Give your opinion of the top 10 skylines in the U.S. & top 10 in the world

[Nite]

Originally Posted by edale

^ TBH, none of those photos really make the case for Montreal's skyline...

I'm glad to see MTL getting some more skyscrapers, but I hope they don't fall into the Vancouver (and increasingly Toronto) trap of diluting the skyline with bland, nondescript condo towers. And it would be nice to see some taller buildings to give some peaks to the skyline.

Those pictures are to illustrate Montreal's texture and layers, they aren't really to show off the skyline. What the videos on the previous page to see why Montreal has a top 10 North American Skyline
Montreal has a height limit, so you aren't going to see any towers tall than what is currently there. But Height isn't everything however as Edmonton has the tallest building in Canada outside of Toronto but it's not near to having Canada's second-best skyline

and PS Vancouver also has one of the best skylines in North America

Vancouver

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by edale

I never realized the John Hancock tower was so beloved by Bostonians. It seems like a pretty standard glass tower to me-- a larger version of Toledo's One Seagate

I always thought it was interesting how it stood off by itself, dwarfing most everything around it, and the mirror effect is pretty cool. I like the Hancock, and it's a fine building to serve as Boston's tallest, I just never would consider it a top tier skyscraper, let alone top 10 in the US.

I think because the blue glass curtain wall effect has been repeated so much people think of it as less distinct, but it was one of the pioneers of that aesthetic back when expanses of architectural glass was a huge novelty.

But it's really the perfect application of blue mirror glass - as a contrast to, and relief from, expanses of earth tones and textures. It's like a blue oasis in an expanse of sand. But when you have a city (or part of a city) that's full of that stuff, it completely loses the effect. No contrast, no relief from anything, nothing that stands out. Buildings that are clean and simple without ornamentation or detailing make for a monotonous cityscape when there's lots of them dominating the built form. What made them so special was the contrast in context.

[BillM]

Originally Posted by Crawford

No. That's like saying a person's appearance changes if I close my eyes or take a lot of drugs. The person is the same.

A skyline doesn't change bc someone looks at it from a different angle. It's the same skyline.

I always thought skylines had their good and not so good sides, just like people.

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by BillM

I always thought skylines had their good and not so good sides, just like people.

Of course, lighting angle, height of the picture etc. Crawford is crazy if he thinks all angles and views/pics of skylines are the same. Thats just self evidently not correct.

[jbermingham123]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

Not just speaking about skylines, but about urbanism, the inland Chinese cities are these huge unknowns that are rapidly being closed off behind a second iron curtain for us.

A city like Chongqing looks incredibly intriguing: it has a Manhattan's worth of skyscrapers plunked down on a Pittsburgh-esque landscape.

But China is becoming more of a hassle to visit, and I'm not getting any younger, so I will probably never see it in the flesh. For us Westerners, China is reverting back to a fantastical place in our imaginations, something Marco Polo-ish, rather than a "real place".

i went to ChongQing back in 2017 and was sorely disappointed by the above ground architecture. Yes the city is bulky and massive, and yes the landscape is an incredible place for a city (Pittsburgh is a good analogy, but its even better in that its also a humid subtropical cloud forest), but all the buildings are soul-crushing commie blocks, for lack of a better way of putting it. most of the original city has been bulldozed and replaced with copy/paste megablocks of identical towers, most of which will never be occupied** (see below). very depressing.

That said, the undercity was incredible. the large hill that separates the Yangzi river from the Jialing river (where downtown is) has dozens, if not hundreds, of miles of underground streets crossing from one riverfront to the other through the hill. And these arent mere tunnels, these are underground NEIGHBORHOODS with shops, houses, police stations, etc.. all joined by a labrynth of busy pedestrian staircases and tunnels, traffic tunnels, and transit stations.

