Top Skylines of the World

March 29, 2006 Natalia 4 Comments

So it has been making the rounds in the blogosphere and inboxes that, according to some Internet guy, Pittsburgh has the #16th slot in the top 20 skylines of the world. (Top twenty in the WORLD baby! Not bad for a medium-sized city.) The site also claims that Pittsburgh’s metro population is almost double that of Dallas, Texas, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Dubai, U.A.E. Um …. Sweet! So much for the population hemorrhage? (Or is he counting Morgantown, WV?)

Here is the blurb from http://www.diserio.com/top15-skylines.html:

15. Pittsburgh, USA
Although Pittsburgh only has two buildings over 200m tall, its skyline is very impressive nonetheless. Pittsburgh has nicknames like the “city of bridges” or the “golden triangle” which outlines its true characteristics. It is surround by three rivers and the CBD is shaped in a triangle and surrounded by golden colour bridges. The city is also surrounded by hills and valleys giving access to great views of the city. The city has not had a major skyscraper raised since 1988, but good planning and a scenic surrounding region still makes it a great skyline.
Metro/Urban Population: 2.4 million

(Thanks to a reader for the link.)

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Drover

Your source is mistaken about the relative sizes of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area versus that of Dallas (nearly 4 million, 25% of that in Dallas and Fort Worth alone) and Kuala Lampur (1.5 million in the city alone and another 2.5 million in the outlying areas). It is correct about its size compared to that of Dubai (1.1 million in the city with no "outlying" areas to speak of). However, Dubai's population is growing at a rate of 100,000 per year, with some 85% of its population now foreign-born. At that rate it will overtake Pittsburgh in about 10 years. Furthermore, Dubai is perhaps the most modern city on the planet, and it is a model studied by urban planners the world over. (When's the last time anyone sought urban planning tips from Pittsburgh?) The DFW metro area has grown by 30% over the last decade. Even already crowded Kuala Lumpur has seen its population increase by 30% over the last 15 years. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh metro's population has remained nearly stagnant for the last 60 years. It may not be a population "hemmorage" but it is clear that the most of the country, and many foreign cities too, are quickly passing Pittsburgh by.
Chris

Yeah, but once dem mills open up and that hockey arena /housing & office complex / retail center / slots casino/ preschool / seaport opens up'ere on the hill, dem Koala Lamper bears 'nat won't know what hit'em!
Drover

hahahaha
Bob

If you want to see why Pittsburgh has one of the top skylines in the world… check out this compilation of skyline shots I've taken from all around the city.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=…

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