The Thing Holding Phoenix Back As A Major City

Arizona is home to two of the most influential cities in America. Both Phoenix and Tucson are cultural hubs, exporting art, food, and economic prosperity from Arizona to the rest of the United States.

While their effort and impact can never be understated, the major cities in Arizona fall short to almost every city from sea to shining sea, and there's one thing holding them back.

Arizona Skyscrapers: Where Are They?

Skyscrapers are a staple of major cities across the globe. They are a sign of our ingenuity, advancement, and sheer force of will. In order to maximize the limited space we're given, our best and brightest devised a way to build as high as we want and thus, the skyscraper was born.

These can be found in every major city across America, from New York to L.A., but in Phoenix, and the entire state of Arizona, they are nowhere to be found. Phoenix is the 10th largest urban area in the U.S., harboring over 4.4 million people and yet there never seems to have been a call for taller buildings.

Why?

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We Have Too Much Land

That may sound like a horrible answer, but it's true! There is simply no need to build skyscrapers in the Valley. The concept of a skyscraper was to maximize the building space you have while keeping the ground space the same. By building up, that instantly becomes a non-issue.

When it comes to Arizona, we have a lot of excess land. The sprawling, mostly flat, desert is perfect for urban expansion, allowing buildings to be built however high they want as opposed to building straight up and accommodating for everyone who needs space.

As of 2024, the closest building Arizona has is the 483 foot tall Chase Tower in Downtown Phoenix, which ranks as the 6,905th tallest building in the world.

[Costar]