. Keep up the good work
I just visited Santa Fe in September. It was the first time in my adult life that I’ve been let down by a location. It felt like going to an amusement park and having all the rides shut down. It felt like going to a National Park and only having the loop next to the parking lot open.
Can you do a topic on Atlanta and or other large southern cities. Atlanta would be cool though because I want to hear your perspective on the beltline and the potential for future urbanism
Atlanta has so much potential. The Beltline is really showing what that city wants to be, and if they're to get a transit line to go along it (for which many are advocating), I think it would really change the whole transportation of the city. The MARTA is also a good start, but it's really just a north-south connector suburbanites take to go see 1:00 PM Falcons games, after they park their car in Doraville. If downtown gets some actual housing though, I think Atlanta could have a bit of a renaissance.
@@christophercorley8531 Streetcar rail is on the Beltline master plan. They are actually building some lines that would serve as a foundation for that. It just seems it takes MARTA forever to get down to building anything. They have been going all in on BRT too, so we will see how that goes, and if it really ends up being BRT or stuck in mixed traffic.
Wow! A reviewer who actually visited the city and gets what Santa Fe is and could be. Thank you CityNerd.
I spent a few days in Santa Fe back in 2018 - its historic downtown core is delightful.
A long ago hippie me hitch hiking through Santa Fe felt moved by the artsy ambiance to offer my songs as a busker. Oops. The native Americans owned merchandising the market square. They kindly pointed my euro heritage self to a nearby cafe open stage.
Bravo! Your witty analysis of all your videos is what keeps me coming back!
Your point about how much better a car-less Santa Fe would be is well taken. A lot of older cities, or old sections of cities, would benefit greatly from a car ban. When I visited, our car stayed in the hotel lot the entire time. We saw most of what we wanted, visited the museums, ate in some great restaurants, and never regretted not using it. If you think about it, there were no cars when the old, authentic adobe structures were built. If the really wanted to lean into the historic thing, ban cars and run shuttle busses. It will probably never happen though.....
Santa Fe is one of the few American cities whose downtown largely predates the automobile. They should lean into it.
If any place should have an almost entirely pedestrianized downtown it's Santa Fe ... they're going for this historic rural town vibe and it's completely ruined by the cars parked everywhere (breaking the illusions of preservation) and the general car traffic.
Imagine how incredible walking around Santa Fe could be if the streets were all car free and some kind of historic surface.
"it's 2023 and there is no objective reality anymore"
Omg, too funny!
i live in santa fe, and the architecture makes sense downtown. but in the neighborhoods everyone hates having to follow the brown stucco and santa fe style. The flat top roofs are awful because the water piles up when it rains which causes water damage on our ceilings. Only some of the areas downtown are walkable, a lot of the sidewalks are extremely thin and don’t provide any protection from cars speeding past you. often times i would have to park 4-5 blocks away and have to walk on dangerous sidewalks. outside of downtown the rest of santa fe is super car dependent, it’s impossible to do anything without a car, and the public transportation system is terrible. the zoning in santa fe means i live in a suburban sprawl where nothing but houses can exist in a 3 mile radius. even driving to walmart take me more than 20 mins because i have to zigzag through all these neighborhoods. i never understood why people would want to live in santa fe, it’s a very small town with nothing to do. i think of santa fe as a place that people would want to visit maybe once and never go back
Food for thought: does forcing every building in a city to match a unified historical architectural style cheapen the significance of the real historic buildings and districts?
I think so, especially when the newer buildings are just imitating the style and materials. It makes the whole place look like a theme park.
I don't think that all of Santa Fe has to match. Just the older part of town.
That's ridiculous logic.
I am probably the umpteenth person to point this out, but the AT&SF mainline never actually made it to Santa Fe. The Santa Fe station was in Lamy and they may have ran a service from there.
In order to get the NMRX to Santa Fe entirely new trackage had to be built north of Waldo into Santa Fe until it connected with the line from Lamy.
I've visited Santa Fe a few times in the last couple of years and I remember Cerillos street being a huge car traffic artery. Aside from the downtown area the city as a whole did not seem very pedestrian friendly.
Correct, and I'm surprised he didn't address this. Aside from the small area of The pedestrian downtown, virtually none of the rest of the larger city is pedestrian-friendly at all. In fact, the city itself really doesn't feel like a city. It feels like a suburb that happens to have a tourist oriented dense tiny center.
@@GarrisIiari Yes! That's a perfect way to describe it. I never could put into words what the city feels like but you described it perfectly. The only reason I've ever gone there was to visit a good friend who lives there because he works at the lab.
Having lived in the second largest city in NM for almost 8 years, I can't help but throw some shade at Santa Fe, a place that doesn't really capture NM. I only went there right before I left the state to visit Meow Wolf and was shocked at the crazy high prices for basic things completely out of line with what one would pay in Cruces, or even ABQ.
One way to summarize many parts of the state is a small town/city has a plaza. That plaza will contain; a church, a gazebo and historic looking shops. I learned to at least appreciate the adobe and abobe-ish building style, but was not a fan of the actual adobe walls in my place with its leaky roof during the monsoons. The walls made sense during the dust storm season and it was nice to be able to cycle year round though not past 9am in the summer.
