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I'm going to dispute this claim. Pittsburgh, PA has skyscrapers[1], defined as any building with or over 40 floors, and is more affordable then Chicago[2]. In f

I'm going to dispute this claim. Pittsburgh, PA has skyscrapers[1], defined as any building with or over 40 floors, and is more affordable then Chicago[2]. In fact Atlanta, GA also fits in this category as well. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Pittsburgh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_P... [2] https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+States&country2=United+States&city1=Chicago%2C+IL&city2=Pittsburgh%2C+PA&tracking=getDispatchComparison https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?cou...

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weberc2 8y ago
The tallest building in Iowa is 44 stories in Des Moines, and it's far more affordable than any of the three. But I would never call DM a skyscraper city. EDIT: Downvoters, what's up? Do you object to "Tallest building in IA is 44 stories" or "DM is more affordable" or "DM is not a skyscraper city"? None of these are particularly controversial, and the first two are empirically true.
- pastage 8y ago
  The argument here is about how zoning can create dense cities with tall buildings in an affordable way. At a fifth of the population density of course Des Moins is going to have cheaper land.
  - weberc2 8y ago
    I agree. That was my point; it's silly to say "there is at least one skyscraper in ${CITY} and ${CITY} is more affordable than Chicago, ergo ${CITY} is a skyscraper city", which is the argument the OP made about Pittsburgh and Atlanta. I just demonstrated the silliness of the reasoning by taking it to its extreme conclusion with Des Moines.
    - pastage 8y ago
      It was not obvious to me whether Des Moins was a sky scraper city or not. So by being too terse you just confused me, do you mean that is true for the post about Atlanta and Pittsburgh as well.
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mactintyre 8y ago
According to your source (Wikipedia), Chicago has around 78 buildings over 550 feet. Pittsburgh has 19 and Atlanta has 16. So the article is right and Chicago is still in a league of its own in that regard.
- spamizbad 8y ago
  That Chicago number will be over 80 by the end of the year.
  - weberc2 8y ago
    Which buildings are you thinking of? I'm aware of two that are under construction (the wavy building on the river near lakeshore east and the building at michigan and roosevelt), but I don't think either will be open by EOY.
- wuliwong 8y ago
  The article specifically mentions Boston, San Francisco, Washington and New York as other skyscraper cities. I think their "definition" of skyscraper city is a more about density than just the number of 40+ story buildings. I think possibly the only legit "skyscraper city" that has been left out according to the article's "definition" would be Philadelphia which is affordable still.
  - cafard 8y ago
    Wikipedia doesn't show anything in Washington, DC, higher than 15 stories, for what that's worth. I certainly have never thought of it as a "skyscraper city".
    - markaz 8y ago
      Washington D.C. has a height limit for buildings[1]. I think the article was just mentioning it as an example of an expensive city, not trying to call it a skyscraper city. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Height_of_Buildings_Act_of_1910 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Height_of_Buildings_Act_of_191...
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wuliwong 8y ago
I didn't read the entire article and then got blocked by a paywall but I do not believe "skyscraper city" is well defined, so not hard to dispute. According to this list https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?10=1 https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?10=1 Chicago has the second most skyscrapers of any US city. Philadelphia is #7 on that list and is still affordable. If Philly is not considered a "skyscraper city" than that means there were only 6 or less of them in the United States to begin with.
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- excalibur 8y ago
  Philly would actually be #8 on that list if all non-US cities were removed. But still.
  - wuliwong 8y ago
    Ah, I missed Honolulu.
SEJeff 8y ago
I suspect it really means 60+ stories in the "supertall/megatall" skyscraper category, of which there are quite a few in Chicago. Chicago is biased however, as the technology to build supertall and higher skyscrapers was invented by a Chicago architect. The same tech in the Sears/Willis tower is used in the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
eeeeeeeeeeeee 8y ago
Originally from PA and I really like Pittsburgh but its inner city area is pretty much a dead zone. It's really no comparison to a place like Chicago or New York.

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weberc2 8y ago

The tallest building in Iowa is 44 stories in Des Moines, and it's far more affordable than any of the three. But I would never call DM a skyscraper city. EDIT: Downvoters, what's up? Do you object to "Tallest building in IA is 44 stories" or "DM is more affordable" or "DM is not a skyscraper city"? None of these are particularly controversial, and the first two are empirically true.

pastage 8y ago
The argument here is about how zoning can create dense cities with tall buildings in an affordable way. At a fifth of the population density of course Des Moins is going to have cheaper land.
- weberc2 8y ago
  I agree. That was my point; it's silly to say "there is at least one skyscraper in ${CITY} and ${CITY} is more affordable than Chicago, ergo ${CITY} is a skyscraper city", which is the argument the OP made about Pittsburgh and Atlanta. I just demonstrated the silliness of the reasoning by taking it to its extreme conclusion with Des Moines.
  - pastage 8y ago
    It was not obvious to me whether Des Moins was a sky scraper city or not. So by being too terse you just confused me, do you mean that is true for the post about Atlanta and Pittsburgh as well.

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mactintyre 8y ago

According to your source (Wikipedia), Chicago has around 78 buildings over 550 feet. Pittsburgh has 19 and Atlanta has 16. So the article is right and Chicago is still in a league of its own in that regard.

spamizbad 8y ago
That Chicago number will be over 80 by the end of the year.
- weberc2 8y ago
  Which buildings are you thinking of? I'm aware of two that are under construction (the wavy building on the river near lakeshore east and the building at michigan and roosevelt), but I don't think either will be open by EOY.
wuliwong 8y ago
The article specifically mentions Boston, San Francisco, Washington and New York as other skyscraper cities. I think their "definition" of skyscraper city is a more about density than just the number of 40+ story buildings. I think possibly the only legit "skyscraper city" that has been left out according to the article's "definition" would be Philadelphia which is affordable still.
- cafard 8y ago
  Wikipedia doesn't show anything in Washington, DC, higher than 15 stories, for what that's worth. I certainly have never thought of it as a "skyscraper city".
  - markaz 8y ago
    Washington D.C. has a height limit for buildings[1]. I think the article was just mentioning it as an example of an expensive city, not trying to call it a skyscraper city. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Height_of_Buildings_Act_of_1910 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Height_of_Buildings_Act_of_191...

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wuliwong 8y ago

I didn't read the entire article and then got blocked by a paywall but I do not believe "skyscraper city" is well defined, so not hard to dispute. According to this list https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?10=1 https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?10=1 Chicago has the second most skyscrapers of any US city. Philadelphia is #7 on that list and is still affordable. If Philly is not considered a "skyscraper city" than that means there were only 6 or less of them in the United States to begin with.

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excalibur 8y ago
Philly would actually be #8 on that list if all non-US cities were removed. But still.
- wuliwong 8y ago
  Ah, I missed Honolulu.

SEJeff 8y ago

I suspect it really means 60+ stories in the "supertall/megatall" skyscraper category, of which there are quite a few in Chicago. Chicago is biased however, as the technology to build supertall and higher skyscrapers was invented by a Chicago architect. The same tech in the Sears/Willis tower is used in the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

eeeeeeeeeeeee 8y ago

Originally from PA and I really like Pittsburgh but its inner city area is pretty much a dead zone. It's really no comparison to a place like Chicago or New York.