It is literally a unique selling point for the ECB: so far, the tower of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt's Ostend district has stood pretty much alone. This allows the spectacular architecture of the building ensemble to really come into its own – and not just to the delight of the highly renowned architecture firm Coop Himmelb(l)au, which was responsible for the project. The area around the ECB is one of the city's most popular promenades at weekends. And rightly so: The two winding glass towers, which, thanks to the antenna mounted on them, are just scraping the 200-metre mark, and the huge and ravishingly stylishly modernised Grossmarkthalle are among the most impressive architectural monuments in Germany.

Soon, however, the ECB's skyline is likely to become more crowded. The central bank could have a number of towering neighbours. At least that is what the latest „high-rise development plan,“ which the city presented this week, envisages. It is one of Frankfurt's delightful privileges to be the only city in Germany whose skyline justifies such a dedicated development plan. However, the uniqueness of Frankfurt's urban architecture also means that it must be developed responsibly and with a firm eye on the overall ensemble.

Compared to this, the latest figures are quite surprising: 26 new high-rise buildings, which justify this title thanks to a height of more than 100 metres, may be built by 2040. That would be an increase of more than 60 per cent compared to the current 42 high-rise buildings. Twelve of the projects were already planned in the last high-rise plan from 2008 and are still awaiting realisation. Fourteen more could now be added according to the city's plans. Not all of them would be completely new buildings: For the first time, the plan also envisages increasing the height of existing buildings to a high-rise format. The city council is dreaming of a veritable „high-rise promenade“ in the city centre. To achieve this, developers would have to consistently maintain the completion rate of one to two new towers per year.

Whether all the possible future construction projects will actually be realised, however, is another matter. It is not only the insolvency-related standstill in the redevelopment of the historic police headquarters that signals this: The Frankfurt property market is anything but in a gold-rush mood. Inflation, interest rates, recession: The general conditions for sky-high new-build projects are currently unfavourable.

Owners and occupants of the existing towers will keep a close eye on what is happening in their neighbourhood. Established addresses are already reporting difficulties in letting empty space. The city should, therefore, be certain when it diagnoses a „foreseeable long-term demand in the high-rise segment“. After all, if the cherished distant view of the Taunus will one day be blocked by a new tower, at least it shouldn't be empty.