Toronto Ïce Condominiums at York Centre | 234.07m | 67s | Lanterra | a—A

Ryan_T said:
It still baffles me that the tiny sliver of land on the 4th shot from the bottom will become a 64 storey building.
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I suppose that must come as quite a shock to people from a country like Canada where people have never needed to make efficient use of things. When you live in a massive nation with abundant everything, maximizing what's in front of you rarely enters the equation.
 
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I think it's brilliant.

I'd rather see them put a 100-storey building there than continue with the sprawl.

And yet...they're still clearing more land for houses in the suburbs. We need more trees up there, not rows of cookie-cutter homes.
 
Ryan_T said:
And yet...they're still clearing more land for houses in the suburbs. We need more trees up there, not rows of cookie-cutter homes.
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And yet?? The post says it's ironic that Toronto packs in skyscrapers so dense, given the space Canada has.

PS: Building suburbs results in more trees being planted, not less, as farmland isn't exactly forested.
 
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there should be law for the construction companies that they should plant 3 or 4 trees for each tree they cut.
 
It doesn't matter if Canada controlled all the land in the world, density makes a lot of essential human activities practical such as markets and the production of culture. People have to come together in substantial numbers (not move away from each other) to make valuable things happen. Cities that promote density have better odds of success.
 
Transportfan said:
And yet?? The post says it's ironic that Toronto packs in skyscrapers so dense, given the space Canada has.

PS: Building suburbs results in more trees being planted, not less, as farmland isn't exactly forested.
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The farmland that is currently being replaced with suburbs is some of the best farmland in Canada. That's why the green belt exists. And just because there are trees being planted in new subdivisions does not make up for the thousands of new soccer-mom SUVs that are put on the road with every new neighbourhood.
 
It's frustrating that new subdivisions and business parks are still being built today, even though it's widely acknowledged that sprawl is bad. Urban planners preach about the importance of density, walkability, mixed use, transit oriented development, and complete streets, yet developers continue to do the opposite. Fast growing cities like Milton and Brampton could have been a showcase for new urbanist principles, but instead they are another Mississauga in the making.
 
Check out Seaton, its about to begin and it is what a model of suburban planning should be. 70,000 people living in a transit, pedestrian friendly area in northern Pickering.
 
Drove by the site a few days ago, amazing how fast they're finishing, I was watching the crew working hard, hanging off the side of the roof of the shorter tower, in minus 21, not counting the wind chill. I know they probably enjoy their jobs, but damn, I felt bad for them, they must be freezing their you know what's off! So I drove to the nearest Timmies and bought two of those boxes of coffee, just to warm them up (don't know if I ever told you guys, but many years ago, when I was 19, before my illness and before I decided what I wanted to do, I worked with the Carpenters Union Local 27, even got up to my 2 year of appreciateship before the illness kicked in). I walked onto the site, and nearly got arrested for trespassing (the rent a cop they had there was socially challenged to say the least), so I asked for they site supervisor, handed him the coffee, and told him to send it up. It's no big deal, it's just coffee (and I well remember building the CIBC in Streetsville in February, freezing my ass off) but the guy looked like he was going to cry, weird. But seriously, if you're out and about taking a few pics of our many construction sites, do something nice for these guys (and gals) if you're so inclined, it feels really good, and apparently, it's greatly appreciated. (Just be careful, as I learned, how you enter the site, as I was leaving the rent a cop says "what did you do that for?", I really don't understand people sometimes). Stay warm my friends! :D
 
ushahid said:
hats off to you sir for your noble deed :):D
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Thanks, but it's no big deal, it's just coffee, but I've found, in life, it's the little things that can mean the most. I call it random acts of kindness, I encourage all my fiends to do it. It makes you feel good, and it usually greatly appreciated, after all, we're all part of the same genetic pool (I'm in the shallow end!), which in a weird way, makes us all family, what could be better in life then helping our family?
 
junctionist said:
It doesn't matter if Canada controlled all the land in the world, density makes a lot of essential human activities practical such as markets and the production of culture. People have to come together in substantial numbers (not move away from each other) to make valuable things happen. Cities that promote density have better odds of success.
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I agree, strongly. Well said, and quickly to the point.

Our economy exists, by in large, because of urban centres. Density is a necessity for most economic activities -- the very creation of markets.
Of course we will always have rural communities the suburbs; however, even villages and towns -- even the suburbs must have modest levels of density to reach any goal of budgetary solvency. In terms of taxation, downtown cores and other areas that promote high-density developments must have the tax advantage over the suburbs; -- sorry, but low-density city and communitybuilding doesn't pay for itself. Our goal is to not incure unsustainable levels of public debt: and the expenditures for infrastructure and public services (construction and maintenance) throughout the suburbs and rural areas is far, far too expensive.

Downtown cores are currently forced to subsidise low-density communities. This dampens the economic potential of downtowns. This must change.
 
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