Land Price vs Height

Land Price vs Height

Plot land price per square foot against building height in any central business district and the points climb together.

The rule of thumb. Height is worth building until the marginal floor costs more than it earns. Each added floor costs more (heavier structure, more elevator, more wind bracing) and, above some point, earns no more rent. Where the two curves cross is the economic height.

Chicago Loop, Manhattan, Hong Kong, Nassau. Same curve, different scales. A city with a $50 square foot builds four stories; a city with a $3,000 square foot builds sixty.

What moves the curve. A new subway station (access up → land up → height up). A height limit (curve capped). A land-value tax. Cheap money (towers appear); expensive money (cranes stop).

Measure it. The surveyor's plat gives the square feet; the assessor's roll gives the price; the GIS technician maps both. The museum's live GIS table in Gallery G9 draws this chart for the region.

The question. What conditions produce a vertical push? Start here: the price of a square foot of ground.