Quote:
Originally Posted by Future Mayor
There are ways to improve our skyline, however it requires things that many people don't like. Here are a few examples of those things;
Curbing Sprawl - If we continue to allow the sprawling pattern of home construction into the exurbs, without any true associated costs, the jobs are going to follow, reducing the number of buildings needed in our three downtowns, (I'm including Ogden and Provo into this discussion.) The true cost of suburban sprawl is not being shouldered by those that choose to live in those areas. I don't feel that incentives need to be offered to more compact and urban living, but the true cost of sprawl definitely needs to be shouldered by those choosing sprawl.
Economic incentives to businesses expanding or moving into the state - Yes economic incentives help our growth and overall economic vitality, but allowing them to move into green fields and suburban office parks is hurting our downtowns. I think the Governors office of economic development needs to adjusts the incentives it provides depending on where those companies choose to locate, don't simply give them the same incentive if they move to a Lehi office park as they would receive if they located in downtown.
Gas tax - The gas tax needs to be raised and all or at least the majority of the gas tax needs to go to transit. The increase needs to be focused on two areas of transit, most importantly is reducing the cost of transit travel and secondly, to improve access to more residents.
It all comes back to true costs and what is truly more green. Cities already have the infrastructure to accommodate more growth and have the transit systems to allow more people to enter and exit the city without the need for more roads. What is ironic is that the more the city grows in height and density, and the more the suburbs grow in density around transit, the taller and more impressive our downtown skyline(s) become, and the greener less polluted we become.
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It's been awhile since I was last on this thread. I've been reading through the more recent pages to try and get caught up again. Hopefully I won't get behind again.
I have thought allot about the skyline issue, as I'm sure most of us have. I joined the forums mostly because I love skyscrapers and although I enjoy reading about any development that grows the city and improves the urban life within it, I enjoy this forum much more when there are high-rise developments to talk about. But I digress.
It seems to me like cities with allot of high-rise development have an unusually high demand for real estate in the area where this development occurs. For example, I have always wanted to live on the beach in Miami. Not just on the beach but in the center of the action. So I would imagine that is why Miami has one of the highest skyscraper counts in an American city. I would imagine there is also a high demand for office space in Manhattan or the loop in Chicago.
My thought is that if we want to create a more impressive skyline there needs to be a distinct advantage to living and working downtown vs. in the burbs.
I don't know what the solution is but I think we need to find a way to make Salt Lake more like south beach or the Loop. What stands out in my mind is the lack of entertainment options downtown especially at night and also the lack of full time residents in the CBD. I think the two feed off each other.
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