Let cities reach for the sky - Density Issues - Toronto compared

[toto]

from the Mississauga Clock Tower

Beautiful pic.

It is ashame that the density and height in the core drops so dramatically in and around city hall, not to pick up again until around College St. A fair gap, that screams to be filled.

 

[johnwood]

at some angles the city core looks big but to me at most angles i only see 3-4 big ugly buildings similar to winnipegs big 3 uglys, but obviously winnipegs are smaller. My idea of a nice building is the empire, crysler, sears, etc, etc.

 

[steveve]

I know, I was thinking that same thing. I can't think of anywhere else that exists like this.. Once your outta downtown Chicago, it gets pretty flat. Maybe reminds me of some Asian cities, like Shenzen, or even Tokyo.

yeah, toronto is turning into a shanghai megacity with all these city centres/developments outside the core.
though i guess i'd take an amazing downtown area (like chicago) and flat suburb over a decent downtown area (like we have).

 

[Automation Gallery]

though i guess i'd take an amazing downtown area (like chicago) and flat suburb over a decent downtown area (like we have).

I dont know about that, how about working on that amazing downtown and having already amazing suburbs...correct me if i am wrong, but at the moment Toronto has more hi-rise buildings going up and planned than any other city on the globe, we are not talking height here we are talking quantity, no New York, no Dubai, not even Shanghai..

 

[steveve]

I dont know about that, how about working on that amazing downtown and having already amazing suburbs...correct me if i am wrong, but at the moment Toronto has more hi-rise buildings going up and planned than any other city on the globe, we are not talking height here we are talking quantity, no New York, no Dubai, not even Shanghai..

i don't think Toronto's downtown is "amazing", a Chicago is more like it to me, i'm not saying toronto's downtown ain't impressive, it just doesn't stack against Chi town...
and yes, toronto (GTA specifically) has more highrise proposals than any other region in north america (cough-cough... CONDOS galore!), but some of these proposals are mega crap/cheap (crystal blue for example), and lots of green glass.

We have more quantity than quality imo.

 

[johnwood]

Beautiful pic.

It is ashame that the density and height in the core drops so dramatically in and around city hall, not to pick up again until around College St. A fair gap, that screams to be filled.

Nice pic, reminds me of a scene of LA in Predator2.

 

[Bogtrotter]

Very cool pic. Actually I overheard an actor say that TO has more of an LA feel than New York, this was from an LA resident. Don't know how she arrived at that but there you go.

 

[Dan416]

Very cool pic. Actually I overheard an actor say that TO has more of an LA feel than New York, this was from an LA resident. Don't know how she arrived at that but there you go.

Based on my limited experience with LA (i.e. watching all five seasons of Buffy spin-off "Angel") I'd agree that LA seems more similar to Toronto than NYC.

 

[yyzer]

yeah, toronto is turning into a shanghai megacity with all these city centres/developments outside the core.
though i guess i'd take an amazing downtown area (like chicago) and flat suburb over a decent downtown area (like we have).

There's a great view driving west along the Gardiner - at about the Ex, the Humber Bay shore stuff is in the distance, with MCC in the far distance...the Beyond the Sea towers actually look amazing from this point, too bad they are so ghastly up close...and the 3rd tower will increase the impact....there seems to be layers upon layers of skyscrapers as you drive west.

Then just before Sherway Gardens, there is a killer view of MCC....I can just imagine folks from out of town saying WTF - the city just keeps on producing skylines....

 

[Jasonzed]

There's a great view driving west along the Gardiner - at about the Ex, the Humber Bay shore stuff is in the distance, with MCC in the far distance...the Beyond the Sea towers actually look amazing from this point, too bad they are so ghastly up close...and the 3rd tower will increase the impact....there seems to be layers upon layers of skyscrapers as you drive west.

Then just before Sherway Gardens, there is a killer view of MCC....I can just imagine folks from out of town saying WTF - the city just keeps on producing skylines....

from Jan 30/2011
I think you mean this one...

 

[Hipster Duck]

Very cool pic. Actually I overheard an actor say that TO has more of an LA feel than New York, this was from an LA resident. Don't know how she arrived at that but there you go.

I think outside of the old City, Toronto is a lot like LA. It has these never-ending arterial roads that are too dense and bustling to be in a place like Houston or Phoenix, but not really urban in a traditional sense, either. It's laced by mammoth freeways. Buses are packed with immigrants.

Also, places like North York Centre are a lot more like Century City than they are like Jersey City. Avenue Road and Yonge north of Lawrence could be straight off Melrose.

 

[HHC]

I agree with the LA comparison. Weather and palm trees aside they're strikingly alike. If you take a look at both cities' historical population figures.. from 1900 - 1950 they were pretty similar. Toronto was 10x bigger than LA in the 1850's but most of what was built back in that time is now gone today so we really have little to no physical evidence Toronto was even existent back then. This city loves to raze.

 

[caltrane74]

Also, places like North York Centre are a lot more like Century City than they are like Jersey City. Avenue Road and Yonge north of Lawrence could be straight off Melrose.

True enough


North York Centre

Century City

 

[HHC]

We lack a Hollywood counterpart though, maybe Yonge and St Clair?

 

[Tewder]

In the absence of some significant geographical feature that limits it isn't any city going to sprawl, no matter how dense and urban its pre-automobile urban core might be? ... and providing it is experiencing growth and prosperity of course. Manhattan could only grow so wide because of the rivers that surround it and the huge park within it, for example. It had nowhere to go but up. Yes, Toronto's suburbs may sprawl like L.A's but is the urban core of Toronto like that of L.A'? Does L.A. have the breadth and depth of diverse, inner-city 'liveable' and affordable (relatively speaking) urban neighbourhoods that Toronto does? I don't know the answer to that because I've never been, but I would say that this is one of the more notable and outstanding features of Toronto as a city... for large chunks of it at least.