CityNerd | Bridge Cities: The Top 10 North American Cities That Deserve the Nickname @CityNerd | Uploaded January 2023 | Updated October 2024, 1 hour ago.
Just because your city has a few bridges, doesn't make it a "bridge city." True Bridge Cities are cities that have -- well, a lot of bridges, but also, they're notable bridges. They're the biggest bridges, or architecturally significant, or multimodal, or just plain weird.
Today's video is an exploration of the idea of a "bridge city": the importance of water to city siting and city building (for all you Cities Skylines players!), and the quasi-paradox that the value bodies of water bring to a city also usually means expensive bridge (or tunnel) projects to connect different parts of the metropolitan region.
Today's video includes visits to nearly all the great urban bridges in North America, including:
- Seattle's Lake Washington floating bridges
- Pittsburgh's bridges across the three rivers
- The Big Four Bridge in Louisville
- The great suspension bridges of New York City, including the Brooklyn, the Manhattan, the George Washington, the Verrazzano-Narrows, the Bronx Whitestone, and the Throgs Neck
- The Jacque Cartier in Montreal
- An unseemly number of Chicago River bridges
- The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge and the Brent Spence Bridge in Cincinnati
- The Golden Gate and the Bay Bridge, of course
- The Lion's Gate in Vancouver
- The Benjamin Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia
- The Eads Bridge in St. Louis
- The Tilikum Crossing and the Steel Bridge in Portland
- The Sunshine Skyway in Tampa-St. Petersburg
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Patreon - a way to directly support continuing CityNerd output! Thanks to all who have signed up so far.
patreon.com/CityNerd
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Instagram: @nerd4cities
Mastodon: @nerd4cities@mstdn.social
Twitter: @nerd4cities
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Previous CityNerd Videos Referenced:
- Busiest Bridges and Tunnels: youtu.be/HbZXtSnabWc
- Busiest Bike Bridges: youtu.be/hkX-ylFDV0s
- City Parks (Including Fairmount Park): youtu.be/biwXO3xcjV4
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Resources:
- baltimore.org
- visitjacksonville.com
- visitkc.com/newmidwest
- theurbanist.org/2022/12/09/east-link-light-rail-delayed-to-spring-2025-but-could-arrive-earlier-with-starter-line
- toledoblade.com/opinion/editorials/2023/01/09/editorial-bridge-to-prosperity/stories/20230106066
- cincinnati.com/story/news/traffic/2022/08/29/how-much-traffic-will-brent-spence-companion-bridge/65407695007
- cincinnati.com/story/news/traffic/2022/08/29/how-much-traffic-will-brent-spence-companion-bridge/65407695007
- npr.org/2017/08/01/540669701/10-years-after-bridge-collapse-america-is-still-crumbling
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Images
- Ballard Bridge by By Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2790577
- University Bridge (Seattle) By SounderBruce - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82252670
- Montlake Bridge By Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2745540
- Roebling Bridge at night By EEJCC - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84085299
- Eads Bridge poster By St. Louis : Pub. by Compton & Co, - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ppmsca.08973. Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6048909
- Eads Bridge lower deck By Baylor98 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38267170
R
- Eads Bridge By Mitchell Schultheis - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22953839
- Tilikum Bridge By Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49899793
- Steel Bridge Upper Deck By Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25912074
- Amtrak Cascades Crossing the Steel By Steverelei - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45265944
- Peace Bridge (Calgary) By Ryan Quan - Photograph, taken by myself for the purposes of art., CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20811375
- Sunshine Skyway By Robert Neff - Flickr: SunshineSkywayBridge-4SC_6643-15, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25322447
- GW Bridge By Jim Harper, CC BY-SA 2.5, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45218892
- Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge By Faisal0926 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38945780
- Wells Street Bridge (thumbnail) By Daniel Schwen - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6676437
- Brooklyn Bridge (thumbnail) By Kidfly182 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=124259393
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Music:
CityNerd background: Caipirinha in Hawaii by Carmen María and Edu Espinal (YouTube music library)
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Inquiries: thecitynerd@nebula.tv
Just because your city has a few bridges, doesn't make it a "bridge city." True Bridge Cities are cities that have -- well, a lot of bridges, but also, they're notable bridges. They're the biggest bridges, or architecturally significant, or multimodal, or just plain weird.
