Skylines: Paris vs. Houston - Page 2

Dan Denson · #21 Posted **Aug 5, 2009, 3:32 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Double L

These are my favorite shots of the Houston skyline.

http://www.millairexp.com/main.html

http://www.indie-music.com/modules.p...ticle&sid=5460

I like these views a lot, particularly the top one. From that angle it's not particularly dense, but I like the way it's laid out.

Dan Denson · #22 Posted **Aug 5, 2009, 3:36 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bailey

Houston also has two other rather large clusters of buildings so I'm not sure if this is true for Paris.

I'm counting four large clusters: Downtown, Uptown, Med Center, and Greenway Plaza. I guess the Energy Corridor is getting there from what I understand, although I haven't seen it in about a decade. To me the Uptown skyline is amazing as you approach from the north on Loop 610.

KevinFromTexas · #23 Posted **Aug 5, 2009, 4:12 AM**

There is a sort of European quality about Houston's skylines. London and Paris both come to mind here. They're the type of cities with rather large multiple skylines scattered about. When you think about it, there aren't many other cities like this in the US, at least not with towers of that height, up to 900 feet in height. Whenever I'm there it definitely looks different than most other cities.

Agreed on the boringness of skyscrapers in general though. Obviously for us skyscraper geeks we're drawn to them, but for the usual visitor of a city, they're just an afterthought.

SLO · #24 Posted **Aug 5, 2009, 6:10 AM**

Seems like most US cities are headed toward multiple skylines

New Brisavoine · #25 Posted **Aug 5, 2009, 3:29 PM**

LA has lots of them already (Downtown LA, Century City, Burbank, Long Beach, etc.). That's what I like about LA. It's like several cities in one big city.

Metro Matt · #26 Posted **Aug 6, 2009, 7:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

LA has lots of them already (Downtown LA, Century City, Burbank, Long Beach, etc.). That's what I like about LA. It's like several cities in one big city.

I don't really consider Long Beach's skyline as part of LA's, that's like me saying Fort Worth's skyline is Dallas' too.

Metro Matt · #27 Posted **Aug 6, 2009, 7:22 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Denson

I'm counting four large clusters: Downtown, Uptown, Med Center, and Greenway Plaza. I guess the Energy Corridor is getting there from what I understand, although I haven't seen it in about a decade. To me the Uptown skyline is amazing as you approach from the north on Loop 610.

You left out several other notable Houston skylines; Westchase/Westpark & Greenspoint. If we're counting burbs too, The Woodlands might also qualify because its growing so fast, but fortunately or unfortunately most of those buildings are hidden by a forest of 50 ft. tall pine trees.

JManc · #28 Posted **Aug 6, 2009, 7:29 AM**

apart from the small cluster along I-10 and HWY6, the energy corridor really doesn't have much of a skyline but just a row of buildings along the freeway. there is another small cluster growing on I-10 and south gessner (memorial city area).

Great_Hizzy · #29 Posted **Aug 12, 2009, 2:16 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMancuso

apart from the small cluster along I-10 and HWY6, the energy corridor really doesn't have much of a skyline but just a row of buildings along the freeway. there is another small cluster growing on I-10 and south gessner (memorial city area).

I agree. Because of the spread out nature of the buildings and the thickness and height of the trees in the area, it's really hard to distinguish the EC skyline unless you're sitting high (like on the elevated ramp from the Sam to the Katy). I think there needs to be a couple of 300-foot or so towers in between the cluster along Eldridge to the south and the half-dozen or so that are along the Katy Freeway.

OTOH, Memorial City and City Centre appear to be making more of a natural progression towards each other. The Memorial City area alone is starting to become pretty distinguishable given the height and cluster of the high rises surrounding MCM.

StevenW · #30 Posted **Aug 12, 2009, 9:14 PM**

Both cities are awesome, IMHO.

raskacielos-houston · #31 Posted **Aug 18, 2009, 9:03 PM**

houston has a very impresive skyline

this is not all of it, there's some parts that are not visible

TexasPlaya · #32 Posted **Aug 18, 2009, 10:42 PM**

Love the last shot, it doesn't even include Downtown or the Texas Medical Center. It really shows how linear the Uptown/Galleria skyline is.

latennisguy · #33 Posted **Aug 21, 2009, 7:43 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

Houston's buildings are not that size. Photo was manipulated. All the buildings look squat.

