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Austin is doing a lot for a downtown of it's size, but some of these other cities are doing so much more. Really take the time to do a little research on what these other places are developing. People put too much weight into high-rise development.[/QUOTE]
I agree. What makes DC an interesting city is how it has a height restriction yet it virtually beats every city in the country outside of a handful when it comes to ground level activity.
One could make the argument that DC's height limit is one of the prime factors directly contributing to its ground level activity. In many US downtowns you'll see highrises right next to vacant lots or parking lots. That kind of development pattern discourages foot traffic and prevents neighborhoods from ever reaching a critical mass of pedestrians, restaurants, and shops where a neighborhood feels alive. DC's height limit has prevented developers from building higher than 12 or 13 stories on any given lot, incentivising them build more projects on multiple lots, filling in the gaps in DC's urban fabric much faster than it would have happened otherwise. There's unbroken walls of buildings filled with retail on most of the commercial corridors. Its fantastic urban design.
Now that we're at the point where there's very little developable land in DC left however, I am hoping they rethink the hight limit. They don't need to lift it completely, but it would be great if they could lift it in strategic locations. 30 story towers would work just fine in a neighborhood like NoMa in my opinion.
EDIT: Almost forgot to mention- DC's height limit has also encouraged subterranean parking because developers want to maximize above ground leasable space. In many other cities developers opt for less expensive podium parking instead, which can absolutely kill a block if not done correctly. If a podium is wrapped in retail, disguised so its less ugly, and if curb cuts for car entrances and exits are kept to a minimum then they can still work, but keeping all parking completely underground is usually better in every way.
I see some negatives in DC's height limit though: For one, developers tend to build lower ceilings in an effort to maximize the number of floors in the allowable envelope. When I moved from DC to LA the higher ceilings in all the office buildings was immediately apparent (and a welcome relief). Developers also tend to build boxy buildings for the same reason - adding spires or other non-habitable ornamentation means they're not maximizing floor space. Exhibit A: K Street from Washington Circle to Mt Vernon Square. Never will you see a more boring corridor of boxy 12 story buildings.
TL;DR - DC's height limit has made for some fantastic urban design and some terribly bland architecture.
Last edited by DistrictDirt; 07-06-2014 at 10:09 PM..
One could make the argument that DC's height limit is one of the prime factors directly contributing to its ground level activity. In many US downtowns you'll see highrises right next to vacant lots or parking lots. That kind of development pattern discourages foot traffic and prevents neighborhoods from ever reaching a critical mass of pedestrians, restaurants, and shops where a neighborhood feels alive. DC's height limit has prevented developers from building higher than 12 or 13 stories on any given lot, incentivising them build more projects on multiple lots, filling in the gaps in DC's urban fabric much faster than it would have happened otherwise. There's unbroken walls of buildings filled with retail on most of the commercial corridors. Its fantastic urban design.
Now that we're at the point where there's very little developable land in DC left however, I am hoping they rethink the hight limit. They don't need to lift it completely, but it would be great if they could lift it in strategic locations. 30 story towers would work just fine in a neighborhood like NoMa in my opinion.
I agree, I've only been to DC once but I really enjoyed its mid-rise downtown. It does feel a bit like someone sliced Midtown Manhattan part way up the buildings.
Not sure why tall buildings make a difference for ground level activity though.
Tall buildings = more people = more retail being developed = more parks being developed = more transit being developed = hospital expansion = more pedestrian activity etc....
Tall buildings do make a difference. See New York, Toronto, Chicago etc.
Tall buildings = more people = more retail being developed = more parks being developed = more transit being developed = hospital expansion = more pedestrian activity etc....
Tall buildings do make a difference. See New York, Toronto, Chicago etc.
Not necessarily disagreeing but look at many European cities.
They dont have tall building like in the U.S. and Canada and in most cases those cities are bustling with activity and even moreso than those cities with many taller buildings.
Tall buildings are pretty much irrelevent to the question.
And tall buildings generally harm pedestrian development. If you look at the most desirable and busiest urban neighborhoods across the planet, they generally lack highrises.
Even in Manhattan, most of the best neighborhoods are not that packed with highrises.
Tall buildings are pretty much irrelevent to the question.
And tall buildings generally harm pedestrian development. If you look at the most desirable and busiest urban neighborhoods across the planet, they generally lack highrises.
Even in Manhattan, most of the best neighborhoods are not that packed with highrises.
It probably has less to do with height and more to do with mixed use and interaction
Can be tall or not tall and still be conducive to vibrancy
It probably has less to do with height and more to do with mixed use and interaction
Can be tall or not tall and still be conducive to vibrancy
Agreed. Though taller buildings and buildings with more floor space that bring more people into downtown, will further bring new retail, office, parkland, transit etc development at a greater rate.
Agreed. Though taller buildings and buildings with more floor space that bring more people into downtown, will further bring new retail, office, parkland, transit etc development at a greater rate.
Again, tall buildings have nothing to do with any of this.
It seems that people are conflating tall buildings with big buildings or something. Obviously a neighborhood of 10-floor buildings can be denser than a neighborhood of 50-floor buildings.
Tall buildings are pretty much irrelevent to the question.
And tall buildings generally harm pedestrian development. If you look at the most desirable and busiest urban neighborhoods across the planet, they generally lack highrises.
Even in Manhattan, most of the best neighborhoods are not that packed with highrises.
Thats because European cities that are like that have high density residential developments all over the place..... Very few cities in US/Canada have those types of downtown population densities or anything close. Mainly New York City, Chicago and Toronto and SF are probably the only ones that come close..... In addition to highrises, lots and lots of mid to low rise developments have to be around which is what NYC, Toronto etc have existing and under construction.
Again, tall buildings have nothing to do with any of this.
It seems that people are conflating tall buildings with big buildings or something. Obviously a neighborhood of 10-floor buildings can be denser than a neighborhood of 50-floor buildings.
Thats why I said "and buildings with lots of floor space". Not sure if you read my post or not.
Not only tall buildings do the job but a ton of smaller buildings can do the job just as well or better. Only a few North American cities have this at the moment in their downtowns.
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