You've got to be kidding. Although there are no supertalls really going up at the moment, Downtown especially in the South PArk area is a sea of cranes, and talls are going up in Hollywood, and Century City as well. Check out the development threads in the LA forum for details. Too many to list.
Why is there so little skyscraper development in LA?
The skyline has been unchanging for a while and so i was wondering if anyone had any news/pics of any future developement in and around LA?
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You've got to be kidding. Although there are no supertalls really going up at the moment, Downtown especially in the South PArk area is a sea of cranes, and talls are going up in Hollywood, and Century City as well. Check out the development threads in the LA forum for details. Too many to list.
There's lots of development in LA.
when i think of LA i dont think of skyscrapers...I know they are there but it doesnt seem that dominate as in other cities
LA...And that shows...
Its going to change and its changing fast. You should read all the development going on in the in the L.A. thread.
There is an unwillingness to simply click over to the LA thread and read the Development Page that is very well organized into the districts and many epicenters of the metro area. Comfort sometimes comes from ignorance.
I can think of a couple of reasons why:
Earthquakes/weak bedrock
Lack of Fortune 500 companies in LA proper
Lame geographic location of downtown LA, in a city where people want to be close to the ocean, or up in the hills. This matters especially for condos, which have been a big growth driver of high rises in the past 10 years throughout the U.S.
Urban heat island effect from all that concrete in a warm, sunny city. Again, LA is a city where people pay steep $$$ premiums to be a little bit closer to the ocean or a little bit higher up in elevation.
Earthquakes/weak bedrock
Lack of Fortune 500 companies in LA proper
Lame geographic location of downtown LA, in a city where people want to be close to the ocean, or up in the hills. This matters especially for condos, which have been a big growth driver of high rises in the past 10 years throughout the U.S.
Urban heat island effect from all that concrete in a warm, sunny city. Again, LA is a city where people pay steep $$$ premiums to be a little bit closer to the ocean or a little bit higher up in elevation.
Really?? Thanks for the update man.LA...
The original question was about why there is little skyscraper development in LA...everyone should know by now that LA is huge and is very dense and developed. I was wondering what relevance the picture of LA's developed area that shows no skyscrapers had to the original question.
Silverlake, are you trying to show that LA's development tends to move out, rather than up (not meant to say LA is sprawly)? I'm just wondering what the picture is trying to prove.
Those aren't good reasons.I can think of a couple of reasons why:
Earthquakes/weak bedrock
Lack of Fortune 500 companies in LA proper
Lame geographic location of downtown LA, in a city where people want to be close to the ocean, or up in the hills. This matters especially for condos, which have been a big growth driver of high rises in the past 10 years throughout the U.S.
Urban heat island effect from all that concrete in a warm, sunny city. Again, LA is a city where people pay steep $$$ premiums to be a little bit closer to the ocean or a little bit higher up in elevation.
To answer the question; since Los Angeles is quite a spread out city, there's really no need for heavy skyscraper development. Instead, you will find plenty of 3-6 story mid-rises. Density over height.
But it makes sense to build up in Downtown Los Angeles because it's the hub of the region's rapidly growing rail system. For now, Downtown is about adaptive reuse projects. It makes sense to convert the old factories, warehouses, and office buildings into housing before constructing new housing from scratch.
But it makes sense to build up in Downtown Los Angeles because it's the hub of the region's rapidly growing rail system. For now, Downtown is about adaptive reuse projects. It makes sense to convert the old factories, warehouses, and office buildings into housing before constructing new housing from scratch.
Well, those are the chartable reasons I could think of. The alternatives to those would be:Those aren't good reasons.
LA's civic leadership is incompetent, and they historically haven't been able to get these projects like other cities have.
Business people and rich people don't find downtown LA attractive.
No football team. :lol:
^ It ain't a big secret. Los Angeles, for most of its history, has favored suburban sprawl over smart growth. Now that we have literally built out the entire region, thanks in part to the geographic barriers, we have no other choice but to build up.
Studies will show that the new residents of Downtown LA are young and wealthy. The bankers and lawyers who work Downtown make more money than their Beverly Hills counterparts. All signs point to rapid gentrification, and soon there will be heavy skyscraper development.
None of the reasons you listed make any sense. Read up on the issue before drawing up non-sequitur fallacies.
Studies will show that the new residents of Downtown LA are young and wealthy. The bankers and lawyers who work Downtown make more money than their Beverly Hills counterparts. All signs point to rapid gentrification, and soon there will be heavy skyscraper development.
None of the reasons you listed make any sense. Read up on the issue before drawing up non-sequitur fallacies.
Lame geographic location of downtown LA, in a city where people want to be close to the ocean, or up in the hills. This matters especially for condos, which have been a big growth driver of high rises in the past 10 years throughout the U.S.
kay:This is what I initially thought as well. Imo it is the most likely reason we have seen yet.
^ Those areas aren't zoned for highrises.
