My daily life in the suburbs does not provide views of the Chicago skyline. But I do not have to go far to find such views. Here is one recent example looking east from a four story building:

Given the importance of skyscrapers for cities, how do these skylines affect suburbanites? They may provide a reminder of the big city. They may be a landmark or anchor in looking in a particular direction. They could be interesting to view amid changing weather conditions (as I was watching the image above, rain was coming down off and on in between my location and the skyline). They could provide space where a suburban resident works.

Such buildings are relatively rare in the suburbs. There are collections of taller buildings in suburbs, particularly in communities with office parks. This can occur in edge cities where buildings provide hundreds of thousands of square foot of office and retail space near major roadways. But this buildings are rarely 50+ stories and they cannot be seen from as far away as a skyline like Chicago’s.

I think I would enjoy seeing a distant skyline on a regular basis. It might feel less like a looming structure and more like a reminder of the population center nearby. To see multiple tall skyscrapers in one view provides a reminder of the large scale of human activity in the early 21st century.