other then the devon tower, are there any plans for a large highrise or other towers being built in downtown area? if so how many stories on each?

nope, not now... the crash put a stop to some projects I was tracking. Maybe someday they can be revived...

so is the chamber building officially on hold now?

Oh yeah...

This is weird, but why aren't we more like Canada?

Calgary, Metro population 1.1 million
http://www.maxwellrealty.ca/tomaszsamborski/i/gui_masthead.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2468/3642539899_10cd5d454e_b.jpg

Edmonton, Metro population 1 million
http://blog.bikeridr.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Edmonton-Skyline-728395.bmp

Vancouver, Metro population 2.1 million
http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/2899/81709992yi6.jpg

Apparently Canadians are more likely to buy highrise condos and office space?

I would say our cheap, abundant land has caused us from not building vertically for so many years. I can't speak for how it is in Canada, but from an economics standpoint you only build up if the cost for building out is higher, which is rarely the case with cheap land.

I wouldn't be surprise when the new I-40 moves south that more condos and high rises will be built. I like to see OKC skyline to be just like Edmonton's, but with some taller buildings.

That surprises me. It would seem the car-based-lets-move-west-so-we-can-sprawl culture never emerged in Canada.

so is the chamber building officially on hold now?

Blessing in disguise. Hopefully wiser choices will be made on this project in the future.

Canada has a lower income and less purchasing power, less road infrastructure and a much higher reliance on public transportation than we do in the US. They tend to build up, we tend to build out.

That surprises me. It would seem the car-based-lets-move-west-so-we-can-sprawl culture never emerged in Canada.

Yeah, the fact that these three skylines area all western metros, and two of them (Calgary and Edmonton) are on the Great Plains, where there is plenty of room to sprawl, makes it even more interesting.

Makes me want to move to Canada.

nah, too cold and I don't like beer all that much

Yeah, the fact that these three skylines area all western metros, and two of them (Calgary and Edmonton) are on the Great Plains, where there is plenty of room to sprawl, makes it even more interesting.

Canada's tax system is drastically different then ours as are their expectations, they dont mind public transit, we tend to avoid it which means we spread out...

They probably have zoning laws that keep sprawl to a minimum. I know Vancouver has Parks around most of it, so that limits their growth. A lot of those cities in Canada had a surge in population from people moving from Hong Kong. Canada's British tie allowed them to move their easily. Those people were used to living in skyrises, so they bought them up like hotcakes when they moved to Canada.

They have to huddle together for warmth.

They have to huddle together for warmth.

That was one of my theories as well! haha

Road infrastructure plays a role, but also it definitely has to do with their zoning laws. I can only speak for Ontario since that's the province I'm most familiar with, but the Toronto MSA actually has a greenbelt around it and other zoning laws that encourage building up not out.

By the way, the lifestyle in Canadian cities is amazing. We would do well to take a page or two from their book. Just saying :)

Agreed.

".....Apparently Canadians are more likely to buy highrise condos and office space? "

it's as simple as supply (empty office space for cheap) vs. demand (how bad does a company or groups of investors want a new building weighed against what is available).

It's not about 'being like some other city' --- not one building more will be built until it meets someone's ROI projections... Buildings are built in cities where there is a high demand to 'be'. There may also be incentives enter the picture, but that is part of the ROI. Companies build structures to make money (they believe it will appreciate and/or be able to lease out part of it, sometimes all of it if 'that' is their business) --- its not about being scenic or cool.

Of course, once a Company builds a new structure and it works out, that is part of buidling the 'demand' for future growth. It is all the economic climate a city creates and maintains. There are lots of neat highrises in Miami right now, and a lot of empty or near empty ones that I bet a lot of people wish they could cut bait and run on.

The biggest difference between Canada and the U.S. is that in our country, the auto giants had a massive influence on how cities were developed.

They used their considerable wealth to influence the huge investment in interstates in and between cities and pretty much squashed the street car systems that were in place in most communities.


It's really only the U.S. that is developed in the ridiculous sprawling fashion. Even in Austraila -- where they have even more open space and far less people -- you don't see a single expressway running through cities like Sydney. Instead, there are water taxis, trains and a fantastic bus system. All that in cities that are generally younger than those in the States.

Door is wide open...

When we get back to $4 - 5/gallon (and above) gas, the inclination will be for our cities to grow up and not out.

They used their considerable wealth to influence the huge investment in interstates in and between cities and pretty much squashed the street car systems that were in place in most communities.

As seen in Who Framed Roger Rabbit

http://www.smallarchitects.com

The proposed mid-rise for Midfirst would look spendid at the vacant lot across from the city owned park garage.