Cities in the Sky: The Quest to Build the World's Tallest Skyscrapers

(Hardback)

Available Formats

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

From one of the worlds top experts on the economics of skyscrapersa fascinating account of the ever-growing quest for super tall buildings across the globe.

The worlds skyscrapers have brought us awe and wonder, and yet they remain controversialfor their high costs, shadows, and overt grandiosity. But, decade by decade, they keep getting higher and higher. What is driving this global building spree of epic proportions In Cities in the Sky, author Jason Barr explains all: why they appeal to cities and nations, how they get financed, why they succeed economically, and how they change a citys skyline and enable the worlds greatest metropolises to thrive in the 21st century.

From the Empire State Building (1,250 feet) to the Shanghai Tower (2,073 feet) and everywhere in between, Barr explains the unique architectural and engineering efforts that led to the creation of each. Along the way, Barr visits and unpacks some surprising myths about the earliest skyscrapers and the growth of American skylines after World War II, which incorporated a new suite of technologies that spread to the rest of the world in the 1990s. Barr also explores why London banned skyscrapers at the end of the 19th century but then embraced them in the 21st and explains how Hong Kong created the densest cluster of skyscrapers on the planet. Also covered is the dramatic result of Chinas skyscraper fever and then on to the Arabian Peninsula to see what drove Dubai to build the worlds tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, which at 2,717 feet, is higher than the new One World Trade Center in New York by three football fields.

Filled with fascinating details for urbanists, architecture buffs, and urban design enthusiasts alike, Cities in the Sky addresses the good, bad, and ugly for cities that have embraced vertical skylines and offers us a glimpse to the future to see whether cities around the world will continue their journey ever upwards.

Author Bio

Jason M. Barr is a professor of economics at Rutgers University-Newark. One of the worlds foremost experts on the economics of skyscrapers, he is the author ofBuilding the Skyline: The Birth and Growth of Manhattan Skyscrapersand has had his research featured in TheNew York Times, TheWashington Post, TheEconomist, Curbed, andArchitectural Record. A Long Island native, Barr received his BA from Cornell University, his MFA in creative writing from Emerson College in Boston, and his PhD from Columbia University. He has also taught at Dartmouth College and Columbia University. His writing has appeared in TheNew York Times, StarTrek.com, Dezeen.com, Scientific American, and Irish Independent. He currently writes a blog about skyscrapers, cities, and economics. His favorite skyscraper is the Empire State Building.