I think the article is a bit biased, not well researched, and doesn't look at the perspective of those who actually live there.
I am currently renting at Cityplace simply because I am waiting to for my condo to be finished due to construction delays. Before I moved into Cityplace I had my reservations and misconceptions regarding this massive development, but with the reasonable rental prices that are being offered, amount of inventory to choose from, great amenities, proximity to everything, and the fact it is new or newer, choosing to rent at Cityplace made a lot of sense and I am sure the thousands of young professionals who live here feel the same way too. Living at Cityplace is not as bad as I thought it would be. I especially like being within walking distance to everything: the Harbourfront, Toronto Island Airport, my office and restaurants on King West, Rogers Centre, Chinatown, TIFF, Scotiabank theatre, etc.
Cityplace is not exactly the frat house atmosphere many believe it to be. There are a lot of young residents here, but for the most part the building is calm and orderly. I think the late night chaos every weekend in the King and Portland area is much, much worse and don't understand why anyone would want to live there.
Sure, living at Cityplace has its issues, but living in any highrise condo with 400-700 units will have issues. Cityplace has received a bad reputation simply because it is a massive development full of big highrise condos and all progressively built in a relatively short period of time, not unlike a suburban development.
I think Liberty Village (particularly the east side) falls into this category too, but not targeted as much because it is not all built by one developer.
Cityplace has a wide range of units from small studios to multi-level and live/work townhouses to sprawling penthouses, ranging from the upper $200,000's to over $3-million. So once Cityplace is fully built and occupied it will have a wide range of residents and bring more retail to the area. Once the pedestrian bridge to Portland/Front Streets is open an Fort York Blvd is fully connected to Dan Leckie Way and Bathurst Street, Cityplace will be much more connected and bring more foot traffic. Fort York Blvd is also designed to accomodate a future streetcar line which will further connect this community to the city. Canoe Landing park is perhaps the best public amenity and the centerpiece of the development.
Will I ever buy or live in Cityplace long term? Most likely not.
I personally much prefer living in a more intimate boutique building where I know most of my neighbors, where there are not so many renters (less turnover) and there is a better sense of privacy. Also real estate appreciation is not as great at Cityplace simply because there is so much inventory and higher ratio of investors. I dislike its proximity to the Gardiner due to the noise and pollution -- I don't enjoy my balcony as much as I like (but this is the case with any condo built near the Gardiner).
There are many people I have met here who like living here and they not just the young professionals and students that stereotypes the residents of Cityplace. There are empty nesters, retirees and families with children here, though they are still the minority here.
This is an interesting article written by The Toronto Star's architecture critic Christopher Hume on Cityplace:
Cityplace proving its critics wrong
http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/column...do-critic-cityplace-proving-its-critics-wrong
Cityplace has its fair share of detractors, but the fact is that it appears ready to become one of the most successful planned neighbourhoods in Toronto.
Development of the old railway lands started on the east side of Spadina and now continues on the west. Clearly, the lessons learned on the former were applied on the latter. Though there's much skepticism about this sort of urban mega-development, Cityplace seems to be getting it right.
As much as anything, this success is based on a solid understanding on the importance of the public realm. Much remains to be finished, but the attention to public amenities such as sidewalks, parks and even architecture has already made a difference.
Certainly, Cityplace will not be another St. James Town in terms of what's going on at street level. At Cityplace, roads are connected and sidewalks lined with planters. There are even a few small squares and public art pieces. The quality of the planning is matched by the quality of the architecture, which is remarkably sophisticated.
The most obvious problem is that of Spadina, which bisects the site. Where it meets Bremner Blvd./Fort York Dr., Spadina is fully nine lanes wide, seven for cars, two for streetcars. The reason, of course, is that Spadina has been turned into an on/off ramp for the Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Blvd.
Why the city would allow such a use in an area set aside for residential development remains a mystery. It looks like another example of trying to have it both ways; clearly, the idea was to allow the suburbanization of Toronto to continue while accommodating urban intensification.
At some point, the city will have to decide in which direction it wants to go. 
