Quote:
Originally Posted by RockfordSoxFan
I hate to compare cities. But... Austin may be one sunbelt city that urbanizes just because of its demographics (young tech workforce). Right now though, its still a baby.
Austin 305 sq mi, population ~1,000,000. Metro ~2,200,000. Skyline, modest
Chicago 234 sq mi, population ~2,800,000. Metro ~9,830,000. Skyline, spectacular
Austin also has bizarre zoning to protect capitol views from around the city, so who really knows how its downtown will evolve as the city grows. My guess is probably more like Houston then Chicago.
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This is getting way off topic, but I doubt that Austin progresses like Houston. Houston hasn't had much growth of its skyline in decades. The economy of Houston is not diversified enough. There's the oil and gas industry and medical industry. The latter doesn't really build a skyline. Hospitals are large in square footage but not in height.
Austin has the two things a city wants to sustain growth: the State Capital and the flagship public university. Those both bring in dollars. Large law firms demand commercial space. A highly-educated workforce like you get near a major university like UT-Austin demands commercial space.
Austin is not Chicago but I think a better example of a city skyline progression is Minneapolis or Seattle (not a state capital, but close enough + UW). In the next 50 years, Austin will have the most impressive skyline in Texas and one of the better ones in the United States. It would be great if they invested in a public transit system to prepare for that.
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