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Skyline

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Skyline ofLower Manhattanin 2021. The term "Skyline" was first used for New York City in 1896.
Skyline ofTokyo

Askylineis theoutlineorshapeviewed near thehorizon.It can be created by acity's overall structure, or by human intervention in aruralsetting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land.

City skylines serve as a pseudo-fingerprintas no two skylines are alike. For this reason, news and sports programs, television shows, and movies often display the skyline of a city to set a location. The termThe Sky Line ofNew York Citywas introduced in 1896, when it was the title of a colorlithographbyCharles Grahamfor the color supplement of theNew York Journal.[1]Paul D. Spreiregen,FAIA,has called a [city] skyline "a physical representation [of a city's] facts of life... a potential work of art... its collective vista."[2]

Features[edit]

High-rise buildings[edit]

Detroit's skyline,c. 1929

High-rise buildings,includingskyscrapers,are the fundamental feature ofurbanskylines.[3][4]Bothcontoursandcladding(brick or glass) make an impact on the overall appearance of a skyline.

Towers[edit]

San GimignanoTowers inTuscany,Italy

Towers from differenterasmake for contrasting skylines.

San Gimignano,inTuscany,Italy, has been described as having an "unforgettable skyline" with its competitively built towers.[5]

Remote locations[edit]

Mount Everest

Some remote locations have notably striking skylines, created either by nature or by sparse human settlement in an environment not conducive to housing significant populations.

Architectural design[edit]

Road in front, skyline in background (Abu Dhabi, Middle East)

Norman Fosterserved as architect forthe GherkininLondonand theHearst TowerinMidtown Manhattan,and these buildings have added to their cities' skylines.

Use in media[edit]

Skylines are often used asbackgroundsandestablishing shotsin film, television programs, news websites, and in other forms of media.

Subjective ranking[edit]

Several services rank skylines based on their own subjective criteria.Emporisis one such service, which uses height and other data to give point values to buildings and add them together for skylines. The three cities it ranks highest areHong Kong,New York City,andSingapore.[6]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Moving Uptown".New York Public Library.Archived fromthe originalon 2014-12-29.When Charles Graham's view of New York was published, the new term used in the title, "sky line," caught on immediately.
  2. ^Paul D. Spreiregen (1965).Urban Design: The Architecture of Towns and Cities.McGraw-Hill.ISBN9780070603806.
  3. ^Heath, Tom; Smith, Sandy G.; Lim, Bill (July 2000). "Tall Buildings and the Urban Skyline: The Effect of Visual Complexity on Preferences".Environment and Behavior.32(4): 541–556.doi:10.1177/00139160021972658.ISSN0013-9165.S2CID5199331.
  4. ^McNeill, Donald (February 2005). "Skyscraper geography".Progress in Human Geography.29(1): 41–55.doi:10.1191/0309132505ph527oa.S2CID220928675.geographers have tended to neglect the substantial impact of skyscrapers on urban life.
  5. ^Centre, UNESCO World Heritage."Historic Centre of San Gimignano".whc.unesco.org.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-08-04.
  6. ^"Skyline Ranking".Emporis. Archived fromthe originalon November 6, 2012.Retrieved29 April2021.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]