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-   -   Cities whose skylines make you cry (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=239944)

the urban politician Aug 8, 2019 6:04 PM

Cities whose skylines make you cry
 
https://www.askideas.com/media/17/Bl...ny-Picture.jpg
https://www.askideas.com/black-man-c...funny-picture/

Which skyline makes you make this face?

Chisouthside Aug 8, 2019 6:16 PM

San Jose, California.
And it's not technically a skyline but the officescape of silicon valley from redwood city to milpitas also makes me cry.

homebucket Aug 8, 2019 6:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chisouthside (Post 8653048)
San Jose, California.
And it's not technically a skyline but the officescape of silicon valley from redwood city to milpitas also makes me cry.

It's heights are limited by its proximity to its airport. That may be changing soon but not substantially.

https://www.spur.org/news/2019-03-27...yline-san-jose

Chisouthside Aug 8, 2019 6:42 PM

oh yeah I know that, but as a transplant that took a liking to San Jose i hated that it was so puny compared to the SF skyline.

Urbanguy Aug 8, 2019 7:48 PM

Not a hater by any means but Phoenix, Tucson's and Salt Lake City's skylines -- mainly because it gives the appearance of a much smaller city than they really are when compared to other city skyline's of similar metro or urban area population sizes.

iheartthed Aug 8, 2019 8:10 PM

This might be sacrilegious to say around here but... I'm not that obsessed with skylines as a measure of a city. There are a few that are beautiful, but some of my favorite urban experiences in the world barely have any skyscrapers (Istanbul, Berlin). And some cities have large skylines that overcompensate for a subpar urban experience (I won't name them, but you know who you are).

Handro Aug 8, 2019 8:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iheartthed (Post 8653197)
This might be sacrilegious to say around here but... I'm not that obsessed with skylines as a measure of a city. There are a few that are beautiful, but some of my favorite urban experiences in the world barely have any skyscrapers (Istanbul, Berlin). And some cities have large skylines that overcompensate for a subpar urban experience (I won't name them, but you know who you are).

Cincinatti is an example of an American city with a subpar skyline but on the ground it is an amazingly underrated city. I had no idea what to expect when I went but was shocked at block after block of mid-19th century building stock.

MonkeyRonin Aug 8, 2019 8:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Handro (Post 8653202)
Cincinatti is an example of an American city with a subpar skyline but on the ground it is an amazingly underrated city. I had no idea what to expect when I went but was shocked at block after block of mid-19th century building stock.


Is it subpar? Cincinatti's street level is indeed great, but I'd say it's skyline is quite impressive for a city of its size as well. Pretty good collection of towers from different eras, and it's got a nice bit of layering going on with the bridges and hills.


https://cdn3.volusion.com/atzum.dfkh...otos/639-2.jpg
https://www.webermadeusa.com/Cincinn...m#.XUyEaiMrKys

jtown,man Aug 8, 2019 8:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iheartthed (Post 8653197)
This might be sacrilegious to say around here but... I'm not that obsessed with skylines as a measure of a city. There are a few that are beautiful, but some of my favorite urban experiences in the world barely have any skyscrapers (Istanbul, Berlin). And some cities have large skylines that overcompensate for a subpar urban experience (I won't name them, but you know who you are).

I think most people on here agree with you to some degree. But damnit, I love me a good skyline. I have never pinned why this is...I think the skyscraper shows what greatness humans can achieve, like a beautiful bridge or something.

However, a perfect urban experience, with or without skyscrapers, is the culmination of human endeavors over time that creates something special.

As an American, I'll take what I can get. I want BOTH though. :cheers:

jtown,man Aug 8, 2019 8:43 PM

Memphis lets me down. They have a solid set of old buildings and a decent trolly system yet it lacks anything new(relatively). If Memphis had Nashville level growth the downtown would be one of the best in the country for its population. Its base is awesome, it just needs some POP.

JManc Aug 8, 2019 8:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin (Post 8653218)
Is it subpar? Cincinatti's street level is indeed great, but I'd say it's skyline is quite impressive for a city of its size as well. Pretty good collection of towers from different eras, and it's got a nice bit of layering going on with the bridges and hills.


https://cdn3.volusion.com/atzum.dfkh...otos/639-2.jpg
https://www.webermadeusa.com/Cincinn...m#.XUyEaiMrKys

Agreed. Cincinnati is only about ~2 million and the skyline is pretty respectable for a metro that size.

jtown,man Aug 8, 2019 9:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JManc (Post 8653254)
Agreed. Cincinnati is only about ~2 million and the skyline is pretty respectable for a metro that size.

