Can There Be Too Many Skyscrapers?

[spenser1058]

I liked this discussion of the downside of the recent density craze:

http://www.theatlant...s-density/2005/

I think it reinforces the unique asset we have in Orlando's close-in neighborhoods as secured during Mayor Bill's administration.

Oops, my apologies, bic, I thought I was putting this in the Coffee House. Can you move it or just delete the thread and I'll try again? Thanks.

[jack]

Yes and no. Ideally, we would have a better transitional neighborhood between our high-rise district and the surrounding neighborhoods. We go from 200 feet to 100 feet to 35 feet in a few blocks. Because of the age of Lake Eola Heights, we can only achieve a row house like environment in Parramore, and maybe to the north of Downtown.

That image in the beginning of the article showcases what I wish we had more of. I am all for a commercial district that has skyscrapers. But I love neighborhoods that are three to four stories max.

[IAmFloridaBorn]

Orlando wont grow allowing 4 story apartment buildings and 8 story hotels to be built. Downtown building is a joke at best. No skyscrapers at all? Not even that the fact they are not utalizing all the land. The LYnx Central SuNRail station project for instance is a joke. Have you seen the renderings? Buildins no taller than 8 stories. A Complete JOKE Downtown. I'd rather see 20 205 story buildings than 5 400 footers, but Orlando continues to allow small heigh wide scaled projects. Will never see any height or density downtown. Our density at best will be 8 story buildings.

[cloudship]

Quality, not volume. Look at European cities. Thikn abut where you visit in London - most buildings are not that high. Same with PAris. Yes, they have their skyscraper areas, but is that the real downtown or heart of the city? No.

That is the problem wit the stage orlando is in right now - it is trying to hard to llook like a big city, without thinking about the content. Focus on osme infill projects, yes, but also focus on the non-building fillers. you need to develop that unique "vibe" that makes Orlando itself. Believe it or not, making everything pretty or cohesive or oganized can sometimes distract from they city's heart. Work with what you got - put your own stamp on it.

[c4dynamic]

Interesting article. This quote by Doobie sums it up

the problem with high-rise is that they usually aren't designed to accommodate smaller footprint redundancy at the street level - i.e. smaller scale horizontal density that facilitates the kind of public interaction that makes neighborhoods "vibrant." often too much of the block is taken up by lobby or single-use tenant and it essentially kills the activity on the street. This horizontal density isn't just limited to one story either - it's usually up to 3 or 4 stories (or about as high as someone can hang out the window and call down to the street). Another problem is that this small scale horizontal density needs "back" semi-public service space - usually a narrow alley - and it's tough to do this with the larger footprint high-rise requires.

I've felt that about both the Vue and Aspire buildings. The entire west side of the Vue is useless for anything and the east side with its "retail" aka law firms isn't and won't ever be as lively as the same length of Orange ave around central. That said, more density is better if the buildings are designed with a neighborhood optimal and not purely resident optimal/traditional/"lets-use-an-entire-building-length-for-a-parking-garage" design.