DISCUSS: Best North American Skyline

[yankeesfan1000]

Great pic of Toronto. It is really surprising how many of the new projects there are residential, as in general most high rise buildings are offices. Definitely exciting to think about what the skyline is going to look like in 10 years or so.

[isaidso]

In most Canadian cities, the majority of the high rises are office buildings but Toronto and Vancouver are exceptions. High house prices and a growing population have resulted in an explosion in condo construction. It's the only affordable option for many people. A similar situation exists in Manhattan except the population growth is lower.

Another factor skewing things heavily in towards condos in Toronto is the concentration of office buildings in the suburbs. The majority of Toronto office space is there, not downtown. Increasingly, office workers are demanding to be downtown and employers are responding. I'm hopeful that this trend will gain more momentum going forward.

[Cal_Escapee]

Originally Posted by isaidso

Is it true that palms aren't native to southern California and they've all been planted?

No. The "classic" southern Ca palm is the Washingtonia robusta or Mexican fan palm which is native to the nearby regions of Sonora and Baja California. However, the related Washingtonia fillifera or California fan palm is native to southern CA deserts.

A native grove of California fan palm near Palm Springs:


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washingtonia_filifera

[Cal_Escapee]

Originally Posted by Lancelot28

Even though SF certainly would not suffer from having a supertall, I actually think that their current skyline is extremely well composed and balanced as it is.

The SF Planning Department doesn't agree. In their opinion they would like to see a 3-humped skyline as viewed from the Bay near the Bay Bridge with the central hump being the tallest and composed of the 1000 ft Transbay Tower and a couple of nearby towers almost as tall. The left hump would be a cluster of condo towers on Rincon Hill including the existing One Rincon Hill, and the right hump would be the TransAmerica, Bank of America and nearby towers, all currently existing.

[DZH22]

Boston

[desertpunk]

NYC

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Pink minute -> it happens a moment before blue hour by Jason Pierce Photography, on Flickr

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NYC den city by Jason Pierce Photography, on Flickr

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Federal Reserve Bank of New York by Jason Pierce Photography, on Flickr

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Empire State Building dressed for the Giants' Superbowl victory before it even happened. by Jason Pierce Photography, on Flickr

[Eduardo L. Ramirez]

^ Great pictures


Toronto

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Toronto by Cobby17, on Flickr

[desertpunk]

For all the construction in TO, I'm seeing all kinds of room for more!

[Jay]

Originally Posted by desertpunk

Transbay Tower which will be 1,070 ft. (trimmed down from 1,200 ft)


http://www.hines.com/property/detail.aspx?id=2120



It's only delayed. With a tightening office market in SF, Transbay Tower should begin construction by 2014. The massive Transbay Center below is already under construction.

It might actually start construction next year...

There will also be many other buildings that go along with it further down the road.

[hhapo51dh]

NY is the clear winner by far. It's core is unbelievably dense and just plain awe inspiring. There is no other city in NA that even comes close to the breadth of architecture and sheer enormity of NY.

[koolio]

Originally Posted by desertpunk

For all the construction in TO, I'm seeing all kinds of room for more!

You are right but that picture is kinda misleading. That area in roughly the middle is actually a park whereas that green patch of land at the bottom left hand corner is the historic Fort York.

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by koolio

You are right but that picture is kinda misleading. That area in roughly the middle is actually a park whereas that green patch of land at the bottom left hand corner is the historic Fort York.

True, but Toronto's core could double in size before it starts looking filled out. It's dense, but we've only just started to build skyscrapers between the CBD and Yorkville while East Bayfront and the waterfront won't be complete for another 5 years.

[yankeesfan1000]

Totally random question, but is there any sort of plan to do something with that highway that sort of cuts Toronto off from its waterfront? Unfortunately I've never been to Toronto, but closer to the CBD, sort of where the LTower is being built there's that unfortunate looking rail yard looking area, any plans with that too? Thanks, sorry for taking this off topic, always wondered about that though.

[isaidso]

Torontonians have been debating what to do with the Gardiner (highway) and the rail lines for a very long time. We've resigned ourselves to the fact that we are stuck with both the way they are and trying to turn a perceived negative into something workable and positive.

They both cut the city off from the lake, but new developments built right up against each are helping stitch the city back together while better north-south connections are making a huge difference. Regarding Union Station, it's undergoing a massive renovation and expansion. The rail shed is being torn down and replaced by an airy glass canopy with a green roof.

Here's a render of the new rail shed:

[desertpunk]

Me likey!

[Eduardo L. Ramirez]

Seattle

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Seattle Skyline - from Bhy Kracke Park by PsychaSec, on Flickr


San Francisco

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"Bliss Dance" by Marco Cochrane by exxonvaldez, on Flickr

[anak_mm]

awesome...

[yankeesfan1000]

Thanks for the answer. Always wondered if they would still be there, or in their current forms in another 15-20 years.

[royal rose1]

Originally Posted by isaidso

Is it true that palms aren't native to southern California and they've all been planted?

Absolutely not, I am from San Diego, born and raised. And San Diego is a city full of canyons, if you've been there I'm sure you've noticed. Canyons are basically the one untouched pieces of land there, and at the bottom of the canyons there are streams where water is abundant, the only place where water is abundant in San Diego haha. Anyway, those streams at the bottom of canyons are typically filled with native natural palms.

[Dralcoffin]

Sorry Memphis, but how did you become a tag on here?

Chicago: Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning. (Carl Sandburg)



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Chicago sunrise by kballey - Flickr

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Chicago Skyline by SolarWind - Chicago - Flickr

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Chicago at Night by matt-f - Flickr

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Chicago Storm June 18, 2010 by Doug Siefken - Flickr

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untitled by taciturnus - Flickr

A very underrated skyline that is small but wonderfully dense, Pittsburgh

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Pittsburgh at Night HDR by jstrak - Flickr

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Downtown Pittsburgh by J Blough - Flickr