San Antonio's Downtown Skyline: Nice or Ugly? (Austin, Vidor: lofts, condominiums)

[icebrg]

Originally Posted by dvlpr

[color=black]
- Skyscrapers typically require abnormally large building sites, which interrupt the human scale of the neighborhood in which they’re built.

- Skyscrapers take massive amounts of energy to operate (heating & cooling, multiple elevators, etc.) and maintain.

And with regards to your "theory" (according to you, today's skyscrapers are "100 times better for the environment"): How so? Based on what?

Actually, skyscrapers/high-rises (classified as anything over 6 stories) use smaller building sites. For example, to get the same square footage of a ten story building into a 2 story building you would need a site that is at minimum 5 times as large, and that does not include the surface parking lot you would typically build with a low structure.

One reason that taller is better for the environment is because tall buildings prevent sprawl and are typically built on Brownfield/urban sites rather than Greenfield sites. This prevents added impervious cover over virgin land as well as further contribution to the urban heat island.

While skyscrapers, once they reach a certain height, can be energy inefficient today's skyscrapers are incredibly more efficient from a maintenance and operations standpoint than they were just 20 years ago.

The best energy savings in building taller is that you actually use less building materials per square foot than if you were to build one, two or even three floors. It takes tremendously more energy to produce and transport building materials such as steel, sheetrock and glass than it does to run a building over its lifetime. And typically taller buildings tend to be around longer, which means all of those materials are less susceptible to being put in a landfill if the building is demolished.

[CelesteDF]

Don't want to hijack this thread and take it OT, but did want to answer the questions raised in previous posts.

Originally Posted by tgannaway89

BTW I have heard of Rey Feo, but have no clue what it is. I am going to assume it is a Hispanic tradition in SA. Care to fill me in?

Originally Posted by SanAntoQT

Rey Feo is part of the Fiesta tradition. Now why would you assume it is an hispanic tradition?

Rey Feo IS a Hispanic tradition in San Antonio. Because Hispanics were historically shut out of "old" San Antonio's civic and social leadership, including the Texas Cavaliers and the Order of the Alamo who appoint King Antonio & Fiesta Queen each year, the Rey Feo scholarship program evolved as a parallel tradition. While San Antonio is generally culturally accepting today, Hispanics were just as segregated in the past as blacks were in the South before civil rights. Way back when, Rey Feo got started as the Hispanic community's answer to King Antonio, and the two traditions continue on today. Ironically, because Rey Feo is a scholarship program, several non-Hispanics have been selected Rey Feo because they raised the most scholarship money. Read more at Rey Feo Scholarship and King Antonio :: Texas Cavaliers

[imaterry78259]

With that said I am glad that Hispanics have overcome the crap they had to endure to rise to social prominence in SA.

San Antonio DT need a radical inprovements. Austin, Seattle,Bellvue, Washington, Tampa, Jacksonville, Cleveland, Indy, minneapolis all put SA downtown to shame. I guess the Conversation Society thinks this is still 1930.

[SanAntoQT]

Originally Posted by CelesteDF

Rey Feo IS a Hispanic tradition in San Antonio. Because Hispanics were historically shut out of "old" San Antonio's civic and social leadership, including the Texas Cavaliers and the Order of the Alamo who appoint King Antonio & Fiesta Queen each year, the Rey Feo scholarship program evolved as a parallel tradition. While San Antonio is generally culturally accepting today, Hispanics were just as segregated in the past as blacks were in the South before civil rights. Way back when, Rey Feo got started as the Hispanic community's answer to King Antonio, and the two traditions continue on today. Ironically, because Rey Feo is a scholarship program, several non-Hispanics have been selected Rey Feo because they raised the most scholarship money. Read more at Rey Feo Scholarship and King Antonio :: Texas Cavaliers

I knew that, however, the point I was trying to make is that the poster assumed it was an "hispanic" (I truly detest that word, btw). I realize because it's Spanish gave cause for that assumption, but, then King ANTONIO is not an "hispanic" tradition, even though it's a Spanish name. Don't sweat it...I was just being a b*tch that day! *lol*

[Bowie]

Originally Posted by imaterry78259

I guess the Conversation Society thinks this is still 1930.

You keep making this point about the Conservation Society wielding so much power and holding back progress downtown, even though it was refuted here by someone who has gone up against them. Where's your proof?

[imaterry78259]

Just finished a week in Austin working on my property. Downtown Austin is putting Downtown SA and central city to shame with the condo boom and revitalizion. Whats up SA

[Dopo]

I didn't read the whole thread but I'll go ahead and share my opinion.

From what I see San Antonio doesn't have a modern/plastic skyline, instead has an older looking skyline.
I like that, it gives it a look of a stable city (economically) with lots of history and people that are proud of the history of the city.

I grew up close to Caracas, Venezuela, once as "one of the most modern cities in Latin America".

Now that I'm older, I like skylines such as the one in San Antonio.

It's kind of hard to be proud of a building, once you realize that there's almost no connection between X corporation and the city because once they start doing bad, they'll go somewhere else.

[sapphire]

If I were so excited about another city's skyline and that's what was of utmost importance to me in quality of life factors, I would most definitely move there. The skyline here vs. there is not what keeps me up at night.

[BrunetteBeauty]

Originally Posted by sapphire

If I were so excited about another city's skyline and that's what was of utmost importance to me in quality of life factors, I would most definitely move there. The skyline here vs. there is not what keeps me up at night.

Honestly! Sometimes the things people find important amaze me. What good is a skyline if the people suck or the cost of living is too high or you can't find a decent place to live or the jobs just aren't available and so on and so forth.

[CamaroGuy]

I visited SA twice in 2003 and 2004. I LOVED your downtown very much. Please do NOT "Manhantanize" it!