It seems there has been quite a bit of buzz lately about Edward Gleaser's article in the Atlantic "How Skyscrapers can save the city". It's making the news, on many blogs, and even Jon Stewart brought the author on to discuss.
The principles are simple. It's better to build up than out. Better to create density that allows for many people to live in a community with amenities and a great lifestyle than to expand horizontally.
Here is just a quick excerpt from this article..
Great cities are not static—they constantly change, and they take the world along with them. When New York and Chicago and Paris experienced great spurts of creativity and growth, they reshaped themselves to provide new structures that could house new talent and new ideas. Cities can’t force change with new buildings—as the Rust Belt’s experience clearly shows. But if change is already happening, new building can speed the process along.
Yet many of the world’s old and new cities have increasingly arrayed rules that prevent construction that would accommodate higher densities. Sometimes these rules have a good justification, such as preserving truly important works of architecture. Sometimes, they are mindless NIMBYism or a misguided attempt at stopping urban growth. In all cases, restricting construction ties cities to their past and limits the possibilities for their future. If cities can’t build up, then they will build out. If building in a city is frozen, then growth will happen somewhere else.
Land-use regulations may seem like urban arcana. But these rules matter because they shape our structures, and our structures shape our societies—often in unexpected ways. Consider that carbon emissions are significantly lower in big cities than in outlying suburbs, and that, as of 2007, life expectancy in New York City was 1.5 years higher than in the nation as a whole. As America struggles to regain its economic footing, we would do well to remember that dense cities are also far more productive than suburbs, and offer better-paying jobs. Globalization and new technologies seem to have only made urban proximity more valuable—young workers gain many of the skills they need in a competitive global marketplace by watching the people around them. Those tall buildings enable the human interactions that are at the heart of economic innovation, and of progress itself.
Is that happening here in Denver... sure. Just look at the growth of Riverfront Park with the creation of Glass House, Riverfront Tower, Promenade Lofts, Park Place Lofts and more. This neighborhood created a whole new neighborhood of density where once there were only open brown fields from abandoned rail yards. Just look at SPIRE, ONE Lincoln, or the Four Seasons which are bringing new residents into the heart of Downtown Denver.
And of course... we can only imagine the future of the Union Station Neighborhood which has zoning allowing for high density high rise buildings. Will there be a second Glass House in this neighborhood... only time an the market will decide. But one thing is for sure. As this article focuses in on the growth of other great cities the strengths of Denver shine through. We have great transportation networks in place and in planning, a wonderful bike trail system, beautiful parks, and 300 days of sunshine.
The downtown Denver lifestyle is only getting better. To learn more about downtown Denver condo and downtown Denver loft living please contact any of us at New Era Realty.