Toronto Core Condos | 84.12m | 24s | CentreCourt | P + S / IBI

Yes, Manhattan specifically. I'm old enough to recall Times Square being a dump when I was a kid (i.e. before Disney moved in). My point is that a lot of world travelers make positive comments about other cities and don't realize that we are getting there, too. While I understand the concerns about our public realm, the more new residents that come to live in the downtown core the better that things will become. But over time. We still have some catch up to do.

More people moving downtown doesn't necessarily mean, 'prettier public realm'. The suburbs have been growing for ages and still look like junk.
 
That's a rather broad and bold statement about the suburbs! But you are right about more people moving downtown doesn't necessarily mean, 'prettier public realm'. But that's the hope anyway. By doing some research about new BIA's plans and things like the John Street Cultural Corridor, you will see that there is a greater desire to improve streets and public spaces. More people & businesses = more tax revenue.
 
More people moving downtown doesn't necessarily mean, 'prettier public realm'. The suburbs have been growing for ages and still look like junk.

suburban people drive 95% of the time heading toward some generic strip mall. They don't CARE about pretty public realm because they hardly see or use them. They care more about larger houses with more bedrooms and what is cheaper at Costco.

People living downtown who walk everywhere do care about whether the pavement is cracking, or whether a park has enough benches.
 
suburban people drive 95% of the time heading toward some generic strip mall. They don't CARE about pretty public realm because they hardly see or use them. They care more about larger houses with more bedrooms and what is cheaper at Costco.

People living downtown who walk everywhere do care about whether the pavement is cracking, or whether a park has enough benches.

There's so much ignorance here that it hurts.
 
suburban people drive 95% of the time heading toward some generic strip mall. They don't CARE about pretty public realm because they hardly see or use them. They care more about larger houses with more bedrooms and what is cheaper at Costco.

People living downtown who walk everywhere do care about whether the pavement is cracking, or whether a park has enough benches.

I'm a suburbanite, and I care about a pretty public realm. I'm definitely in the minority, however.
 
I like the suburban realm to look nice too, but a lot of the new suburban areas look now look ugly because of so-called "natural landscaping" that makes them look like scrubland.
 
It seems to me that somewhere down the line "pretty public realm" has been equated with "pretty urban public realm". The characteristics of an enjoyable/pretty space in the downtown I think would be very different than the characteristics of an enjoyable/pretty space in the suburbs. For instance, all this talk about suburbanites driving more. While they sure as heck don't drive "95% of the time towards some strip mall", they do indeed appear to drive more. Beautifying highways, making them bike friendly (tenth line in Mississauga has become my absolute favourite bike route - at least when there isn't 3 feet of snow..), planting trees to block views of the road from houses while giving drivers a better looking surrounding, limiting speeds, or even locating major roads away from already pedestrian friendly spaces are all means of beautifying spaces that wouldn't be as strongly considered downtown (though I'm just spitballing here).

You can't expect piazzas, small parks and other common urban beautification elements to have the exact same impact as they would in the suburbs. I doubt putting a park like the one just north of the bay/adelaide building courtyard anywhere in the suburbs would be anywhere near as fruitful. It stands to reason that the massive amount of differences between downtown/suburbs that people here point out quite frequently (usually at the expense of the suburbs) will translate to different means to achieve ends like pretty public spaces.

I don't mean to say that the suburbs are somehow more pretty than the downtown. I just feel that there's nothing inherent about the suburbs that would preclude them from being as beautiful as the downtown. If anything, I think they have the potential to be even more beautiful - so long as beautification is approached within a strictly suburban paradigm.
 
Advertorial? Not one mention of how mediocre this project really is.

it is not bad, and probably much better than anything in the surrounding area. Do you really expect something exquisite (hence at corresponding price premium) in the middle of Moss Park?
 
For an advertorial, they really don't shy away from disclosing just how quickly this building was conceived and prepped for launch. For me, that's actually the most interesting element of this piece - that CentreCourt didn't apply more of a strategic filter when sharing the process with The Globe. You get the feeling that the article took longer to write than the building took to design and market.

And how hilariously random the amenities really are. "Yeah, a coffee bar, photo booth, and a pool table! People like those! Those sound good! Let's do that!" LOL. Who the hell is going to use a photo booth in a condo? Really???

I also love how they refer to it as "free" coffee. That's pretty expensive coffee when you're paying for it with your condo fees.

On another note, reading this article doesn't inspire much confidence in RBC's Risk Management Dept.
 
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And how hilariously random the amenities really are. "Yeah, a coffee bar, photo booth, and a pool table! People like those! Those sound good! Let's do that!" LOL. Who the hell is going to use a photo booth in a condo? Really???

I also love how they refer to it as "free" coffee. That's pretty expensive coffee when you're paying for it with your condo fees.

Given its proximity to Ryerson, these amenities do appeal to student tenants.
I noticed in their marketing how they touted their bean bag furnished lounges and party rooms. That's pretty cheap to furnish and maintain, and suits just fine with students which I could picture these spaces used as study rooms while they enjoy their free coffee. Much of their amenity spaces are not unlike a university dorm -- all they need more is a cafeteria and they are golden!
 
Demolition of a Designated Heritage Property 68- 70 Shuter Street and Demolition of a Listed Heritage Property 64-66 Shuter Street:

"This report recommends that City Council endorse the conservation strategy generally described for the heritage properties located at 64-70 Shuter Street to allow for the construction of a twenty-four storey condominium with retail uses a grade. Staff have determined that the property at 64-66 Shuter Street does not meet the Provincial criteria for designation so staff do not oppose its demolition. The front elevation at 68-70 Shuter Street has severely deteriorated and it cannot be incorporated into the proposed development without first being disassembled. Should Council endorse this strategy the front elevation, chimneys, and portions of the roof and a return wall will be reconstructed and incorporated into the new base building of the residential tower."
 

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