Out of Control

What would new urbanists think of this? According to this USA Today story, downtown high rise living is on the rise citing numerous high rise condos under construction or recently completed in several cities.

The increased density these high rises provide should please the anti-sprawl activists. But, past comments from several New Urbanists and Smart Growth supporters indicate otherwise. Many have stated that anything above 8-12 stories is too high and essentially ruins street life. If this sounds counterintuitive, you're following correctly.

Maybe more interesting is the fact that market demand is more of a driver or density than any growth management policy. The big question is how many of the condo buyers are moving from the suburbs or are second homes for the wealthy. A peek at the prices indicates that your "average Joe" will not be buying these. If indeed it is prmarily second home buying, downtowns may see a little revival, but there would be little in the way of limiting outward growth.