The skyscraper building boom: Where it’s happening and why

As of 2024, about 500 skyscrapers are under construction worldwide. Why are we seeing the skyscraper building boom? Which countries are home to the most high-rises? What are the economic and technical limitations of constructing buildings that reach toward the clouds? Jason Barr, professor of economics at Rutgers University and author of “Building the Skyline: The Birth and Growth of Manhattan’s Skyscrapers,” and “Cities in the Sky: The Quest to Build the World’s Tallest Skyscrapers,” joins the program to discuss. (10/2024)