No US cities have been more associated with the growth of skylines as are New York and Chicago. And no global cities have had more to do with the devlopment of the high rise than these two.
Surely there are many reasons as for why this occuried, but I'll throw out the one that I think is most responsible: geography & topography.
Both the lower two thirds of Manhattan and downtown Chicago are relatively flat, ideal for high rise development.
Both were greatly affected by water. In Manhattan's case, it is rather obvious. The island is long and narrow. Land was at a premium and the mile-or-two that Manhattan stretche east and west discouraged sprawl. So the city built up, by necessity.
Chicago's Loop, while not surrounded by anything as wide as the Hudson or East river, still was tightly defined by water. Lake Michigan to the east, the Chicago River to the north and west and rail yards to the south, created almost an island of its own where the CBD had nowhere to go but up.
I believe these geographical conditions gave rise to two great skylines.>
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