Ever Wonder Why There Are No Skyscrapers in the Middle of Manhattan?

If you never knew, or thought you knew, the reason why there are no skyscrapers in the middle of the Big Apple, Matt Chaban reports on the true cause, debunking a popular myth.

1 minute read

January 20, 2012, 11:00 AM PST

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj

Popular lore had it that the bedrock sitting just below the surface of much of the island, and providing the ideal foundation for tall buildings, falls away in its "gooey middle": thus no skyscrapers.

Not so says Chaban, reporting on the results of a recent study that appeared in The Journal of Economic History, debunking the "Manhattan bedrock myth." "Using 173 random core samples from the Battery to Central Park South, Mr. [Jason] Barr, Troy Tassier and Rossen Trendafilov were able to show that there was no correlation between the depth of bedrock and the likelihood of a skyscrapers construction..."

The authors hypothesize that the true cause of the skyline dip is "not an issue of supply, of where you can build. It's an issue of demand, or where you want to build."

FULL STORY: Uncanny Valley: The Real Reason There Are No Skyscrapers in the Middle of Manhattan

Tuesday, January 17, 2012 in The New York Observer

Architecture New York Skyscrapers Manhattan

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Start Learning

Advertise with us

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.