[Pedestrian]

Story by Scott Wilson | Graphics by Aaron Steckelberg Feb. 4, 2019

From the Rockies to the Pacific, cities are seeking to accommodate increasing populations amid housing shortages by growing up instead of out. A number of them, including this mile-high city hard against the Front Range, are considering projects that would construct some of the tallest buildings in the West.

The towers are the showpieces, but across these urban centers, which have sprawled into suburbs for years, new housing and office projects also are being built taller than ever before. The construction is focused around public transportation centers, and, in some cases, cities are allowing heights to rise beyond original zoning rules as a reward for builders who contribute more to affordable housing.

The development that will take place across the West during the next few years will change the character of these cities, once as flat and wide as the original frontier. Structures, some of which will reach above 70 stories, will threaten mountain and ocean views, and historic neighborhoods are being squeezed by projects designed to attract new business and wealthier residents . . . .

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graph...=.fbb41099359a