I don't know, I still look at Calgary and think it has more bulk than Austin. Considering how fast we've grown, though, I wouldn't think it too unreasonable to assume that we might approach Calgary's bulk eventually. I get that the question was which city punches above its weight, but I still look at places like Calgary, Denver, and Minneapolis as the next ones to approach.
I do feel pretty comfortable about saying that we've already passed Pittsburgh and New Orleans.
I think right now the city that is most like Austin with skyline girth, and to a lesser extent, height is Charlotte. We're probably about the size they are, but they have some more height on us.
Skylines are different though. There are skylines with tall towers but not a lot of bulk, and then there are the ones with bulk but little height. And then there are the monsters with both.
So while you might compare a skyline like Austin to Charlotte and consider them, there are other skylines that are what I consider bulky but that don't have a lot of height and probably themselves wish they did, but I think they have some bulk that can't be overlooked. Places like San Diego and Honolulu are two big ones that come to mind.
Austin's getting both these days. More height and more bulk with more towers being built in parts of downtown where there weren't many or any before. Austin's central skyline compromises of the boundary lines of downtown from the river north to 19th Street (MLK Boulevard) and from Lamar Boulevard east to I-35. This area includes where the Frost Bank Tower is up to north of the Capitol. North of MLK is outside of the boundary lines of downtown, but that area includes the University of Texas Campus and West Campus, and those two are part of the same skyline as downtown is. The UT Campus has 21 high rises - buildings over 115 feet. West Campus is mostly student housing, and it's really taken off in the last 10 years with more towers being built. There are 16 buildings there now over 115 feet. All of those are student housing. There's another one starting now that will be 321 feet with 30 floors. That will be the tallest building on the northern end of our central skyline. There's another 320 footer proposed a couple of blocks away from that one.
I made these rough Google Earth models of the development here.
Green - complete
Amber - site prep/site demo
Red - Construction
Blue - Proposed
West Campus with downtown to the south.
University of Texas Campus and West Campus.
Note: Some of these towers have started construction since I took these screenshots.
6 X Guadalupe under construction now - 848 feet with 65 floors. The 2nd tall one there is the BBVA Tower, and it's 774 feet with 60 floors. The tall tower in the lower right is The Republic - 708 feet with 46 floors, and the tall one to the left of the Frost Bank Tower is Tower 5C and is 670 feet with 40 floors. Those last three are proposed.
There is also the Domain, which is the first real 2nd skyline in Austin. This area is 8 miles north of downtown - driving distance is 13 miles, and there are several 200 footers up there and a handful of 300 footers underway.