Austin's Future Skyline (Houston, Dallas, Round Rock: to live, residential, architecture)

[TexasHorseLady]

I guess you'd consider me a nimby, then, because I don't think that Austin needs to be a fake Dallas or Houston or San Francisco or New York just to make people from those places feel comfortable. I think it needs to be it's own unique city, Austin, just as each of those places has their own unique charm, and I think a high-rise mentality conflicts with that.

Trying to be like anywhere else is just killing the goose that laid the golden egg for Austin, as I see it. Plus draining the unique quality of life that Austin has always offered.

But, mainly, I think the skyline as rendered resembles Dallas in the 1960's/1970's. I actually went back and looked at some Dallas skyline photos online to confirm that, and the feel is the same.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

I guess you'd consider me a nimby, then, because I don't think that Austin needs to be a fake Dallas or Houston or San Francisco or New York just to make people from those places feel comfortable. I think it needs to be it's own unique city, Austin, just as each of those places has their own unique charm, and I think a high-rise mentality conflicts with that.

Trying to be like anywhere else is just killing the goose that laid the golden egg for Austin, as I see it. Plus draining the unique quality of life that Austin has always offered.

But, mainly, I think the skyline as rendered resembles Dallas in the 1960's/1970's. I actually went back and looked at some Dallas skyline photos online to confirm that, and the feel is the same.

Look - you're probably a nice lady and all - but you're WAYYYYYY off base here.

Austin Skyline as it's becoming is not similar at all the the very chunky very large footprint buildings of Dallas of the 1960s/1970s. This is very modern, with light airy sky scrapers, point towers, that leave a lot of light between buildings. If you want to make a comparison - look to cities like Vancouver.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

I guess you'd consider me a nimby, then, because I don't think that Austin needs to be a fake Dallas or Houston or San Francisco or New York just to make people from those places feel comfortable. I think it needs to be it's own unique city, Austin, just as each of those places has their own unique charm, and I think a high-rise mentality conflicts with that.

This is what Austin could look like without infill - BTW - this IS what Dallas and Houston looked like in the 1970s.

http://beyonddc.com/log/wp-content/u...ownhouston.jpg

If you want to live in the days where we had low density and acres of nice surface parking lots to park our amply sized cars - then here's your paradise.

Personally, I like what's happening.

[TexasHorseLady]

Hey, all you senior members stop laughing at me being called a nice lady! Komeht will learn!

Komeht, I'm going based on impression from when I lived in Dallas at the time and what I experience in downtown Austin now when forced to go down there. Plus, as I said, looking at a few old aerial photos and skyline photos that I found online after that initial impression.

Your mileage, of course, may vary, since you likely weren't there at the time. But my point still stands: trying to turn Austin into just another high-rise city doesn't recognize Austin's unique flavor and tries to pave it over into something more conventional and in the comfort zone of those who can only imagine a city one way - lots of tall buildings.

[Austinite101]

Fairmont Austin- 700ft.



Rainy Street Towers- 50+ stories (550ft.-650Ft.+)



311 Bowie - 37 stories- 423ft.



Colorado and 3rd- 33 stories (~400ft.)



Greenwater - 39-38-29-19 stories ( 419ft.-412ft.-410ft,-234ft)



Austin Planetarium - 655ft.- 47 stories






That's just to name a few.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

But my point still stands: trying to turn Austin into just another high-rise city doesn't recognize Austin's unique flavor and tries to pave it over into something more conventional and in the comfort zone of those who can only imagine a city one way - lots of tall buildings.

Austin is growing - like it or not.

If you want Houston and Dallas - then we should do as YOU suggest, and not build tall buildings. That results in low density sprawl (see Katy, Fresno, Allen, Plano, etc.)

Or, we can keep what we like about Austin, a compact jewel on the edge of the hill country, NOT build 16 land divided freeways to the hinterlands and concentrate on building up and infill with beautifully designed architecture creating great public walkable vibrant mixed use spaces.

You CANNOT be for a vibrant Austin and against infill.

Or in otherwords - if you want to continue to have close in areas with places to ride your horses, you should be for this.

[Komeht]

Austinite - nice work.

I wonder with the addition of the Planetarium whether we are slowly dragging our way back from the absolute dead zone created between downtown and the University when the State of Texas declared war on sensible urban development?

[Austinite101]

Originally Posted by Komeht

Austinite - nice work.

I wonder with the addition of the Planetarium whether we are slowly dragging our way back from the absolute dead zone created between downtown and the University when the State of Texas declared war on sensible urban development?

I would hope so. That area is mostly office, so it is a 9-5 kind of area. It needs residential and that tower would introduce that to midtown.

[migol84]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

I guess you'd consider me a nimby, then, because I don't think that Austin needs to be a fake Dallas or Houston or San Francisco or New York just to make people from those places feel comfortable.

I guess a sprawling city with 3 million residents would do the job of keeping Austin's uniqueness? I'm sorry. I just do not see it the way you do at all.

[BevoLJ]

Originally Posted by Komeht

Look - you're probably a nice lady and all - but you're WAYYYYYY off base here.

Austin Skyline as it's becoming is not similar at all the the very chunky very large footprint buildings of Dallas of the 1960s/1970s. This is very modern, with light airy sky scrapers, point towers, that leave a lot of light between buildings. If you want to make a comparison - look to cities like Vancouver.

Good point. While Austin would never every have the numbers of buildings of Vancouver it is a much better comparison. I don't know how anyone can think Austin looks like Dallas. Dallas is all offices. Austin has no offices. It is all residential and hotels. Residential/hotels and office towers look absolutely nothing alike because they serve very different purposes and uses plus try to design to project a different image of what they are.

Edit: I shouldn't say Austin doesn't have "any" offices. It has the Frost and One American Center. But all the other taller and smaller notable buildings are residential. And even with those two, they look NOTHING like anything in Dallas or Houston. Even if one of them looks like something that belongs at Rice from particular angles. lol.