Vertical urbanization, placemaking and high-rise buildings

During the first two decades of the 21st century countless cities have experienced booming high-rise development. Between 2010 and 2018 the global total of high-rise buildings increased by 141% (Zielinska-Dabkowska and Xavia 2019) and, across the world, nearly 1,500 buildings exceed 40 storeys. During the late 20th century high-rise construction principally serviced a ‘boom and bust’ commercial office market (Ahlfeldt and Barr 2022), whereas high-rises built in the early 21st century are mostly developed as residential condominiums (Nethercote 2018). These high-rises are clustered in new vertical neighborhoods with multiple towers, interconnected with low- and mid-rise mixed-use buildings, open spaces, and other community amenities (White and Punter 2023).