The Political Economy of Skyscrapers An Anthropological Introduction to Advanced Industrial Cities

The Changing Urban downtown landscape is explored in relation to the political economy of advanced industrial society. Using Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as a case example, we seek to understand why skyscrapers continue to be built, why they increase in size, and what conditions encourage their clustering in the hearts of cities. The modern American cityscape is a consequence of world economic restructuring and the emergence of new communications and information technology. Industrial location decisions and how corporations and public authorities interact as components of contemporary urban dynamics are also described, [modern American CBDs, political economy, skyscrapers, information technology, Pittsburgh]