Skyline Rankings by Emporis

CONCEPT

I've had conversations with many of you about Emporis Inc.'s skyline ranking, which places Chicago as one of the World Big 3. I've finally pulled up the data that drew them to this conclusion. It's interesting; their articles profile not only volume but draw on more esoteric arguments... the diversity of architectural styles, commercial restraint, overall harmony, and so on.

Their ranking, however, seems to be entirely derived from a point system disproportionately weighted toward taller buildings... I'm not inclined to argue with their highest rankings, though I think cities such as Detroit and Cleveland, which didn't rank so high by the point system, might deserve more recognition than, say, Atlanta or Indianapolis... I guess I just feel that International Style works best against something else instead of standing alone.

Skylar would be kind to interject his two cents, since he knows more about this stuff than me.

Anyway, here is the point system:

Points per Building
12..19 floors = 1 point
20..29 floors = 5 points
30..39 floors = 25 points
40..49 floors = 50 points
50..59 floors = 100 points
60..69 floors = 200 points
70..79 floors = 300 points
80..89 floors = 400 points
90..99 floors = 500 points
100+ floors = 600 points

Numbers below indicate population, area, and points.
Note: The population figures presented here are somewhat arbitrary, but they don't figure in the points assigned.

Here are the World's Big Three skylines:

Place City Population Area Buildings² Points³
1. Hong Kong 6,787,000 1,001 km² 7,321 112,657
2. New York City 8,085,742 800 km² 5,363 35,330
3. Chicago 2,869,121 589 km² 1,036 15,238


And here are some other entries of possible interest:
4. Singapore 3,437,300 685 km² 3,499 12,947
5. Bangkok 7,587,882 1,569 km² 711 11,080
6. Tokyo 8,130,408 621 km² 1,965 9,157
7. Shanghai 9,145,711 6,639 km² 548 8,512
8. São Paulo 10,600,060 1,525 km² 2,576 6,577
9. Toronto 2,481,494 630 km² 1,600 6,496
10. Seoul 10,331,244 616 km² 700 6,171
15. Houston 2,009,690 1,398 km² 324 3,601 (#2 in the U.S.)
16. Istanbul 10,033,478 1,991 km² 2,093 3,532
20. Los Angeles 3,819,951 1,216 km² 436 2,839
21. London 7,172,036 1,579 km² 1,280 2,732
25. Vancouver 582,045 113 km² 514 2,574
30. Moscow 10,391,600 1,081 km² 394 2,150
31. Beijing 7,746,519 16,808 km² 274 2,107
32. San Francisco 751,682 116 km² 335 2,038
35. Mexico City 9,875,344 1,487 km² 635 1,863
36. Paris 2,152,467 105 km² 220 1,754
37. Seattle 569,101 218 km² 173 1,735
55. Denver 557,478 397 km² 178 1,115
58. Detroit 911,402 359 km² 172 1,040
73. New Orleans 469,032 468 km² 101 696
80. Berlin 3,472,009 892 km² 303 639
94. Cleveland 461,324 201 km² 116 553

If you're curious about skyscrapers, there's a ton of information at the Emporis website.