This is my favorite view of Downtown H-town

flickr leadingmodels

Trogdor01 · #34 Posted **Sep 3, 2009, 5:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

You left out several other notable Houston skylines; Westchase/Westpark & Greenspoint. If we're counting burbs too, The Woodlands might also qualify because its growing so fast, but fortunately or unfortunately most of those buildings are hidden by a forest of 50 ft. tall pine trees.

I thought the same thing. And the Woodlands has the Anadarko tower. Like the Williams tower, it stands out to me for being so tall, and yet so far away from a downtown area.

Flickr has some good images of it, such as this one:

I've always wondered what the view must be like, from that observation area.

Wheelingman04 · #35 Posted **Sep 3, 2009, 11:37 PM**

Paris is a real, true old urban city so it doesn't even matter if the skyline is better or not. Most suburbs of big northeast and some midwestern cities are denser, have more old architecture than Houston could ever dream of having. Houston is mainly just a big overgrown suburban type office park like 90% of southern cities are. I am just telling it blutly. I don't care. I have been to every southern city and none has any character. I told my friend that you can just drive around the suburbs of Pittsburgh and Columbus, and that is pretty much like what you will see in every major southern city. Just sprawl from the urban fringe straight into the downtown core.

Metro Matt · #36 Posted **Sep 4, 2009, 7:30 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wheelingman04

Paris is a real, true old urban city so it doesn't even matter if the skyline is better or not. Most suburbs of big northeast and some midwestern cities are denser, have more old architecture than Houston could ever dream of having. Houston is mainly just a big overgrown suburban type office park like 90% of southern cities are. I am just telling it blutly. I don't care. I have been to every southern city and none has any character. I told my friend that you can just drive around the suburbs of Pittsburgh and Columbus, and that is pretty much like what you will see in every major southern city. Just sprawl from the urban fringe straight into the downtown core.

Pittsburgh is one of those declining rustbelt cities that no one ever really thinks about & has been losing its population since the 60's. Its downtown has a few architectural gems & nice riverfront skyline view though those are about the only good things I can say about the place. Philly is where its at.

You're right, cities in the South aren't as urban as those in the Northeast. Does it make them any less of a city? No, they just developed differently.

Are all of your posts on this forum that meaningless?

toyota74 · #37 Posted **Sep 4, 2009, 10:14 AM**

more paris clusters,

toyota74 · #38 Posted **Sep 4, 2009, 10:20 AM**

this view of la defence resembles more of an american city..

urbanactivist · #39 Posted **Sep 4, 2009, 1:36 PM**

First off, the only comparisons I could see that can be made between Paris and Houston is the time frame in which the buildings were built. That's why they look similar. But there aren't any other valid comparisons IMO. Paris and Houston are about as different of cities as you can possibly muster up (in terms of physical form... culturally they are bit more similar). The density, history, walkability, etc. just aren't even worth comparing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wheelingman04

Paris is a real, true old urban city so it doesn't even matter if the skyline is better or not. Most suburbs of big northeast and some midwestern cities are denser, have more old architecture than Houston could ever dream of having. Houston is mainly just a big overgrown suburban type office park like 90% of southern cities are. I am just telling it blutly. I don't care. I have been to every southern city and none has any character. I told my friend that you can just drive around the suburbs of Pittsburgh and Columbus, and that is pretty much like what you will see in every major southern city. Just sprawl from the urban fringe straight into the downtown core.

I have to disagree here, and not just b/c I am a Houstonian. Older doesn't necessarily equal better. And if you have in fact been to every southern city, then you went with preconceived notions and assumptions, and either didn't spend enough time to actually "see" the city, or what you saw you simply ignored. Kinda shameful that you're so well-traveled that you still feel confident to make such an inaccurate statement like this.

urbanactivist · #40 Posted **Sep 4, 2009, 3:14 PM**

Not a similarity, but more like a random coincidence...

Paris does have a few "lone skyscrapers" like the Tour Montparnasse (though there are plenty of Parisians that destest it)

(Chia giá Josè on Flickr)

which could be construed as "similar" to Houston's built form...

(Carol M. Highsmith... http://www.factmonster.com/us/histor...sco-tower.html)

But again, this is just the skyscrapers... from ground level, the two are literally worlds apart.