Suburban Skylines

[bossabreezes]

^Was literally just going to mention MetroPark.

That area could actually use some rezoning and further densification, it's a perfect spot for it.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by dc_denizen

Metro park

Yeah, I think Metropark is arguable, because it's very office parky with a few midrises (and maybe highrises?), but it's also very rail-oriented sprawl. It wouldn't exist absent rail.

And Edison, NJ is pretty old. Neighborhoods near Metropark were developed by 1950. Places like Troy, MI literally built highrises on the former site of cornfields in the 1970's, while there were still adjacent working farms. Toronto built lots of residential highrises on the very edge of development, on rural plots.

There is a highrise called Blue Hill Plaza, in Rockland County, that was built in the middle of nowhere. Basically a 1970's tower in the woods:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_H...:BHPAerial.jpg

[LA21st]

Originally Posted by Crawford

I think the NYC metro might be unique in that there isn't a single postwar-originated sprawl skyline. There are tons of "suburban" skylines, possibly more than anywhere else in North America, but they're all built on older urban towns that were enveloped by the expanding sprawl. So the skylines are in White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Hackensack, Fort Lee, Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport, New Brunswick, Morristown, etc. while the real postwar sprawl tends to be woodsy.

The giant corporate HQ of the postwar age are in deeply wooded office parks, often invisible from the public. There are very, very few mid or high rise towers in random sprawl. The NIMBYism is too strong and everything needed to look quasi-rural and cutesy. It's like GE, IBM and the like all wanted to hide.

So, for example, when Troy (suburban Detroit) built up in the 70's and 80's, it came out like this:
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5621...7i16384!8i8192

But when the Platinum Mile in Westchester (suburban NYC) built up in the equivalent time period, it came out like this:
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.0076...7i16384!8i8192

Morristown? Bridgeport? Norwalk?
Skylines?
That's like saying San Pedro has a skyline.

[ATLMidcity]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

Buckhead

Ant, you forgot to tell the internationals where Buckhead is located.

Buckhead is about 8 miles north of downtown Atlanta, Georgia but within the city limits.

[Citylover94]

Originally Posted by LA21st

Morristown? Bridgeport? Norwalk?
Skylines?
That's like saying San Pedro has a skyline.

None of them are huge but White Plains, New Rochelle, and Stamford all have decent skylines for their size. Newark could arguably count as well in that it is part of the NYC metro now.

Boston is similar with essentially no high-rises and only a few mid-rises in suburban environments and the only taller buildings in the metro outside of the core being in cities in the CSA like Providence, RI, Worcester, MA, and Manchester, NH

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by LA21st

Morristown? Bridgeport? Norwalk?
Skylines?
That's like saying San Pedro has a skyline.

They all have intensely urban centers with midrise skylines, so very different from San Pedro. And San Pedro isn't a suburb or satellite city, and doesn't have a corporate base.

[LA21st]

Originally Posted by Citylover94

None of them are huge but White Plains, New Rochelle, and Stamford all have decent skylines for their size. Newark could arguably count as well in that it is part of the NYC metro now.

Boston is similar with essentially no high-rises and only a few mid-rises in suburban environments and the only taller buildings in the metro outside of the core being in cities in the CSA like Providence, RI, Worcester, MA, and Manchester, NH

I know those places are but the three I mentioned def don't have skylines, unless you want to count numerous places in Chicago, LA, DC etc.

[LA21st]

Originally Posted by Crawford

They all have intensely urban centers with midrise skylines, so very different from San Pedro. And San Pedro isn't a suburb or satellite city, and doesn't have a corporate base.

I think we have different standards of intense urbanity.
Morristown? Norwalk? Bridgeport?


This was about skylines anyway.
Their midrise skylines are pretty common in many metro areas, theres nothing that stands out about them.

[dc_denizen]

Houston uptown

Uptown Houston by brijonmang, on Flickr

oh there's the williams tower

Uptown Houston Panoramic by brijonmang, on Flickr

[Citylover94]

Originally Posted by LA21st

I think we have different standards of intense urbanity.
Morristown? Norwalk? Bridgeport?


This was about skylines anyway.
Their midrise skylines are pretty common in many metro areas, theres nothing that stands out about them.

They do stand out in the Northeast where outside of DC suburban skylines are an oddity. Overall they don't stand out when compared to the rest of the country I suppose, but they stand out for the region they are located in.

[JManc]

I don't know if I'd call Houston's Uptown/ Galleria area 'suburban'.

[mhays]

I'd say it's like a suburban downtown, regardless of who manages it.

[AviationGuy]

Originally Posted by JManc

I don't know if I'd call Houston's Uptown/ Galleria area 'suburban'.

Right...definitely not suburban. Way too close in. I would consider the developing Energy Corridor skyline suburban, though.

[ATLMidcity]

Originally Posted by mhays

I'd say it's like a suburban downtown, regardless of who manages it.

I just watched several drone aerials of Houston's Uptown and I still can't determine whether it's suburban or urban?

But is it walkable or too disjointed for walking?

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by LA21st

I know those places are but the three I mentioned def don't have skylines, unless you want to count numerous places in Chicago, LA, DC etc.

Can you name these "numerous places", please?

Transit oriented suburban cores with downtown department stores in highrise office towers, and extensive prewar, rail-oriented fabric and rail-oriented commuting patterns. Where are all these alleged places?

In Chicago, Evanston is the only candidate, but I'm not even counting the "Evanstons" (ie extensions of city proper, like Jersey City and Yonkers). I'm talking about satellite cities.

