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Originally Posted by austex
I am interested in hearing more of what you mean by this comment. Especially, "It will definitely give Austin its own look and character." What are some of the differences from other cities? The skyline really does look great in Austin.
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Sure. Height restrictions and view corridors arrange and organize skyscrapers. They direct height to certain locations. Instead of Austin having gigantic buildings along the waterfront, like some cities, we'll have something that looks a little less intimidating and imposing from that angle. The buildings in front will not block out the buildings behind, so it will look graduated and picturesque. View corridors prioritize landmarks and build around them. They emphasize buildings that residents feel like give their city its character. In Austin, it's really just the state capitol building, but in places like Washington D.C. or London or Paris they have the potential to have a much greater impact, as there are more landmarks and more buildings to prioritize and emphasize. Of course, D.C. still has those hardcore height restrictions that make it more like a European city than an American one (which I don't necessarily mind), but if they ever were to loosen those restrictions, view corridors would undoubtedly need to be used.
Eventually, this all led to Austin forming a deeper understanding of downtown and resulted in it being organized into different
"districts", which further directed development, rather than it being like Houston where anything can be built anywhere, due to the absence of zoning codes. Austin's development is more deliberate, less random, than in some other places. That's good urban planning and it's what differentiates us from lots of foreign cities, in particular.
So, basically, Austin's urban landscape will (continue to) develop according to what we value, what we prioritize, and what culture different areas of downtown have developed. We just have to keep standing up for who we are and what we want Austin to be so that we don't become a bland, cookie-cutter city, but instead remain a unique, charming place, like we've always been.
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