U.S. Post-recession Skyscraper Construction

[Steely Dan]

from time to time i like to compile lists of how skyscraper construction has been going recently in US cities. this one will focus on the past handful of years since the great-recession brought a significant slow-down to skyscraper construction nationwide.

for the purposes of this list, i'm counting any 500+ footer completed in or after 2011, or that is currently U/C, as a post-recession skyscraper. the great recession technically ended in 2009, but most of the skyscraper projects completed in 2009 and 2010 actually began construction prior to the great recession, and were thus echoes of the previous building boom.

U.S. 500+ footers completed + U/C since 2011 by metro area:

1. NYC: 35 + 42 = 78
   
   
2. Miami: 8 + 23 = 31
   
   
3. Chicago: 5 + 9 = 14
   
   
4. LA: 1 + 6 = 7
   
   
5. Seattle: 2 + 5 = 7
   
   
6. SF: 1 + 5 = 6
   
   
7. Houston: 4 + 1 = 5
   
   
8. Philly: 1 + 2 = 3
   
   
9. Boston: 1 + 1 = 2
   
   
10. Austin: 0 + 2 = 2
    
    
11. Denver: 0 + 1 = 1
    
    
12. Nashville: 0 + 1 = 1
    
    
13. Baltimore: 0 + 1 = 1
    
    
14. OKC: 1 + 0 = 1
    
    
15. Atlantic City: 1 + 0 = 1
    
    
16. Cincinnati: 1 + 0 = 1
    
    
17. Pittsburgh: 1 + 0 = 1
    
    
18. Dallas: 1 + 0 = 1
    
    
19. Milwaukee: 1 + 0 = 1

all stats from the SSP database.

Miami is in another galaxi right now, and NYC is in another universe.

[Crawford]

Miami is very impressive, considering relatively small metro, and basically everything that's been built is one typology: oceanfront or bayfront condo.

Also shows that population and economic growth has almost nothing to do with skyscraper construction. Dallas might have had the greatest population growth of any U.S. metro during that time period, and basically no NIMBYs or zoning constraints, and built almost nothing.

[JManc]

Houston boomed with insane construction right after 2011 but all ground to a halt when oil prices took a nose dive. We went from having a dozen or so cranes downtown (with another couple dozen elsewhere around town) to a handful on mostly buildings nearing completion.

[Steely Dan]

NYC has built almost as many post-recession skyscrapers (78) as the rest of the nation combined (83)!

[Austin55]

An impressive number of cities have built a new tallest in this period as well.

Oklahoma City, Miami, Cincinnati, Arlington VA, The Woodlands, Boise and Atlantic City completed a new tallest since 2011 and Austin, Miami (again), New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, are working on new ones right now.

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Miami is very impressive, considering relatively small metro, and basically everything that's been built is one typology: oceanfront or bayfront condo.

Also shows that population and economic growth has almost nothing to do with skyscraper construction. Dallas might have had the greatest population growth of any U.S. metro during that time period, and basically no NIMBYs or zoning constraints, and built almost nothing.

That's actually what I think is NOT impressive about Miami's boom... it's almost all condos built as safer places to park overseas capital... having virtually nothing to do with Miami's economy, and much to do with the economies of South America and Russia.

Originally Posted by Austin55

An impressive number of cities have built a new tallest in this period as well.

Oklahoma City, Miami, Cincinnati, Arlington VA, The Woodlands, Boise and Atlantic City completed a new tallest since 2011 and Austin, Miami (again), New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, are working on new ones right now.

What building did Miami build in this period that is it's new tallest? I don't think that's true. As far as I know, the Four Seasons has been the tallest since around the early 2000s. The Panorama Tower currently u/c will be the new tallest.

[Steely Dan]

the most conspicuous absence from the list in the first post: Atlanta

[dave8721]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

That's actually what I think is NOT impressive about Miami's boom... it's almost all condos built as safer places to park overseas capital... having virtually nothing to do with Miami's economy, and much to do with the economies of South America and Russia.



What building did Miami build in this period that is it's new tallest? I don't think that's true. As far as I know, the Four Seasons has been the tallest since around the early 2000s. The Panorama Tower currently u/c will be the new tallest.

The U/C Panorama is technically already taller than the Four Seasons.

[dave8721]

Does that Miami count include Sunny Isles (speaking of a place for Russian money)? Sunny Isles by itself would be cracking the top 5 as well. Sunny Isles has 6 600+ footers going up right now or recently completed that I can think of off the top of my head.

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by dave8721

The U/C Panorama is technically already taller than the Four Seasons.

Right, I though that it might be taller already, but I wasn't considering it 'official' until it's completed.

[fleonzo]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

NYC has built almost as many post-recession skyscrapers (78) as the rest of the nation combined (83)!

Never realized that...from that perspective that is indeed impressive!

[Chef]

Minneapolis hasn't had any 500 footers but we have gotten scads of midrises throughout several neighborhoods. To be honest I prefer the better street level fabric over a handful of towers. We already have a nice skyline, that isn't the thing that needs improvement.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by dave8721

Does that Miami count include Sunny Isles (speaking of a place for Russian money)? Sunny Isles by itself would be cracking the top 5 as well. Sunny Isles has 6 600+ footers going up right now or recently completed that I can think of off the top of my head.

Yes, the list is by metro area, so sunny isles beach is included in the Miami numbers. ditto for jersey city stuff in NYC's numbers

By itself, according to the SSP database, sunny isles beach has 2 completed post-recession skyscrapers, and 5 more currently U/C, for a total of 7, which would be enough for it to slot in at #4 tied with Seattle.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Chef

Minneapolis hasn't had any 500 footers but we have gotten scads of midrises throughout several neighborhoods. To be honest I prefer the better street level fabric over a handful of towers.

i'm pretty sure that most, if not all, of the cities on the list in the first post are also building "scads of midrises" in addition to their new 500+ foot towers.

for these cities it's not an either/or thing; the new skyscrapers are just the proverbial icing on the urban development cake.

[Austin55]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

i'm pretty sure that most, if not all, of the cities on the list in the first post are also building "scads of midrises" in addition to their new 500+ foot towers.

Oklahoma City could perhaps be the exception here. It's built an 11-floor hotel and a 52-floor office, with a 26 floor office U/C right now. They've made a lot of wonderful progress elsewhere, but really not much considering the size of Devon.

[bobdreamz]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

the most conspicuous absence from the list in the first post: Atlanta

Atlanta did build five skyscrapers over 500 + feet in the last decade yet none in your post recession list after 2011 which is surprising.

[Steely Dan]

^ atlanta's absence is a bit of a head-scratcher.

the usual sunbelt suspects are represented (miami and the texas cities), but atlanta seems to have slipped into a bit of a skyscraper building funk this decade, relative to its peers. let's hope that changes soon.

charlotte's absence also falls into that head-scratching group for me as well. i mean, stagnant cities like baltimore, pittsburgh, cincinnati, and milwaukee are all represented, but not boom-town charlotte? odd.

[nw290]

Originally Posted by JManc

Houston boomed with insane construction right after 2011 but all ground to a halt when oil prices took a nose dive. We went from having a dozen or so cranes downtown (with another couple dozen elsewhere around town) to a handful on mostly buildings nearing completion.

houston is still boomin...just not 150 meter plus at the moment...galleria is filling in nicely

[nw290]

Originally Posted by bobdreamz

Atlanta did build five skyscrapers over 500 + feet in the last decade yet none in your post recession list after 2011 which is surprising.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoVlgbZjsWI
love this video of atl...atl and houston are very similar