Des Moines or Madison, WI

[pepe1]

Originally Posted by mfrerkes

The whole fixation on skylines is somewhat bizarre. Given the fact Des Moines has a high concentration of insurance and financial firms, I don't think its unusual to have a few buildings of that size downtown. Hartford, CT which has 75,000 fewer residents than Des Moines, also has a substantial skyline for its size. Wherever insurance companies congregate, you'll likely find abundant office space.

I'm not quite sure what having all that office space does for making a city's quality of life better. The tallest building in Phoenix, Arizona is 140 feet shorter than the Principal Building. Yet, Phoenix has no problem attracting thousands of people to move there every year. I'm guessing most people don't regard "tall buildings" as a primary motivation to relocate.

The built environment has a profound effect on people. Winston Churchill said it best, "man shapes buildings, thereafter they shape us". There is much research that suggest built environements affect our mood, perceptions, comfort, productivity, even our physical health.

Perhaps "tall buildings" are not in and of themselves a primary motivator, but buildings with great design are a quality of life factor, even if just on a subconcious level.

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by El Rhino

As far as the skyline thing, it's just scenery. People like to look at big buildings with bright lights just like people like to look at mountains or bodies of water. Not that bizarre.

Some people do, but I don't think its a criteria most would regard very highly. The bizarre part is the fixation some have with making it a definitive indicator of how great a city is. When I lived in Chicago, its massive skyline wasn't the city's selling point for me. Instead, the history and culture of Chicago is what I found most compelling.

The tall buildings, professional sports teams, and busy airports of Chicago are interesting attractions. But for me, the soul of Chicago's aura was something intangible and transcended any of those man-made objects.

[metro223]

and some people dont care at all about history and like the buildings

[RonnieJonez]

Maybe in one those big cities the skyline is partially a reason to want to move there but it's hard to believe that being the reason someone would want to move to Des Moines over somewhere else, at the same time you really can't be surprised by some of the pro DSM people.

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by mfrerkes

Some people do, but I don't think its a criteria most would regard very highly. .

If there was a straight-faced, unemotional, blank smiley, I'd put it here.

Of course it isn't something MOST people would regard. People were comparing cities and said that the Des Moines skyline is better than Madison.

I'll say it again:

"As far as the skyline thing, it's just scenery. People like to look at big buildings with bright lights just like people like to look at mountains or bodies of water. Not that bizarre."

[pepe1]

Originally Posted by mfrerkes

Some people do, but I don't think its a criteria most would regard very highly. The bizarre part is the fixation some have with making it a definitive indicator of how great a city is. When I lived in Chicago, its massive skyline wasn't the city's selling point for me. Instead, the history and culture of Chicago is what I found most compelling.

The tall buildings, professional sports teams, and busy airports of Chicago are interesting attractions. But for me, the soul of Chicago's aura was something intangible and transcended any of those man-made objects.

Aura is a highly subjective concept to describe. But regardless of your definition, there is an absolutle interaction between our built envrionment and aura or synergy - Each is a function of the other and each reacts to the other. For some, this interaction happens on a subconcious level while others are very cognizant of the relationship.

Cities that offer dynamic, interesting, and functional built environments are always viewed favorably.