Anyone who's familiar with the most basic of economic concepts will tell you that there simply wasn't enough demand for housing in Downtown LA. Now there's lots of renewed interest in investing Downtown. Wealthy Koreans from overseas are moving in; as are artists, yuppies, and hipsters. In fact, it was the Washington Post that dubbed Downtown LA "Hipster Heaven." The "lame location" argument is weak.
The ignorance that pervades this thread is appalling.
Anyone who's familiar with the most basic of economic concepts will tell you that there simply wasn't enough demand for housing in Downtown LA. Now there's lots of renewed interest in investing Downtown. Wealthy Koreans from overseas are moving in; as are artists, yuppies, and hipsters. In fact, it was the Washington Post that dubbed Downtown LA "Hipster Heaven." The "lame location" argument is weak.
The ignorance that pervades this thread is appalling.
C'mon "West" you're talking to one of those bitter people that saw the entire economy of there region go to hell when LA was just building its first freeway. No one has mentioned that perhaps it's just a cultural difference? We all know that skyscrapers don't make a city, if that were the case Houston, Miami, Vegas and Chicago would have a much larger metro economy than no supertall LA......which isn't the case as we all know. Paris isn't any less for not having skyscrapers blocking the view of the Eiffel Tower nor are the numerous charming yet low-rise European cities. "Westside" you might be wasting your breath on the meat and potatoes crowd.^ Those areas aren't zoned for highrises.
Anyone who's familiar with the most basic of economic concepts will tell you that there simply wasn't enough demand for housing in Downtown LA. Now there's lots of renewed interest in investing Downtown. Wealthy Koreans from overseas are moving in; as are artists, yuppies, and hipsters. In fact, it was the Washington Post that dubbed Downtown LA "Hipster Heaven." The "lame location" argument is weak.
The ignorance that pervades this thread is appalling.
^ Not necessarily a cultural difference. Los Angeles followed a different urban model than the likes of NYC and Chicago.
Yes and Southern California culture was and is different than say the North Atlantic. When the great migration to SoCal and other sunny environs began to empty the East coast and Midwestern cities circa Mid 20th century many people were coming for a different lifestyle that they were not able to experienced "back East". The West symbolized freedom and sort of a comfortable yet rugged individualism. A place of sun, beaches, a less hectic and hurried pace, not gray and cold for most of the year, where you could be your own person and do whatever you pleased at almost anytime. Away from the constant ethnic infighting and racial oppression of the East coast or down South. It's no coincidence that California was the first state to legally allow interracial marriage. A place where you weren't horded onto mass transit and caged into faceless and nameless tenemants that represented and still does represent places like NYC and Chicago no matter how inaccurate that portrayal truly might be. California especially Southern California offered up somewhat of an almost libertarian type of existence of owning your own detached single family home where you didn't have to share a wall with someone else. Where you could have a front and backyard and a swimming pool to boot. Where you could go wherever you damn well pleased at anytime of the day or night because you owned your own vehicle. Listen to almost any Beach Boy song describing a near Utopia or even more interesting "Ventura Highway" by America acknowledging the dimming of the once thought to be Promised Land.
This culture greatly effected the way the city would eventually look and what would be built, I mean it wasn't until the 60's that height limits were taken off of the buildings in downtown LA where til that time no building could be taller than the 20+ City Hall.
So yes of course there exists a cultural difference between Los Angeles and whatever other city(s) that the creator of this thread is attempting to compare LA to. The proof is in the pudding the creator of the thread is either willfully ignorant or just inept at perusing this vast website and visiting the numerous Los Angeles threads that discuss development and particularly skyscraper development and proposals. LA has the tallest building(s) west of the Mississippi and has 2 financial districts(Century City and Downtown LA) where you will find many buildings 40+ plus.
Perhaps this is some veiled attempt at yet another city vs city thread since we know that those are killed like a rabid dog immediatly by the moderators when they pop up. Don't know? At best the creator of this thread should push themselves to research before attempting such an inane topic, I mean the answer to the question of this thread is just clicks away!
This culture greatly effected the way the city would eventually look and what would be built, I mean it wasn't until the 60's that height limits were taken off of the buildings in downtown LA where til that time no building could be taller than the 20+ City Hall.
So yes of course there exists a cultural difference between Los Angeles and whatever other city(s) that the creator of this thread is attempting to compare LA to. The proof is in the pudding the creator of the thread is either willfully ignorant or just inept at perusing this vast website and visiting the numerous Los Angeles threads that discuss development and particularly skyscraper development and proposals. LA has the tallest building(s) west of the Mississippi and has 2 financial districts(Century City and Downtown LA) where you will find many buildings 40+ plus.
Perhaps this is some veiled attempt at yet another city vs city thread since we know that those are killed like a rabid dog immediatly by the moderators when they pop up. Don't know? At best the creator of this thread should push themselves to research before attempting such an inane topic, I mean the answer to the question of this thread is just clicks away!
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