nyc’s skyline has skyscrapers that’s heights are what I would best describe as a gradient because of the manhattan schist that which is the bedrock (not the unbreakable stuff) layer that makes manhattan ideal for building skyscrapers, but some areas are thicker, so taller buildings can be built. i would try to mimic that
That’s kinda what I have going on. There’s a central downtown area which has the tallest skyscrapers but there’s still fully urban neighborhoods surrounding that downtown area (that never got torn down by the interstate). In the foreground is a smaller central business district with some medium rises and a riverfront area. I also designed it to be a “state capital” so there’s a governmental district with a gold domed state capitol building (like West Virginia). More pictures in comments too.