**china's real estate bubble is so bad that even as far back as 2017, they already had enough apartments for 4 billion people. (most of them unfinished and built with materials of the worst possible quality). today its closer to 5.5 billion. the state-owned construction companies have now begun resorting to building megaprojects in africa at substantial losses (empty housing blocks in the middle of nowhere with rents 20-30 times what the locals make in a year, all built with imported chinese labor) just to keep the entire economy from collapsing.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by Shawn

I think the Seattle and Pittsburgh skylines have the best combinations of building styles and eras, height variations, colors and textures, and geographic features in either the US or Canada.

Philly, Calgary, and SF come next.

I would agree with this statement. Pittsburgh in particular looks fantastic clustered at the point of the 3 rivers.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by Shawn

Boston's strength is in its quality granular urbanity, its on-the-ground experience. Not its skyscrapers, unfortunately for those of us who like tall buildings.

agreed on PPG Place for PoMo. I like Pittsburgh's towers that showed off Pittsburgh innovations. US Steel- revolutionary Coreten steel. PPG with its latest early 80s glass "The buildings contain over one million square feet of PPG's Solarban 550 Twindow - 19,750 pieces", Alcoa from the 50s with the aluminum panels. Neat

This sounds like it's both Boston's and Montreal's true strength! Both cities due to age have some of the best urban neighbourhoods in all of North America.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by Obadno

Of course, lighting angle, height of the picture etc. Crawford is crazy if he thinks all angles and views/pics of skylines are the same. Thats just self evidently not correct.

He's just being super pedantic since while what you're seeing changes, the actual buildings themselves don't change based on your relation to them. But if he was a real pedant, he'd know that a skyline isn't buildings but rather the visual effect of a line (horizon) formed where the land meets the sky. Many people just happen find it a particularly interesting effect when there are buildings sticking up causing the line to be more varied and jagged. But being a visual effect rather than physical object - not unlike a vanishing point - the effect you experience in a given city does indeed change as the observer who's experiencing it moves around and faces different directions.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by BillM

I always thought skylines had their good and not so good sides, just like people.

They do. Houston viewed facing east (most photographed) only shows a fraction of the buildings and looks smallish:



But looks fare more massive viewed to the north/ northwest
Houston Skyline by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmancuso/]/url],

[muppet]

Originally Posted by jbermingham123

i went to ChongQing back in 2017 and was sorely disappointed by the above ground architecture. Yes the city is bulky and massive, and yes the landscape is an incredible place for a city (Pittsburgh is a good analogy, but its even better in that its also a humid subtropical cloud forest), but all the buildings are soul-crushing commie blocks, for lack of a better way of putting it. most of the original city has been bulldozed and replaced with copy/paste megablocks of identical towers, most of which will never be occupied** (see below). very depressing.

That said, the undercity was incredible. the large hill that separates the Yangzi river from the Jialing river (where downtown is) has dozens, if not hundreds, of miles of underground streets crossing from one riverfront to the other through the hill. And these arent mere tunnels, these are underground NEIGHBORHOODS with shops, houses, police stations, etc.. all joined by a labrynth of busy pedestrian staircases and tunnels, traffic tunnels, and transit stations.

**china's real estate bubble is so bad that even as far back as 2017, they already had enough apartments for 4 billion people. (most of them unfinished and built with materials of the worst possible quality). today its closer to 5.5 billion. the state-owned construction companies have now begun resorting to building megaprojects in africa at substantial losses (empty housing blocks in the middle of nowhere with rents 20-30 times what the locals make in a year, all built with imported chinese labor) just to keep the entire economy from collapsing.

Thanks for the post, I'd love to have seen it then -although more grimy it likely had a whole more heart and community, and streetlife. I recommend you revisit now as 5 years in an interior city equates to more than a decade of change anywhere else in the world. The city was long notorious (especially in China) for its grit and concrete poverty, in contrast to the former regional capital and competition, Chengdu. It's a moniker it still tries to shake off -the one city in China that is full of what we in the West call postwar architecture -modernism and concrete (as opposed to the 90s variety the rest of the country got later).



