New York City's Skyline Evolves With Tall, Skinny Towers

For better or for worse, the tall, skinny towers that have helped to remake New York’s iconic skyline appear to be growing in popularity among developers.

1 minute read

December 29, 2015, 5:00 AM PST

By jwilliams @jwillia22

T photography / Shutterstock

Matt A.V. Chaban of the New York Times reports on the skinny towers that have begun to sprout up around 56th and 57th streets, south of Central Park in what some have dubbed "Billionaires' Row." The new construction has seen the number of towers exceeding 1,000 feet jump from five to double that number in the past few years, with dozens more towers planned or under construction.

These slender cloud-busters would not have been built without the confluence of new technologies and wealthy buyers seeking a Manhattan address. Superstrong concrete and new wind testing made possible buildings like 432 Park, which, at 93 feet wide, is 15 times as tall as it is wide. In effect, developers now need only a lot the size of a brownstone or three to build a tower, rather than much of a block…

Opponents of the new towers believe developers are exploiting an out of date zoning code that allows for transfer of air rights. Chaban writes that opponents have complained that the new towers have led to overcrowding on subways and shadows falling on public spaces.

FULL STORY: As a New High Society Climbs in Manhattan, It’s a Race to the Top

Monday, December 21, 2015 in New York Times

Architecture Urban Development New York New York City Skyscrapers Towers Skyline skinny towers Billionaires' Row Central Park View More

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.