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I'd say that a lot of them are in the core or lakefront, but there's a number that are away from both of those things. It's not necessarily rare to find high rises in some areas outside of that but it's not necessarily common place either. There's actually a few suburbs right west of Chicago - Oak Park and Forest Park - which have been building a handful of high rises in the last 2 years. There's also some other suburbs out closer to O'Hare that have high rises as well - not just Evanston.
The good thing is that the amount of high rises that have been built or proposed in the last 2 or 3 years outside of the lakefront/core area has increased a bit at least in a handful of areas. But yeah I mean depending on where you are, you will run into some random grouping of high rises, but it's not near the density of them as somewhere along the lakefront. A few parts of town will be really interesting though - West Loop (west of the expressway), Logan Square, Wicker Park, and River West for now - oh and the Illinois Medical District (Near West Side) has a handful of new high rises coming up in the next handful of years as they expand that area.
The thing I also like is the expansion west even in or right near the core. For example.
You can see the change. I like this - there are some kind of weird areas if you go a little west of here and all of a sudden they're filling in. There are a few more high rises that started construction recently around this street view too that aren't in view - and a another one or two that were just getting started, so it should be even more filled in soon. There are also right now a handful of high rises U/C in neighborhoods near the lake but the high rises aren't actually on the lake. For example: https://www.google.com/maps/place/25...!4d-87.6528229
What also excites me is that there's some weird places near the expressway that were recently sold and have plans for a number of high rises. Some of those more industrial lands are being rezoned. Here's an example of something - redevelopment of a Chicago Tribune plant on the river just outside of the core: https://chicago.curbed.com/2017/10/4...istrict-amazon
The last link's plans already went through zoning board and all that and was approved. Step in the right direction. This is pretty close to some links I showed you before, so essentially with this being built, the high rise core could seamlessly cross the river.
Thanks so you have basically confirmed what I observed when I was there in the bulk of the high-rises in Chicago are in the core or lakefront. That being said, more and more are being built further inland - got it!
Funny thing about Toronto is the core actually is more built up further inland of the lakefront so the best views of the skyline are not from the lakefront but perpendicular to it. The lakefront has seen a lot of development in the recent boom but it isn't as developed as the North Shore of Chicago. So it seems Toronto is making inroads on the lakefront front while Chicago is further inland.
I was actually trying to find one of the lakefront in the summer time from the air, with Grant Park and the fountain.
Like this? You can see Maggie Daley Park in this which is a park next to Millennium Park and opened in the last few years. This was not existing if the last time you were in Chicago was 5 years ago
Toronto zones basically for high-rises only in many areas. Chicago does not. You can still build a single home practically anywhere in the city. Of course you wouldn't in say the Loop part of downtown. But just south and even in River North art you might. The South Loop has plenty of town-house developments too and River North.... which is part of downtown Chicago today.
It we go by quantities as boasting points? Chicago has more skyscrapers then Toronto. Chicago zones Aldo to preserve the scale of its low-rise with mostly single homes neighborhoods (neighbourhoods). You need no special city permission to build a single family home. A multi-residential one yes in its low-rise neighborhoods.... any chance of a high-rise is on a main street and corridor. Not within in the 8 blocks per mile between them of closer-knit homes.
So Chicago WILL NOT anytime soon transform to high-rises everywhere. The Core yes and west and south of the Loop and its Northern shore neighborhoods especially. Elsewhere could more on main streets. But the fabric of its Cottage-home older neighborhoods and Bungalow belt to 50s neighborhoods within their off main streets and next to transit lines possibly? But it generally won't allow its classic neighborhoods be checkered with high-rises or just zoned to build them ONLY.
It's been said how Toronto chose in zoning more of the city for basically only high-rises? Is a key reason that's why it gets virtually only high-rises? Chicago's areas of them wee not because the city forced it. Actually, it realizes too many of its gilded age mansions were lost over previous decades for some high-rises that would not have been razed for high-rises today. Preservationist would fight it.