Nowadays it's the most visited city in the country -possibly the world -(670 million visitors p/a, 100 million overnighting) with the most attractions and grade A attractions, and makes an annual $80 billion from the industry, double from just 4 years before.

Alot of visitors head there for its food and the strong cyberpunk vibes (here is where Cyberpunk 2077 came to study, and where the new Hitman is set):

• Video Link


There's currently a big rehaul of poverty in China, whose 'urban villages' -semi-legal blocks built in the early years of economic rise - have been undergoing the biggest demolition drive in history. However cities such as CQ and Shenzhen are trying to protect and restore them.

Each neighbourhood is given a project and budget to attract custom -often converted into destinations for the rest of the city, that misses the old Bladerunner style streetlife, and nostalgia of community, independent stores and creatives.

Some areas do the usual thing of introducing livability, new architects, community centres and prettifying their shopping streets -meh:







But there's also a big thing right now of 80s/90s themed nostalgia. Shopping malls are popping up looking like this, sometimes lifting entire facades from other parts of the city:





This is a chichi nightspot of a rooftop bar:




Chongqing is to put it politely - perfectly placed - to make the most of this fad. There is a new 2km district -part of the city centre back in the day, now downtrodden and ignored, that's busy converting itself to the 80s again:

(I get that many people still think China looks like this - but it's actually a trip into nostalgia)

• Video Link

[muppet]

The other thing with CQ is that it's busy restoring the old districts, once just as notorious, as being little more than ancient wooden shanty towns:

Before -Shabati (18 Steps district):






After:








Before - Hongyadong (Hongya Cave district, a former walled town built around a grotto network). Traditionally buildings were 9-12storeys in the centre, any higher than 16 and people refused to climb the stairs:




After -it was converted in the 00s and is pretty theme-parkey, but its inordinate success is what all other districts are trying to replicate




Ciqikou

Before




After






These restored neighbourhoods are now the biggest attractions for the city

Longmenhao






...and the price for all this? As with all Ye Olde City's round the world -places usually saved from centuries of development as they were unfavourable to anyone but the poor -their survival into today's celebrated areas involves the removal of much of the community. Given new homes in mod cons -and replacement with the rich (though nowadays the residents have more rights and get a choice to stay, by Chinese law).

Anyhoo, this is Shibati before its restoration, the last slum in the city in 2017 - a film maker pretty much recorded the residents moving into the 21st Century. As recently as the 80s China was the 3rd poorest country on Earth per capita:

• Video Link • Video Link


This is it today:

• Video Link

[montréaliste]

@muppet/

As per usual; excellent last postings, sir!

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by muppet

Thanks for the post, I'd love to have seen it then -although more grimy it likely had a whole more heart and community, and streetlife. I recommend you revisit now as 5 years in an interior city equates to more than a decade of change anywhere else in the world. The city was long notorious (especially in China) for its grit and concrete poverty, in contrast to the former regional capital and competition, Chengdu. It's a moniker it still tries to shake off -the one city in China that is full of what we in the West call postwar architecture -modernism and concrete (as opposed to the 90s variety the rest of the country got later).



Nowadays it's the most visited city in the country -possibly the world -(670 million visitors p/a, 100 million overnighting) with the most attractions and grade A attractions, and makes an annual $80 billion from the industry, double from just 4 years before.

Alot of visitors head there for its food and the strong cyberpunk vibes (here is where Cyberpunk 2077 came to study, and where the new Hitman is set):

• Video Link


There's currently a big rehaul of poverty in China, whose 'urban villages' -semi-legal blocks built in the early years of economic rise - have been undergoing the biggest demolition drive in history in recent years. However cities such as CQ and Shenzhen are trying to protect and restore them.

Each neighbourhood is given a project and budget to attract custom -often converted into destinations for the rest of the city, that misses the old Bladerunner style streetlife, and nostalgia of community, independent stores and creatives.

