Skyscrapers Are Overrated

TEDxPhilly. Inga Saffron talks about the fact that in urban planning skyscrapers are overrated.

Architecture critic Inga Saffron challenges cities to shift focus and look beyond skyscraper fantasies and dreams of increased tourism in her TEDxPhilly talk -- "Moving from The Grand Vision to The Grand Adjustment." Cities should instead work to improve and build amenities that make urban areas better places to live for existing dwellers. Public spaces should be a priority: upgrade transit systems, add bike lanes to all major roadways, increase walkability, create and maintain great parks and public plazas. Saffron believes that skyscrapers are not the only way to achieve the worthy goal of density and sustainability. To explain, she points to the success of mid-rise buildings in Philadelphia and posits that different cities need a range of densities. American cities must be flexible and make adjustments -- an idea jokingly demonstrated in Saffron's opening skyscraper yoga poses.