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NYC in 1981 = Toronto in 2010?

I was in Manhattan a week ago. All of Harlem has less graffiti than one block of Spadina north of Dundas. Yes, our subway trains have not been vandalised, but our buildings have. This is a problem that is getting worse in Toronto, not better.

While we may not be the NY of the 70s, we are on that path.
 
Your poor eyes. They burn at the site of graff, don't they? Poor fellow.

If some sort of manufactured and exaggerated graff "epidemic" is all we have to worry about then I'd say we're pretty damn well off. I dare say Toronto is faced with issues a touch more serious than some colour on a wall.
 
^
Actually, no. Graffiti in Toronto is, for the most part, tagging. There is no artistic merit or talent in it. It is an eyesore and has negative implications, which you appear oblivious to.

Why don't you post your address, so someone can come by and express themselves on your property? What's the harm?
 
I do want my car graffed on but this is entirely besides the point.

If this is Toronto's worst problem, then I say we're quite well off!
 
Glen said:
I was in Manhattan a week ago. All of Harlem has less graffiti than one block of Spadina north of Dundas.
Click to expand...
What about Washington Heights? And how did it compare for litter?

The vandalism in Toronto does seem to be on the increase of late. I'm not sure why they don't put the taggers in jail; how hard can it be to catch them?
 
I don't think it is really comparable, as Toronto's problems really are a revenue problem, not anything else. Toronto city council continues to refuse to bring property taxes in line with 905 area communities and in turn continues to authorize growth in services.
Click to expand...

Are you serious? The residential tax rate are absolutely ridiculous in the 905. It's sheer ignorance that home owners willingly pay them. I've met my share that think we Torontononians pay a higher rate and that you can't find a three bedroom house for under 750 grand. Sometimes I wonder if those that suggest bringing them in line have ever ventured outside of the GTA.
 
Vandalism felt like it was on the rise a few years ago in Toronto, but it seems to have plateaued. On the other hand, maybe I've just become desensitized.

In any case, the worst cities for graffiti that I've ever seen were all in Europe, many of them in countries that we generally look up to in terms of civic responsibility and progressiveness.
 
don't know what harlem you were in but it sure wasn't Harlem New York. Toronto can't even compare to new york city today in terms of graffiti, let alone new york city of the 70's.
 
nfitz said:
What about Washington Heights? And how did it compare for litter?

The vandalism in Toronto does seem to be on the increase of late. I'm not sure why they don't put the taggers in jail; how hard can it be to catch them?
Click to expand...

I didn't make it up to Washington Heights, so I can't say. The only graffiti/tagging I saw was in SOHO. On one building. Truth be told, I can see more on any one building at Spadina and Baldwin than I saw in my entire 4 days in Manhattan.
 
So, the amount of graff is the benchmark when looking at how successful and functional a city is.

Damn, silly me.....I was foolish enough to be of a mind to think that transit, employment, social services, public spaces, a city's finances, etc were important. I must be off my rocker.
 
MTown said:
So, the amount of graff is the benchmark when looking at how successful and functional a city is.

Damn, silly me.....I was foolish enough to be of a mind to think that transit, employment, social services, public spaces, a city's finances, etc were important. I must be off my rocker.
Click to expand...
They are all important. If a neighbourhood doesn't even have the resources to remove blatant vandalism such as tagging, and it completely overwhelms the place, then that has meaning.
 
MTown said:
So, the amount of graff is the benchmark when looking at how successful and functional a city is.

Damn, silly me.....I was foolish enough to be of a mind to think that transit, employment, social services, public spaces, a city's finances, etc were important. I must be off my rocker.
Click to expand...

Who said that? Not me.
 
Okay: never mind graffiti, how does Toronto compare to NYC on the "coiled razor wire" front?
 
No, Glen, you didn't say it so much in words but in what importance you seemed to place on the phenomenon.

Maybe it's my bias where graff is concerned but I just don't place any importance on the proliferation of it when looking at how successful and livable a city Toronto is. For example: if all else was tip top and Toronto was completely covered in tags and nicer pieces of sprayed-on enthusiasm, I wouldn't complain about a thing.
 
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