It's nice. But to me it suffers from the same issues I mentioned about Memphis(albeit on a less extreme scale). Imagine if there were some nice newer towers thrown in there. It has the bulk, some new towers of decent height would do wonders for it.

JAYNYC Aug 8, 2019 9:25 PM

Sure hope no one I know would "cry" over something as asinine as a skyline.

Most disappointing U.S. skylines (no particular order):

Phoenix
San Jose
Sacramento
Salt Lake City
San Antonio
Milwaukee
Jacksonville
Oklahoma City
Orlando
Cincinnati
Columbus
Memphis
Portland
Boston

Honorable Mention: New Orleans, Indianapolis

Handro Aug 8, 2019 9:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin (Post 8653218)
Is it subpar? Cincinatti's street level is indeed great, but I'd say it's skyline is quite impressive for a city of its size as well. Pretty good collection of towers from different eras, and it's got a nice bit of layering going on with the bridges and hills.


https://cdn3.volusion.com/atzum.dfkh...otos/639-2.jpg
https://www.webermadeusa.com/Cincinn...m#.XUyEaiMrKys

It definitely looks nicer in that picture then I experienced seeing it in real life. I think it's pretty boring in real life (architecture reminded me of an office park that had been inflated) and doesn't do justice to what's happening below the canopy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAYNYC (Post 8653286)
Sure hope no one I know would "cry" over something as asinine as a skyline.

Most disappointing U.S. skylines (no particular order):

...
...
Boston

Yes! The Boston skyline is underwhelming for a city with it's amazing history, density and street level experience. One of my favorite cities in the US.

JAYNYC Aug 8, 2019 9:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Handro (Post 8653295)
Yes! The Boston skyline is underwhelming for a city with it's amazing history, density and street level experience. One of my favorite cities in the US.

In addition to its lackluster size and density (relative to its prominence from a business, historical and cultural perspective), it's also easily among the worst from a skyscraper architectural perspective. Aside from John Hancock, most of the city's primary tallest are plain hideous.

maru2501 Aug 8, 2019 9:38 PM

Vegas. Hot wind blew dust in my eyes

Steely Dan Aug 8, 2019 9:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin (Post 8653218)
Is it subpar? Cincinatti's street level is indeed great, but I'd say it's skyline is quite impressive for a city of its size as well. Pretty good collection of towers from different eras, and it's got a nice bit of layering going on with the bridges and hills.

100% agreed on all points.

pittsburgh is another that hits high notes on both the skyline and street level scales as well. hills and bridges too.

edale Aug 8, 2019 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Handro (Post 8653295)
It definitely looks nicer in that picture then I experienced seeing it in real life. I think it's pretty boring in real life (architecture reminded me of an office park that had been inflated) and doesn't do justice to what's happening below the canopy.

I've never heard of much of a complaint about Cincinnati's skyline. It's not the tallest, but it has a pretty dense skyline and has the bridges and hills and the skyline of Covington, KY to add to it.

https://i.etsystatic.com/13751308/d/....jpg?version=0

What angle were you viewing it from? Pretty odd pick, I think. It has two pre-war 500+ footers and its tallest is from this decade. Healthy balance and again, a nice density.

10023 Aug 8, 2019 10:01 PM

I opened this thread thinking it meant tears of joy. Which would be weird.

No skylines “make me cry”. Paris would be the most perfectly formed urban landscape in the world without a single building over 8 stories tall (in fact possibly improved for it).

It’s new cities full of cheap painted concrete and autocentric development which, while they don’t make me cry, make me dismayed about the generally low standards that people today have with respect to just about everything. And it’s only going to get worse as humans continue to overbreed.

JManc Aug 8, 2019 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Dan (Post 8653302)
100% agreed on all points.

pittsburgh is another that hits high notes on both the skyline and street level scales as well. hills and bridges too.

Pittsburgh punches way above its weight in the skyline department. It rivaled Philly until last 10-15 years.


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