However, the absolute addiction to cars/trucks/driving that most New Mexicans have completely blew my mind. I lived in downtown Cruces and would walk to the downtown for yoga, drinks, events etc. More than once, people stopped to ask me if I needed a lift b/c I was walking. And no, I don't think it was some weird creep trying to pick me up - it was the very thought of walking anywhere! Students would miss lectures at the university because they couldn't find parking - close to their building. Despite having the cheapest parking of any university I have ever known, and even free parking for students - if you walked 15 minutes which at many other universities is the standard distance you may have to walk to your next class. This also baffled me since it is a commuter school with most students living locally in multi-generational households or with all family within the community keeping it close knit. If you have to drive to campus then take advantage of that free parking, right? Wrong! Circle around the Horseshoe hoping for that spot to open for your class.
It is really ironic since a lot of people do cycle in NM, but they see it only from a recreational perspective but not practical. Commuting to work by bike was nice - only not possible from mid-May-September unless dying of heat stroke was something you were into.
I also could not get over the number of stroads/strip malls in the areas of newer development on the East Mesa. Many people moved there to live someplace that visually looked different but still needed their safe stores and brands close by.
The lack of variety of cuisine was always a sore spot for me personally as you can only eat so many slightly different variations of New Mexican cuisine - though I miss the chips and salsa bar.
However, the North/South bias in state politics and subsequent priorities drove me mad as Southern NM never got any real attention from the Roundhouse. A train from Cruces to ABQ would have been nice. A train from Cruces to El Paso and the airport would have been amazing . . . but those are just dreams. Because in New Mexico you drive - how else would you get there?
I honestly love Santa Fe. It's unconventional, but enjoyable. It's too bad the rich people are ruining it.
That's a gross oversimplification. Rich people aren't ruining it, it's just the end results of what Santa Fe did for its economic development a very long time ago. Santa Fe is, impressively, something like the third biggest art market in the US after New York and Miami. For a city of about 100,000, that's incredibly impressive, and is going to bring along with it some serious wealth and seriously wealthy residents, for better or worse. The rich people weren't an unfortunate side effect, they were they goal.
@@GarrisIiariThey were the goal of some people. Others not so much.
Sisters, Oregon. Has a similar city ordinance... but everything has to look like a log cabin...
YOU WILL ALWAYS BE WELCOME TO SPAIN SIR, EXCELLENT VIDEO. GREETINGS FROM MURCIA, SPAIN. UN ABRAZO
!Te amo, Espana!
I'm surprised CityNerd didn't show how the buildings of many national chains get forced into the Santa Fe building codes. It's always funny to me seeing, for instance, a McDonald's done in pueblo style architecture
Oh hell yeah Santa Fe trip I'm nerding my pants right now
No
I'm gonna nerd so hard to his content
@@jay_racher3416I want out of New Mexico so bad. (Here come the “Well then go! We don’t want you!” comments).
So we DID spot you on the streets in SF a few weeks ago. Living between Abq and SF in a rural area called Placitas, I confess we are usually in the car. But on weekends, we usually head to SF for the day, as its very enjoyable and easy to run errands, farmers market, movies, hiking trails, etc and much of it on foot. Much better than in Abq, which is dismally decrepit. Hope you enjoyed the time in NM.
I got enough of Santa Fe in a week. That being said, I love that it’s there for all the people who really love it. Variety is great, even when it’s created using uniform building standards. Albuquerque is just down the road for anyone who wants to live in the area, but not in Santa Fe.
Did you ever drive the road up into the mountains right at the edge of town? Beautiful forest and a ski resort on top
@@evanhughes1510 It wasn’t ski season, but we did go up that way. I have roots in NM, and have been all over. Like many western vacation areas, I just don’t see myself living there. If I had bought a place in a ski area back when that was doable, I’d be enjoying it, but still couldn’t live in one year round. I’m not that much into art or food, and can’t stand the politics of the terminally out of touch who don’t realize it.
As someone who grew up in New Mexico, I've been to Santa Fe a few times, and I feel a little conflicted on it. Notably, the downtown was probably my first experience with walkable urbanism - when I've stayed in a nearby hotel I'd never have to take a car anywhere once I was actually there. And the uniform architectural style is quite charming. But it's also very expensive, and I'm sure the architectural requirements negatively impacts things (although I'm sure if developers had some creativity they could make some decent, medium-density housing that fits the style).
Can you do a topic on Albuquerque?
I have enjoyed your videos and perspective on design, transportation, and cities!
Seconded!
Heck yes! #BeigeStucco #Turquoise #NMUnited
Sante Fe Opera is quite famous in Opera circles. An open air venue outside of town. Summer season when most Opera houses in US are closed. Lots of tailgating plus there is shuttle buses.
Been waiting for this one! Santa Fe is definitely a unique city. Only other places that remind me of it are St. Augustine Florida and bits and pieces of downtown Golden Colorado 🙂