Better skyline Houston or Dallas? (Atlanta, Mason: condo, zoning, nightlife)

[Trae713]

Originally Posted by atxcio

With all due respect, this sounds like a bunch of excuses. You can be an apologist for Dallas and Houston if you want, but the fact is they have shamefully dated skylines. None of the older towers like NYC, Philly, or Chicago; and no signature towers built after the 80's. The infill that is happening is good, but unremarkable -- during the same time the small amount of infill has happened, a HUGE amount of cheap, suburban sprawl has been allowed to occur.

This has happened all over the US and not just in Houston and Dallas.

Bottom line, MONEY is the reason you haven't seen a 650+ ft tower built in Texas in 20 years. And the ONE 650ft+ skyscraper currently under construction in Texas isn't in even Dallas or Houston.

Houston and Dallas have been building on the cheap, I suppose because the demand in their CBD doesn't warrant the kind of rents or purchase prices it takes to build a tall skyscraper. All the while it has only become more expensive to build tall, something that will probably guarantee that the look of Dallas and Houston skylines will remain largely the same.

I won't speak for Dallas, but Houston goes on the market. It has some of the lowest CBD vacancies in the country (Austin and Dallas are the opposite). Also, why build a tower over 650 feet when you can build two for 300 or so? I'd much rather have two 500 foot towers than a 1000 foot tower.

You are correct, our little skyline here is VERY new. I'm pretty sure Austin leads any other city in Texas in terms of 500+ footers, 40+ story buildings and 50+ story buildings u/c or built since 2002, and of course the tallest building under construction in Texas in 20 years. I'm not saying that makes Austin's skyline anywhere in the league of H-Town or Dallas; I'm just saying it shows both those big cities have been stagnating in terms of their real skylines. That's largely why those two cities skylines are more similar than different, really.

Austin is just now trying to get where Houston and Dallas were over 20 years ago. Austin's skyline, with all that is proposed and under construction, really only matches Uptown Houston and a MAYBE at that. Uptown Houston has a tower taller than anything in Austin. Good luck filling those condos in Austin though. Last thing I heard was that they are sitting vacant.

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by Angel713

Good luck filling those condos in Austin though. Last thing I heard was that they are sitting vacant.

Could Austin become the next Miami?

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by Angel713

This has happened all over the US and not just in Houston and Dallas.

Again: look at Philly, Cleveland, Charlotte, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami... I could go on. All over the country cities have built signature tall buildings since the 80's that have made big impacts on their skylines. Dallas and Houston have not. That's really my only point, that although they are impressive the skylines are more similar than different -- both are very much defined by their signature buildings built in the 1980s.

I won't speak for Dallas, but Houston goes on the market. It has some of the lowest CBD vacancies in the country (Austin and Dallas are the opposite). Also, why build a tower over 650 feet when you can build two for 300 or so? I'd much rather have two 500 foot towers than a 1000 foot tower.

The only reason for building two 300 foot towers vs. one 650 foot one is money. Period. Land cost, development cost, etc. I'd rather have a 300 foot tower than a parking lot, sure, but two 300 footers vs a 650? Nope. I'd take the higher density per land use -- discourages sprawl, more "green", and makes a visual impact for the CBD.

Austin is just now trying to get where Houston and Dallas were over 20 years ago. Austin's skyline, with all that is proposed and under construction, really only matches Uptown Houston and a MAYBE at that. Uptown Houston has a tower taller than anything in Austin. Good luck filling those condos in Austin though. Last thing I heard was that they are sitting vacant.

I only mentioned Austin because it was brought up by Metro Matt. You could really substitute most any decent size city (see above) and observe that tall, skyline-changing skyscrapers have been built since the 80's in many places.

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Could Austin become the next Miami?

You never know. Maybe. We are building a lot of condos.

[Metro Matt]

My final response to this thread is Houston skyline by day & Dallas skyline by night.

[Spade]

Originally Posted by Angel713

Hell, there is a new 500 footer just down the freeway from my house in Houston in the Memorial City area.

that's one thing I don't really care for. Skyscrapers plopping up around the city. I like a certain vincinity of skyscrapers in an area. That's one of two things I wish Houston did not do so much.

[Trae713]

Originally Posted by Spade

that's one thing I don't really care for. Skyscrapers plopping up around the city. I like a certain vincinity of skyscrapers in an area. That's one of two things I wish Houston did not do so much.

Uh, if you have seen Memorial City these past three or so years, you'd know it's not just a random place. You have City Centre, Memorial Hermann's complex before the new 500 footer, a new Westin Hotel, some new condominiums and office towers, plus, you have Westchase just down Beltway 8.

[AK123]

The World's Tallest Cities - Yahoo! Real Estate

World's Top 10 Tallest Downtowns
1. NYC
2. Hong Kong
3. Dubai
4. Shanghai
5. Chicago
6. Shenzhen
7. Tokyo
8. Houston
9. Singapore
10. Los Angeles

Houston being in the top ten in the world is pretty impressive.

[stoneclaw]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Houston also has the 3rd tallest US skyline after Chicago.

I don't think we can make that claim anymore. Miami overtook us last year!

[Trae713]

But we took it back!

[Spade]

Originally Posted by Angel713

Uh, if you have seen Memorial City these past three or so years, you'd know it's not just a random place. You have City Centre, Memorial Hermann's complex before the new 500 footer, a new Westin Hotel, some new condominiums and office towers, plus, you have Westchase just down Beltway 8.

That is miles away from the city center. You can describe three other districts around the city of Houston as well and that does not interest me. This is why I prefer Chicago, New York, and San Francisco skyline over Houston's. I'd rather that be in downtown. Just my preference though.