tizzy123

In terms of being absolutely detrimental to a city's future growth, the gentlemens agreement that no building in Philadelphia be built higher than the statue of William Penn on city hall led to a steady decline in the rate of growth of the city. Once the largest city and port in the U.S. Philly was on course to be much larger than it currently is. It wasn't until 1987 (I think) that an office tower taller than city hall was built. On the other hand, it made the city much more aesthetically appealing. So, it's a toss-up...growth or beauty. If you stress growth this was definitely a flop--beauty, this was definitely a great idea. As an aside, there are still no buildings taller than William Penn to the east (towards the Delaware), leaving him a clear view of his original area of settlement.

Architectural Graphic Standards Online is great for learning about actual architectural standards (ie. diagrams of types of roof structures and their support braces). Downside: portions of the site require paid access (I have access through my school) and utilizes Adobe SVG (not compatible with Firefox!). Another good site is the Urban Land Institute Development Case Studies site. This is good for both city development and architectural integration.

I am surprised no one has, as of yet, posted any pics of the many interchanges in the DFW area. The I-35E/I-635 interchange is always fun (read ridiculously backed-up, bumper-to-bumper traffic) at rush-hour. This is an overview of the massive interchange of I-35E, I-30 and 67 and the Houston St. Viaduct which crosses the Trinity River (yes, they call it a river). This is on the southwestern edge of downtown Dallas. ...and a closer view towards the north,... ...and a closer look at the viaduct,... ...and finally a closer look at the southern part of the interchange. The following is a pic of the interchange of I-35W and I-30. Notice the rails, they lead to one of the larger Federal Depositories in the country. This is just southeast of downtown Ft. Worth. While I am originally from Dallas, TX (via Philly, a truly long story) I now reside in Lubbock, TX where the most complicated interchange is I-27 and Loop 289... ...so far as I know (and I've lived here now for more than 4 years) it has yet to see any bumper-to-bumper traffic. Except, of course, for the ubiquitous fender-bender which is so common. These people are the friendliest in the world until they get behind the wheel of a car.