Some areas do the usual thing of introducing livability, new architects, community centres and prettifying their shopping streets -meh:







But there's also a big thing right now of 80s/90s themed nostalgia. Shopping malls are popping up looking like this, sometimes lifting entire facades from other parts of the city:



This is a chichi nightspot of a rooftop bar:




Chongqing is to put it politely - perfectly placed - to make the most of this fad. There is a new 2km district -part of the city centre back in the day, now downtrodden and ignored, that's busy converting itself to the 80s again:

Excellent post Muppet! Some nations like China over build housing. Others like the U.S. under build grossly, and as a consequence have massive homelessness.

The U.S. needs to have a crash program to build affordable housing.
Do it better this time, to avoid the mostly awful public housing projects of the 1930s-1960s. Let the tenants take an ownership stake so they have an economic incentive to keep the projects relatively clean and relatively free of crime.

The political party that takes up this issue (most likely the Democrats) will gain many votes since even middle income people are living paycheck to paycheck and fear becoming homeless.

[LA21st]

Originally Posted by BillM

I always thought skylines had their good and not so good sides, just like people.

The view of downtown LA from the norh/going south sucks.
Its like 25 percent of the skyline these days. I dont know why people post it.

I'd say the best view is from the Arts District, looking southwest towards Staples. Or some angles from South Park looking north towards City Hall.

[craigs]

For North America:

1. New York
2. Chicago
3. Toronto
4. Philadelphia
5. Los Angeles
6. Houston
7. San Francisco
8. Seattle
9. Atlanta
10. Miami

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by Wigs

agreed on PPG Place for PoMo. I like Pittsburgh's towers that showed off Pittsburgh innovations. US Steel- revolutionary Coreten steel. PPG with its latest early 80s glass "The buildings contain over one million square feet of PPG's Solarban 550 Twindow - 19,750 pieces", Alcoa from the 50s with the aluminum panels. Neat

Don’t forget BNY Mellon covered in steel plates.

It was basically the next iteration of the US Steel Tower. US Steel built it as HQ for its shipbuilding subsidiary Dravo to show off the latest in steel plate/panel products.

Most people (even on this site) don’t seem to realize Pittsburgh’s second tallest is clad in steel.

[Shawn]

Originally Posted by edale

I never realized the John Hancock tower was so beloved by Bostonians. It seems like a pretty standard glass tower to me-- a larger version of Toledo's One Seagate

I always thought it was interesting how it stood off by itself, dwarfing most everything around it, and the mirror effect is pretty cool. I like the Hancock, and it's a fine building to serve as Boston's tallest, I just never would consider it a top tier skyscraper, let alone top 10 in the US.

Yeah, I'm probably giving it too much of a hometown bias, but the John Hancock is essentially the municipal symbol of Boston you see outlined or profiled on random seals, local news backdrops (which never show Downtown, just Back Bay), all the dumb BOSTON sweatshirts, postcards etc. Like Nouvellecosse mentions, this may seem commonplace now, but it was a brand new concept in 1976.

[Shawn]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

when you pull back far enough, you can definitely get the VAST bulk of the core chicago skyline in one frame, and it has one of the most distinctive profiles in the world, IMO.

I'll give you this: because Chicago's skyline is pretty linear north-south, you can get that "single frame" view as you've posted. And here's where you can appreciate that beautifully sculpted profile. My personal issue here is that now we're too far out to enjoy any specific building's details.

That's why I have Seattle and Pittsburgh as my two favorites. In addition to all the other stuff I listed before, you can enjoy these skylines' full profiles while still checking out individual building details.

[SFBruin]

Originally Posted by DZH22

790' (241m) John Hancock Tower, to the right in this first shot. The original all-glass tower.

The new construction in Boston is doing wonders for the skyline.

[SFBruin]

Btw, I'm not biased against Boston, or anything.

I have admiration for the city and am glad to see it grow.