Today's video is an exploration of the idea of a "bridge city": the importance of water to city siting and city building (for all you Cities Skylines players!), and the quasi-paradox that the value bodies of water bring to a city also usually means expensive bridge (or tunnel) projects to connect different parts of the metropolitan region.
Today's video includes visits to nearly all the great urban bridges in North America, including:
- Seattle's Lake Washington floating bridges
- Pittsburgh's bridges across the three rivers
- The Big Four Bridge in Louisville
- The great suspension bridges of New York City, including the Brooklyn, the Manhattan, the George Washington, the Verrazzano-Narrows, the Bronx Whitestone, and the Throgs Neck
- The Jacque Cartier in Montreal
- An unseemly number of Chicago River bridges
- The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge and the Brent Spence Bridge in Cincinnati
- The Golden Gate and the Bay Bridge, of course
- The Lion's Gate in Vancouver
- The Benjamin Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia
- The Eads Bridge in St. Louis
- The Tilikum Crossing and the Steel Bridge in Portland
- The Sunshine Skyway in Tampa-St. Petersburg
----------
Patreon - a way to directly support continuing CityNerd output! Thanks to all who have signed up so far.
patreon.com/CityNerd
----------
Instagram: @nerd4cities
Mastodon: @nerd4cities@mstdn.social
Twitter: @nerd4cities
----------
Previous CityNerd Videos Referenced:
- Busiest Bridges and Tunnels: youtu.be/HbZXtSnabWc
- Busiest Bike Bridges: youtu.be/hkX-ylFDV0s
- City Parks (Including Fairmount Park): youtu.be/biwXO3xcjV4
----------
Resources:
- baltimore.org
- visitjacksonville.com
- visitkc.com/newmidwest
- theurbanist.org/2022/12/09/east-link-light-rail-delayed-to-spring-2025-but-could-arrive-earlier-with-starter-line
- toledoblade.com/opinion/editorials/2023/01/09/editorial-bridge-to-prosperity/stories/20230106066
- cincinnati.com/story/news/traffic/2022/08/29/how-much-traffic-will-brent-spence-companion-bridge/65407695007
- cincinnati.com/story/news/traffic/2022/08/29/how-much-traffic-will-brent-spence-companion-bridge/65407695007
- npr.org/2017/08/01/540669701/10-years-after-bridge-collapse-america-is-still-crumbling
----------
Images
- Ballard Bridge by By Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2790577
- University Bridge (Seattle) By SounderBruce - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82252670
- Montlake Bridge By Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2745540
- Roebling Bridge at night By EEJCC - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84085299
- Eads Bridge poster By St. Louis : Pub. by Compton & Co, - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ppmsca.08973. Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6048909
- Eads Bridge lower deck By Baylor98 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38267170
R
- Eads Bridge By Mitchell Schultheis - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22953839
- Tilikum Bridge By Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49899793
- Steel Bridge Upper Deck By Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25912074
- Amtrak Cascades Crossing the Steel By Steverelei - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45265944
- Peace Bridge (Calgary) By Ryan Quan - Photograph, taken by myself for the purposes of art., CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20811375
- Sunshine Skyway By Robert Neff - Flickr: SunshineSkywayBridge-4SC_6643-15, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25322447
- GW Bridge By Jim Harper, CC BY-SA 2.5, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45218892
- Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge By Faisal0926 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38945780
- Wells Street Bridge (thumbnail) By Daniel Schwen - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6676437
- Brooklyn Bridge (thumbnail) By Kidfly182 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=124259393
----------
Music:
CityNerd background: Caipirinha in Hawaii by Carmen María and Edu Espinal (YouTube music library)
----------
Inquiries: thecitynerd@nebula.tv