Thankfully, Preservationist actively fought to save classic old Chicago since the 80s in its Core especially. It probably would have lost a lot more like its old movie Palaces .... they today became forums for live Theater Plays. Even the Chicago Theater having a historic listing today... was almost lost and some of its oldest and first skyscrapers fought to save.
Not putting anything down in Toronto's choices. Works great for it and its booming population. But just how both cities approach how and where it gets high-rises OR NOT. Chicago has rezoned Commercial areas for residential with high-rises in mind .... but I never heard only them? Or near the core areas that it might want to guide to more part of it core as it develops. Just out of the Loop is plenty of newer town-housing allowed.
I don't doubt either some neighborhoods in Toronto have it desired their neighborhood fabric stay intact. Same especially for Boston that I'm sure much is not going to become high-rises anytime soon. Where these cities can differ vs Toronto in wanting to get only high-rises in new construction. Not so with Chicago or Boston. Boston learned from leveling some neighborhoods in its past. Never again to even build high-rises. Just as San Francisco hasn't or it would look more like Hong Kong today?
Not gonna happen in Chicago to get high-rises in these neighborhoods allowed anytime soon
like this
FIRST PIC --
SECOND -- Here town-housing welcome among new high-rises (LESS COOKIE CUTTER THEN)-
THIRD -- as New homes North of downtown where high-rises are also.
You might want to be careful with the statement that Chicago has more skyscrapers than Toronto. A skyscraper is considered a habitable building with more than 40-50 floors greater than approximately 100 M (328ft). If we use that as the benchmark for a skyscraper than I think you'll find Chicago does not have more than Toronto.. In terms of total highrises I stick by what I said, Toronto has 2:1 more highrises. If you look at the tallest between the two - Chicago does skew taller than Toronto but the city is finally going to be starting to build supertalls in the coming years.
I'm not judging or critiquing either city for distribution of highrises at all. If Chicago wants to line its scrapers/highrises along Lake Michigan up to Milwaukee that is up to Chicago. I was simply making note of the differences and accounting for how Toronto's density is the way it is, and how Chicago's density is the way it is.
As for how Toronto is zoning residential zones - Both High-rise and Mid-rise development is occurring heavily in the GTA. What is not happening is low density SFH development. That is part of the reason a SFH is so expensive in the GTA - not too much development of that type of housing is going on.
Thanks so you have basically confirmed what I observed when I was there in the bulk of the high-rises in Chicago are in the core or lakefront. That being said, more and more are being built further inland - got it!
Funny thing about Toronto is the core actually is more built up further inland of the lakefront so the best views of the skyline are not from the lakefront but perpendicular to it. The lakefront has seen a lot of development in the recent boom but it isn't as developed as the North Shore of Chicago. So it seems Toronto is making inroads on the lakefront front while Chicago is further inland.
Toronto's skyline follows the subway.
Toronto has both more highrises and more skyscraper class (min 100m) highrises than Chicago. But Chicago has taller buildings.
Toronto has both more highrises and more skyscraper class highrises than Chicago. But Chicago has taller buildings.
Yeah I know lol.. I actually edited all that into my post. You just quoted me on the flash lol.. Where Chicago has Toronto is greater than 200 M so generally their tallest skew higher than Toronto's. I think even that gap will close in the next 5 years.
Lakefront highrise development is occurring at a pretty dizzying pace as you know. Etobicoke has a skyline that simply wasn't really there 5 years ago. Construction is happening everywhere.
Yeah I know lol.. I actually edited all that into my post. You just quoted me on the flash lol.. Where Chicago has Toronto is greater than 200 M so generally their tallest skew higher than Toronto's. I think even that gap will close in the next 5 years.
Yes we have 4 supertalls in the pipeline over the next 5 years. But more impressive still, that 100m-200m class that bulks up the skyline is just on fire right now in Toronto. So many developments under construction, let alone proposed, that even I've lost track. I think Toronto is back to #1 for most cranes in North America.
Beyond the core, Etobicoke/humber bay, Midtown Yonge/eglinton, and even Mississauga are undergoing a building boom.
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