[aishah]

i've never lived in a big city, but i would say both charlottesville and lawrence (smallish - 80k-120k folks) are awful, and both get away with it in the name of being "historic." i love living in places with a strong sense of history, but the cobblestone streets, uneven and poorly maintained sidewalks, and lack of accessible housing and public spaces are upsetting. most businesses are not physically accessible because they are in "historic" areas and don't have to comply with ada, most housing was built before the ada and there are few ground-level apartments, etc. people have chosen not to find ways to incorporate elevators, lifts, and ramps into businesses and houses, even when that might be an option.