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An end to high rises in Toronto?

G

GoldenBoy_aka_money

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As a backlash to the unsightly and uninspired high rise condo's being constructed in the downtown core I'm considering a petition to limit the height of construction in the downtown are to 4 floors. What are your thoughts?
 
No thanks to 4 stories, and no thanks to 6 stories.

Cap it at 20 and I'll be happy. Leave Bay St and the financial district out of that limit though.
 
Define "unsightly" and "uninspired", provide some metrics for sightliness and inspiredness, provide some rationale for the benefits of 4/6-story buildings in the CBD, then perhaps your petition would merit maybe a casual glance.
 
Hello David Crombie.
 
Provide examples of towers that would justify this across-the-board limit.
 
is this a joke thread? well, i'll just take it seriously for now until the wrath of the mods decides your fate. i understand alot of people dislike high-rises, and i also agree there have been some brutal designs in the last 10 years, but let's be realistic here.

as others have asked, give us some examples of towers that you think are ugly. you must concede that toronto has at least a few beautiful towers, even some of the new ones.

height is the best way to curtail the issues of density and population growth. also, it can be a medium for affordable housing. toronto can't just keep expanding, it must build up. i think the perception that a lot of torontonians are afraid of height is outdated and misconstrued. most people find towers exhilarating and dynamic, not to mention good replacements for parking lots. i mean, just look at this forum: we're nuts for towers!
 
Yes! That's what they should've done in Manhattan 100 year ago: Made it cap at 6 floors! You could have 20 people living in each room!

Back to reality, there's a place for that mid-level density, but Downtown Toronto isn't it!

(But nice looking 6 story buildings along the Transit City lines wouldn't be all that bad...)
 
urbanboom said:
Yes! That's what they should've done in Manhattan 100 year ago: Made it cap at 6 floors! You could have 20 people living in each room!
Click to expand...

one interesting note about manhattan, the areas that are lowrise are that way because the soil wasn't stable enough to support sky scrapers. every time i look at the lowrise in the manhattan sky, it makes me think of sandy soils.
 
Prometheus The Supremo said:
one interesting note about manhattan, the areas that are lowrise are that way because the soil wasn't stable enough to support sky scrapers. every time i look at the lowrise in the manhattan sky, it makes me think of sandy soils.
Click to expand...

That's interesting...

I always wondered by the Empire State building jutted out of Mid-Town Manhattan... I guess the soil on it's site was more sturdy...
 
urbanboom said:
That's interesting...

I always wondered by the Empire State building jutted out of Mid-Town Manhattan... I guess the soil on it's site was more sturdy...
Click to expand...

if you look at central park, which is near midtown & the ESB, you will see lots of rock sticking out of the ground....

Ratrock.jpg
 
Prometheus The Supremo said:
one interesting note about manhattan, the areas that are lowrise are that way because the soil wasn't stable enough to support sky scrapers. every time i look at the lowrise in the manhattan sky, it makes me think of sandy soils.
Click to expand...

Thats an interesting bit of trivia. Is it true?
My understanding is the whole island is nothing more than a big rock with some very shallow soil covering. It's the main reason why parking in Manhattan is such a horror. Very few of the skyscrapers that have been built on that rock, have any kind of underground parking to speak of. More evidence of that rock can be seen walking through Central Park. There you will see a lot outcropping ridges that have been untouched by development.
Incidently, you will also see quite a few low rise older buildings in the neighbourhoods that border aound this incredible park.
What is your source? I have not been able to find anything.
(I'm a bit of a New York fanatic. Going again for the upteenth time this June. I'll be staying at the St. Regis for the first time. ..can't wait!!)
 
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