Tall Tower Debates Could Use Less Dogma, Better Design | Planetizen: The Urban Planning, Design, and Development Network

Attention all height demagogues! Read this thoughtful article and click title for link.

Well, I guess if you are a demagogue, you probably aren't going to change your mind by reading it and likely won't take the time. That is the trouble with demagogues. They are known for being closed-minded on the issues they wish to use to divide the voting public. The author, Brent Toderian is an international consultant on height and density of buildings, of which there is a relationship between. And it seems to be a balance, based upon location, surroundings and other factors related to design. He argues that height should not be the driving issue in the high-rise debate. He does mention one extreme critic who says there is a special place in hell for architects that design buildings over six stories, but clearly this is the outlier and not the sort of inflexible way of thinking that helps come to grips with the issue.

The article is longer than usual, but really worth the read since we went through a period where height was THE most important consideration in Lake Worth. Perhaps if that condominium on Lake Osborne Drive was on the 21st story, it would command a higher value and actually contribute to the city's general fund. The article points out that units on higher floors traditionally command a premium over lower floor units. He also gets into the psychology of high-rise versus "earth bound" living, which was probably the real reason for the debate in our community. Just a thought.