Urban Infill in North American Cities

[Centropolis]

here's the first, the street crosses the western border of st. louis city proper into university city, a prewar suburb. this is in u-city w/ the first project: https://www.google.com/maps/@38.6557...waWXlQoDBw!2e0

here is the second project on the city side: https://www.google.com/maps/@38.6552...rOX1OfjFDg!2e0

additionally, here's some small mixed use infill right across the street from the last one: https://www.google.com/maps/@38.6552..._imW7EnCDw!2e0

also, on the same block back on the north side are several more infill projects to the west, one (the hotel) from this decade, and then kind of gaudy 90s-y music venue.

for the hotel, they incorporated the 1920s facade that was on the site and built above/behind: https://www.google.com/maps/@38.6554...F0mHs95qgQ!2e0

across the street from that on the corner is some kind of proposal to replace the fenced, vacant fast food place, and kitty-cornered from that is a mixed use proposal to replace the gas station.

[IrishIllini]

Why is Market St used twice in St. Louis?

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.6264...7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.6477...7i13312!8i6656

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by cjreisen

Can someone provide a map displaying where infill has occurred in their city? let's say maybe in the last 10 yrs?

Heres a map of what is currently under construction or proposed in Chicagos West Loop. This is about as impressive of an infill boom as you will see anywhere. They are building a whole new quadrant of downtown on top of the bones of an old industrial district:

https://chicago.curbed.com/maps/west...on-development

Here's another for Chicago's Milwaukee Ave corridor which has seen a massive TOD and infill boom:

https://chicago.curbed.com/maps/chic...nstruction-map

[Innsertnamehere]

fires have happened in Ontario too.

A student housing complex in Kingston, ON (Pop: 120,000), a few years ago.

https://globalnews.ca/news/1036069/m...town-kingston/

The building today, rebuilt:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@44.23763...7i13312!8i6656

[toddguy]

Regarding these fires in these huge apartment blocks being built...has there been a major one that has happened when the buildings were not under construction? They are stick built up to six floors usually and are vulnerable to fire when they do not have any working fire suppression like sprinkler systems while under construction, but have any burned up in an inferno after being built and occupied?

Also aren't most older brick buildings(like the thousands of walk up buildings in NYC)just brick shells with wooden interiors just as vulnerable to fire?

I wonder what the major causes of these construction fires are?

Anyway I think there is a lot of good infill pictured in this thread. I particularly like that unique looking highrise in St. Louis.

[Sam Hill]

Originally Posted by toddguy

Regarding these fires in these huge apartment blocks being built...has there been a major one that has happened when the buildings were not under construction? They are stick built up to six floors usually and are vulnerable to fire when they do not have any working fire suppression like sprinkler systems while under construction, but have any burned up in an inferno after being built and occupied?

Also aren't most older brick buildings(like the thousands of walk up buildings in NYC)just brick shells with wooden interiors just as vulnerable to fire?

I wonder what the major causes of these construction fires are?

Anyway I think there is a lot of good infill pictured in this thread. I particularly like that unique looking highrise in St. Louis.

For the record, I only mentioned the fire in Denver because there happened to be a massive fire at a construction site near me on the same day I was reading about such fires in this thread. Pretty weird coincidence. I wasn’t implying that the project was cheaply built or that there’s necessarily anything wrong with “stick builds.” I don’t really know enough about that stuff to have an opinion.

Speaking of infill, Denver Infill recently posted a wonderful and thorough history of the waves of development in Denver’s Central Platte Valley. Maybe I should post some highlights in this thread.

[Sam Hill]

double post, sorry

[Sam Hill]

From the March 11 blog post at Denver infill, Introducing: The River Mile:

The Central Platte Valley in 1992:



1999:



2004:



2008:



2017:



November 2017:



Next wave:





All those images are from the blog post. I highly recommend reading it: https://denverinfill.com/blog/2018/03/introducing-the-river-mile.html#iLightbox[2018-03-10_the-river-mile]/10

[chris08876]

Look at Denver! Looking great, solid infill.

[toddguy]

Originally Posted by Sam Hill

For the record, I only mentioned the fire in Denver because there happened to be a massive fire at a construction site near me on the same day I was reading about such fires in this thread. Pretty weird coincidence. I wasn’t implying that the project was cheaply built or that there’s necessarily anything wrong with “stick builds.” I don’t really know enough about that stuff to have an opinion.

Speaking of infill, Denver Infill recently posted a wonderful and thorough history of the waves of development in Denver’s Central Platte Valley. Maybe I should post some highlights in this thread.

I only posted it because several people have mentioned these fires. I was just wondering if any had happened after they had opened. It seems to be a problem sometimes with some of these while they are under construction (maybe they need to be a bit more careful then) but I have never heard of any severe fires in any of these occupied stickbuilt buildings.

Great pics of Denver infill also.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by IrishIllini

Why is Market St used twice in St. Louis?

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.6264...7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.6477...7i13312!8i6656

my off the cuff explanation is that the st. louis region developed as multiple towns and cities early on, st. louis city proper swallowed a few of them in the early and mid 19th century. north st. louis was an independent city, market street in general (and other streets) were copied from philly sort of like main street in other regions, and they often kept the street names when the city (st. louis) swallowed other cities.

[Centropolis]

that denver stuff is crazy...i’m staying right down there in it by the train station this summer.

[Ant131531]

Some of the more attractive Midtown Atlanta Urban Infill over the last few years:

Spring and 8th
April 2014:
https://goo.gl/maps/ajk3KyfqFo12

October 2017:
https://goo.gl/maps/Q2bPe8RXVim

Juniper St near 6th street
July 2012:
https://goo.gl/maps/DTFGLwXesBx

September 2017:
https://goo.gl/maps/YGQzzZeV67r

11th st. near Piedmont:
April 2014:
https://goo.gl/maps/6MX1hWEcExr

October 2017:
https://goo.gl/maps/MUtSeo8VdE42

Peachtree at 7th

December 2014:
https://goo.gl/maps/CasLjcyiX3M2

September 2017:

https://goo.gl/maps/aRM82zj3zt82

Peachtree at 5th

March 2013:
https://goo.gl/maps/tKg89KsYwyr

September 2017
https://goo.gl/maps/nssDqjV9V3z


Streets of Buckhead
April 2012
https://goo.gl/maps/qV7Va3H13u42

October 2017:
https://goo.gl/maps/kRD8EDaDnSs

[hauntedheadnc]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

Some of the more attractive Midtown Atlanta Urban Infill over the last few years:

After looking at some of those, it just raises the question... Would it kill developers to ever use something other than that blue glass? I mean, would it cause them actual, physical pain?