Could DT Austin be the best Texas skyline by 2020?

[SRG]

2005


2010

2020???

Kind of a crazy concept, plus don't forget that DT Dallas, DT Houston, and Uptown Houston aren't staying constant.. but DT Austin is catching up fast. Anything is possible.

[Ian604]

The Austonian is missing from that picture.

It's got a long way to go as far as catching up with DT Houston in sheer height and bulk but i suppose anything is possible.

[()_T]

Noooo. Some of those towers are on hold. Also Houston and Dallas have way more buildings than Austin does.

[Nic]

That first picture is not from 2005. It could be anywhere from the mid-eighties, to the mid-nineties. It's missing the expansion that took place at the Radisson in the late 90s, the CSC buildings, new city hall, and 300 West 6th from the early 2000s, and the Hilton Convention Center Hotel and Frost Bank Tower which opened in 2004.

This was taken in 2006:


Earlier this year from roughly the same spot and zoom:
image hosted on flickr


2002:


2009:


2002:


2009:

[Nic]

I also might add that I do not foresee the Austin skyline becoming larger than the Houston or Dallas skyline anytime soon, if ever. 2020 is all but an impossibility. 20 or 30 years from now, if Austin kept adding to it's skyline year after year, while the others pretty much stayed the same, then it would be possible. However, all of them are going to continue to grow, so it's not even worth discussing.

[ichabodius]

No.

[Dallascaper]

No, but Austin does have an attractive skyline.

[Sean in New Orleans]

No. Houston is tops and will remain that way as far into the future that I can imagine.

[LSyd]

no. Houston and Dallas are way too far ahead. Austin would need to add about 30-50 buildings to match, of which you'd need about 10 over 700' signature towers. Austin would also need a dedicated "second skyline" with signature towers; Houston has this, and while Dallas has a lot of nice satellite skylines, none have signature towers like Houston.

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[SRG]

I didn't say I believed it was possible.. but it could be. Reeeeead intoooooo the fuuuuuuuture. Oh and I'm just talking about downtowns.

[JDawgboyATX]

No, Houston and Dallas will stay at the top, though Austin is pretty much third top skyline in the state and with the future Seaholm and Green Water treatment plant projects, the downtown skyline will expand even more.

[TU 'cane]

Can someone explain why Austin is seeing this kind of rapid development please?

[Nic]

Rapid population growth due to rapid employment growth, which is due to a highly educated workforce and high quality of life in a very business friendly state. Downtown and it's surrounding areas were already attractive, vibrant areas well before the latest boom. The market demanded new living spaces in the core of the city. Redevelopment of the existing, established neighborhoods surrounding downtown could only add so much to the central city inventory. So, like a lot of places highrise apartment and condominium towers were constructed. Austin certainly did well for it's self in this latest development cycle, though. The skyline is now more in line with the size of the city and metro.

[SouthmoreAvenue]

Originally Posted by Nic

I also might add that I do not foresee the Austin skyline becoming larger than the Houston or Dallas skyline anytime soon, if ever. 2020 is all but an impossibility. 20 or 30 years from now, if Austin kept adding to it's skyline year after year, while the others pretty much stayed the same, then it would be possible. However, all of them are going to continue to grow, so it's not even worth discussing.

i agree, also i think a surefire way for a city to top Houston as the best Texas skyline is to build a new state's tallest.

[SRG]

Wasn't the Pacific tower proposed in Dallas (that likely won't happen) a little bit taller than the Texas Commerce Tower or whatever it's called now?

[TU 'cane]

Originally Posted by Nic

Rapid population growth due to rapid employment growth, which is due to a highly educated workforce and high quality of life in a very business friendly state. Downtown and it's surrounding areas were already attractive, vibrant areas well before the latest boom. The market demanded new living spaces in the core of the city. Redevelopment of the existing, established neighborhoods surrounding downtown could only add so much to the central city inventory. So, like a lot of places highrise apartment and condominium towers were constructed. Austin certainly did well for it's self in this latest development cycle, though. The skyline is now more in line with the size of the city and metro.

So pretty much everything that can go well for a city Austin nailed it. Alright thanks.

[waccamatt]

While it might not be the tallest, it certainly could be the best. Houston's skyline is tall, but the architecture isn't terribly interesting. Dallas is a little more interesting, but I like the buildings going up in Austin.

[Sean in New Orleans]

Originally Posted by TU 'cane

Can someone explain why Austin is seeing this kind of rapid development please?

Unfortunately, Austin is going through rapid population growth. Some consider it a great thing, although I consider it sad. Austin used to be such a "hip and cool," city, but, last time I was there I was sad to see this scene to have mostly disappeared. Austin is now becoming very urbanized and many of the new residents could careless about the hipness the city used to possess. I'm afraid that the Austin we all knew and loved in the past is forever gone. It's now just another city with the stamp "mainstream," splattered across the front.

[Nic]

Originally Posted by TU 'cane

So pretty much everything that can go well for a city Austin nailed it. Alright thanks.

I wouldn't go that far. There are plenty of things the city could have done differently over the years. Transportation planning has been one of the biggest issues this city has dealt with for decades. The region has made a lot of strides this decade in that area, but the mistakes of yesteryear, matched with huge population growth have lead to traffic being really bad compared to comparably sized metros.

[Nic]

Originally Posted by Sean in New Orleans

Unfortunately, Austin is going through rapid population growth. Some consider it a great thing, although I consider it sad. Austin used to be such a "hip and cool," city, but, last time I was there I was sad to see this scene to have mostly disappeared. Austin is now becoming very urbanized and many of the new residents could careless about the hipness the city used to possess. I'm afraid that the Austin we all knew and loved in the past is forever gone. It's now just another city with the stamp "mainstream," splattered across the front.

I would guess you're looking back with rose-colored glasses. Of course the city is different now, but nothing ever stays the same. There is more of everything in Austin now, so I don't know what scene seems to have disappeared. It may have just moved. There are so many areas of downtown and the central city that used to be areas to be avoided, or at least there was no reason to visit. These same areas are now filled with art galleries, host live music regularly, have fantastic restaurants, bars, etc. A few examples would be the East Side, 78704, Red River, Warehouse District, and the west end of 6th Street, which is a totally different scene from the area that is so well-known. Basically there are still plenty of laid-back dives where you can get yourself a cheap Lone Star, and hear some great singer-songwriter that no one has ever heard of. It's just now there is more diversity to be had in the music and entertainment scene. Or that's the way I see it at least.