The number of super-tall residential buildings continues to grow globally, with top floor residences fetching nine-figure prices. Historically, the world's tallest buildings housed offices.
$60,000 a month for an apartment? That's the price some of the world's most expensive residences are expecting. Offering truly unique views (at some unique prices, too), developers are catering to a growing demand for skyscraper residences. Candace Jackson, of The Wall Street Journal, reports: "[c]hanging the skyline in New York, London and Dallas, the tallest new residences will stretch over 90 stories, with at least one penthouse asking over $100 million."
"In 2012, it's projected that 41 of the world's tallest 100 buildings will be office spaces; in 2000, it was 85," finds Jackson. "This time, with financing for new projects still tight, many developers are focusing strictly on the high end, where demand is strongest and profit margins are biggest."
Buyers of the trendy and trophy properties tend to be wealthy foreigners. "For foreign buyers, buying into a newly constructed building in New York is easier than getting approval from cooperative or condominium boards, says Edward Mermelstein, a Manhattan-based lawyer who advises wealthy Russian and Eastern European clients purchasing real estate in the U.S," quotes Jackson. "'There's another level of anonymity,' he says."
FULL STORY: Living The High Life
Skyscraper Proposed for Austin Would Be Tallest in Texas
The skylines are starting to catch up to the hype about everything being bigger in Texas.
World's Tallest Residential Building Nears Completion in Manhattan
Central Park Tower, coming soon to New York City's "Billionaires' Row" was designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill architecture.
Judge Throws Out Plans for New Residential Skyscraper on Manhattan's Upper West Side
A residential skyscraper proposed for Manhattan's Upper West Side included a mechanical void that predated new rules in the city prohibiting the height-enhancing building practice. A judge still rejected the project as planned.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
Fair Housing Cannot Take a Back Seat to ‘Build, Baby, Build’
If we overlook fair housing principles in the plan to build US housing back better, we risk ending up right back where we started.
LA Metro Board Approves New 710 Freeway Plan
The newest plan for the 710 corridor claims it will not displace any residents.
Austin’s Proposed EV Charging Rules Regulate Station Locations, Size
City planners say the new rules would ensure an efficient distribution of charging infrastructure across the city and prevent an overconcentration in residential areas.
Making California State Parks More Climate-Resilient
A recently released report offers recommendations for keeping state parks healthy and robust, including acquiring additional land for conservation and recreation.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
