Arguing for the value of historic low and mid-rise, but also dense, areas of Brooklyn, Washington D.C., and New Orleans, Edward T. McMahon asks us to reconsider the pursuit of density as an end in itself, and the high-rise as its fullest expression.
As the land development pendulum swings back towards higher density development, from the low-density patterns of suburban sprawl, McMahon questions the common assumption made by developers and urban planners alike: "that density requires high rises: the taller, the better." Citing examples of cities and neighborhoods that achieve high levels of density without resorting to high-rises, and exhibit walkable human-scaled street level environments (which high-rises often do not), McMahon argues that, "we do not need to build thousands of look-a-like glass and steel
skyscrapers to accomplish the goals of smart growth or sustainable
development."
The recent debate about increasing height limits in Washington D.C. is just one example of a global struggle between "those who want to preserve
neighborhood integrity and those who want Trump towers and "starchitect"
skyscrapers."
"I love the skylines of New York, Chicago and many other high-rise
cities. But I also love the skylines of Washington, Charleston,
Savannah, Prague, Edinburgh, Rome and other historic mid- and low-rise
cities. It would be a tragedy to turn all of these remarkable places
into tower cities," writes McMahon.
FULL STORY: Density Without High-Rises?
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research