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Thanks! From what I gathered, most of those are still plans and have yet to break ground. Even still, looking at the amount of units, downtown L.A. is going to need way more than that to compete with the cities ahead of it. An example of this would be to count the amount of units in the pipeline for the L.A. core right now listed on that website. It's really not that many. I think L.A. will continue to get better, however, Boston, Philly, and San Fran probably have about the same amount of units as L.A. in their pipeline. Downtown D.C. has more housing units currently under construction than downtown L.A. has in its entire pipeline, so there is no need to use it for a comparison.
Could you post how many projects are moving in downtown L.A.? I thought it was just a handful like 8-10 projects etc. I'm sure L.A. is building and I have seen many of the projects, however, D.C. is in a different league in downtown core construction right now so it would be apples and oranges to compare them. I wonder if L.A. is building more than Boston though? That is the only city I could see L.A. passing but only if Boston isn't really building in downtown.
No it is probably closer to 80 than 8... But really, there are at least a few dozen really huge projects going on. It seems like the most active area is around 8th and Grand and expanding outwards through South Park and the Financial District, but Bunker Hill has had some pretty decent action as well. Other areas seeing action include the Historic Core, Fashion District, Little Tokyo and the Arts District.
This shows 19 projects currently under construction, and a few that are listed as Approved are U/C - so the list is closer to 24. Not sure how it compares as far as residential units that are U/C, maybe not that great as mentioned above. One other thing is these don't include Adaptive Reuse projects, which are a huge part of the sea-change DTLA has experienced.
Los Angeles is definitely building more than Boston - this is pretty logical because DTLA has so many more empty lots and low-intensity uses than Boston has - it is easier and there are more opportunities for development. Seems like most of Boston's work is at the harbor area and Back Bay. They were building a high-rise near Water Street when I worked in the Harbor area, it is pretty impressive how much that area has changed.
Why compare DTLA to these smaller cities. Compare it to NYC, Chicago, DC, Philly, etc
Because I don't like to compare LA to East Coast cities. The layout of Los Angeles is unlike any East Coast city so it would be wrong for me personally to say that somehow LA will be like NYC, Philly, Chicago,or DC. Plus, I thought we were comparing up-and-coming downtowns and not already established ones. LA may not ever have a DT that is as important to its city as those cities you've mentioned. I think what LA is trying to do is have "Downtowns" for West LA, Central LA, The Valley, & the Eastside so we become almost like the US version of Tokyo or London but with more elbow room and sunshine. DTLA is becoming a behemoth and may end up as one of the most attractive DT's in the US, and one of the best neighborhoods in LA, but Hollywood, Santa Monica, Koreatown, Westwood, Warner Center, Culver City, Beverly Hills, Long Beach will all have their niche.
No it is probably closer to 80 than 8... But really, there are at least a few dozen really huge projects going on. It seems like the most active area is around 8th and Grand and expanding outwards through South Park and the Financial District, but Bunker Hill has had some pretty decent action as well. Other areas seeing action include the Historic Core, Fashion District, Little Tokyo and the Arts District.
This shows 19 projects currently under construction, and a few that are listed as Approved are U/C - so the list is closer to 24. Not sure how it compares as far as residential units that are U/C, maybe not that great as mentioned above. One other thing is these don't include Adaptive Reuse projects, which are a huge part of the sea-change DTLA has experienced.
Los Angeles is definitely building more than Boston - this is pretty logical because DTLA has so many more empty lots and low-intensity uses than Boston has - it is easier and there are more opportunities for development. Seems like most of Boston's work is at the harbor area and Back Bay. They were building a high-rise near Water Street when I worked in the Harbor area, it is pretty impressive how much that area has changed.
But really it will just be a tie between the bottom half of the top 5 I think, no city gets "bumped".
I think in 2020, Downtown DC will be third and will challenge Chicago at full buildout. Most of the new downtown neighborhoods will have between a 60,000-80,000 people per square mile density.
It's crazy about the building in Seattle.
More cranes than i have ever seen in this city, ever. Seattle - SkyscraperCity
Seattle is undergoing more construction than any other city save for NYC/Chicago. As much as people are glorifying the construction in DTLA, Seattle blows it out of the water right now. Cranes towering the sky everywhere. I would know, I just moved up here from LA.
So which city do you think downtown L.A. can pass? D.C. is building more in it's core than any of the big 6 downtown's in the country by a 3:1 margin including L.A. Also, Philly, NYC, San Fran, and Chicago have a considerable lead on L.A. Boston would be the only city I could see L.A. catching but they are building too. Is L.A. building 2:1 against NYC, Chicago, San Fran, Philly, or Boston that they would be able to close the gap? Remember, it's not like the big 6 downtowns are just standing still while L.A. improves. They are all improving and that would be an understatement for D.C. which I'm sure you already know. Which downtown do you think L.A. could catch?
I don't think it'll be able to catch the top 5 for a bit--best it can try for is maybe Philly/SF/Boston but definitely no guarantee it'll reach any of them anytime soon. It'll be the closest of all the cities that aren't top 5. LA in the 6th spot seems likely. The defining thing about LA right now is the pace at which downtown LA has been and is continuing to change. It's an incredible splurge of pent up demand and a lot, and I mean a lot, of foreign investment. As in enough to actually have a foreign airline carrier come in and make a supertall and feel like that's a good investment.
Not familiar with a big 6. There's NYC, Chicago, SF, Philly, Boston. That counts five to me unless you're splitting NYC with midtown and downtown which is reasonable, but in which case Brooklyn should be in the running, too.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 11-25-2013 at 09:03 PM..
Seattle is undergoing more construction than any other city save for NYC/Chicago. As much as people are glorifying the construction in DTLA, Seattle blows it out of the water right now. Cranes towering the sky everywhere. I would know, I just moved up here from LA.
Top 5 are NYC, Houston, Dallas, D.C., and Atlanta for new construction in 2013 by U.S. dollars. Just because you see a lot of construction in your own city doesn't mean that you're the only city with a lot of new construction.
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But really, there are at least a few dozen really huge projects going on. It seems like the most active area is around 8th and Grand and expanding outwards through South Park and the Financial District, but Bunker Hill has had some pretty decent action as well. Other areas seeing action include the Historic Core, Fashion District, Little Tokyo and the Arts District. 
