This is the last in a three part series looking at cities around the world with famously high skylines. After taking a look at the towers of Hong Kong, we explored the Chicago skyline, finding similarities and differences in both examples. In this instalment we’re going to examine yet another international city that has recently experienced a boost in high rise construction, and one that has the most prominent skyline in Central America – Panama City.
The capital of the Republic of Panama is home to more than 880,000 residents throughout a number of districts which are then divided into 23 smaller boroughs. Some still display the more traditional housing built during the construction of the Panama Canal. But since the year 2000, high rise condominium construction has been on the rise, mainly due to strong overseas demand.
The city’s new, modern neighbourhoods have formed an impressively dense skyline filled with some of the world’s tallest residential buildings, the tallest of which is the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower, completed last year. This sail-shaped tower stands 70 floors tall, with the roof topping out at 293 metres – just 20 metres more than our own Trump Tower in Toronto.
It’s interesting to point out that Panama City has had a number of skyscraper projects recently cancelled, citing financial problems. Several towers up to and exceeding 300 metres in height have recently been placed on hold, with their status currently unknown.
At the moment, there are over 200 new condominium buildings under construction in Panama City and, while the investment boom of the early 2000s has passed, the high rise market is said to be going strong.
Part of the reason behind its success is the nearing completion of Panama City’s new subway system. The city’s first subway line will stretch for 14 kilometres and will be made up of 16 stations. This is similar to the subway expansion in the GTA, where new transit corridors have paved the way for new development opportunities, particularly in the City of Vaughan, which has seen tremendous growth around the proposed subway line.
It will be interesting to see how the world’s great cities continue to grow and change. How will transit evolve to meet the demands of population density, and how will cities as culturally varied as Toronto and Hong Kong meet similar challenges? We look forward to watching it all happen and discussing it here on the BILD blog.