In LA, I don't think there's even one such place. Maybe Long Beach, kinda, but it's more like an Evanston (an extension of LA).

In DC, there are plenty of suburban nodes, but they're postwar urban islands in sprawl. There's no prewar fabric.

[LA21st]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Can you name these "numerous places", please?

Transit oriented suburban cores with downtown department stores in highrise office towers, and extensive prewar, rail-oriented fabric and rail-oriented commuting patterns. Where are all these alleged places?

In Chicago, Evanston is the only candidate, but I'm not even counting the "Evanstons" (ie extensions of city proper, like Jersey City and Yonkers). I'm talking about satellite cities.

In LA, I don't think there's even one such place. Maybe Long Beach, kinda, but it's more like an Evanston (an extension of LA).

In DC, there are plenty of suburban nodes, but they're postwar urban islands in sprawl. There's no prewar fabric.

Good God, man. For the second time, this thread is about skylines. Not department stores, commuting patterns.
. For the third time, I was talking about Bridgeport, Morristown, Norwalk. Places you named as having skylines.

Yes, places like El Segundo, Irvine (a few areas there), Santa Ana etc have bigger clusters have highrises than those three places. I won't name every single place, or DC nodes either. I'm sure you'd disregard them for not being prewar or not having a commuter rail station.

Yes, Stamford, White Plains, Newark etc have skylines. Duh. No one is disagreeing with those. Just those other three cities you named.

[Nite]

Toronto - Yonge and Eglinton


https://www.flickr.com/photos/hotcommodity/49388333436/

[Nite]

Regent Park near downtown Toronto is quickly developing a skyline separate from downtown, however it may merge with downtown in the future

Aerial-Toronto-109 by _futurelandscapes_, on Flickr

[dc_denizen]

slighly OT, but it's totally comical to me how suburban highrise Canadian housing developments are marketed, compared to suburban midrises you see in the US.

Let's compare the websites for new condos in Surrey, BC with those in Gresham, OR (suburbs of Vancouver/portland respectively)

Park George in Surry, BC (two 30-40 story developments, 350 units each)

https://www.parkgeorge.com/

Quotes (note the awkward English phrasing, probably due to poor translation from Chinese, like they're not even bothering):

What I Invest In

Park George is the last phase of the most sought after urban community with a park-like setting in Surrey city centre. It’s a mere 5-minute pleasant stroll from the existing Skytrain network and future extensions. Soaring respectively to 36 and 39 storeys high, the two handsomely designed towers by award-winning DYS Architect & PWL Partnership Landscape Architects come with future-proof features, state-of-the-art amenities, sensible layout and stunning views. Live a well-balanced life here to connect to your expanding future!

Park George emerges at Surrey city centre where the best of each dimension meets: the perfect timing for rapid growth, a fully connected and serviced central location as well as a diversified pool of talents and expertise. This is the hotbed for cutting edge innovation in health science and technologies which results in new products and services with global significances. Collaborations such as Innovation Boulevard that partner up businesses, health institutions, world class education and government are major multipliers in the ecosystem for cutting-edge technological advancement and economic acceleration.

I can be as active or layback as I want while having a good time.

compare to Gresham - two new development totalling 700 units next to light rail, 6 stories or so woodframe



Press release-note difference in phrasing and tone

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...300890740.html

The new residential community is located at 1699 NW Civic Drive, perfectly positioned on the east side of the Portland Metropolitan Area, providing easy access to bustling Downtown Portland and its numerous dining, shopping and cultural opportunities. Additionally, close proximity to Portland International Airport will give residents the ability to connect to worldwide destinations, while the community's access to Mount Hood and the nearby Columbia River Gorge present endless outdoor activity options.

Located in the thriving Civic neighborhood of Gresham, Alta Civic Station is a short drive from the city's three large, semiconductor-manufacturing companies and other major employers including Boeing, US Bank and Subaru. Multiple nearby MAX Light Rail stations will provide residents with varied options for commuting to employment centers across the region.

"Alta Civic Station is an ideal location for apartment renters as it offers abundant shopping and retail amenities, easy access to the city's parks and unparalleled outdoor space, and the ability to be in Downtown Portland in under 25 minutes," said Michael Nagy, managing director for Wood Partners. "Gresham is forecast to be the top submarket in the greater Portland area for both rent growth and occupancy in the coming years, as the suburbs become more in-demand."

[Tuckerman]

Originally Posted by ATLMidcity

Ant, you forgot to tell the internationals where Buckhead is located.

Buckhead is about 8 miles north of downtown Atlanta, Georgia but within the city limits.

I think the term “suburban skylines” is quite misleading, when what we mean are skylines that are not in the CBD of a big city. Such “skylines” vary greatly from one metro to another in terms of their composition. Atlanta as an example: Buckhead is in many ways the central shopping area of Atlanta and has a very large commercial office component on Peachtree Street that is the extension of Peachtree from Downtown/ Midtown; the Perimeter area, with many high-rises contains many of the corporate offices found in the Atlanta metro –it is a few miles north of Buckhead but in essence a continuation of Peachtree; the so-called “Triangle” in the NW abuts the city of Atlanta and is where the Atlanta Opera and Ballet perform as well as the Atlanta Braves, it might appear suburban, but many components are those of a CBD. Many of the extraordinary developed high rise areas in some cities (and notably in Canada) are composed principally of residential buildings. In my view residential high rise building present a very different style of skyline from that given by commercial buildings.