- Tall buildings go on the top of hills so as not to obstruct views and to match the contours of the topography. Gradual tapering of building heights.
- Tall buildings on the tops of hills make for better unobstructed street views.
- Clustering tall buildings expresses the functional importance of that center.
- Gradual transitions of building height and mass is more pleasing.
- Taller buildings can provide orientation points and contrast.
- Tall, prominent buildings should be light in color, not dark.
- No stilty houses on slopes.
- That church on gough street is ghastly and "detracts from the urban form".
- Unique buildings can be different except when they can't (the old St Mary's was great but the new one is garbage)
- Public buildings should be at the focus of axial street views.
- Buildings in visually dominant positions should not be blank and uninteresting.
- Buildings are bulky when they are much taller than the surrounding buildings but of the same width and length.
- The skyscrapers behind Coit Tower are visually disruptive.
- Buildings that block the bay are the worst.
- Shadows cast by large buildings on plazas in parks are not cool.
- Corner plazas can work if the streets are not wide and the other buildings define the space well.
- Elevated pedestrian levels are great.
- Buildings of uniform height are good around large public squares like union square.
