TheTigerMaster
Superstar
Comparing Mumbai to Toronto is a total insult to this city. I don't care how many tall buildings they can build, it won't change that the city is sh*t
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- Thread starter golodhendil
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Canadian Chocho
Active Member
While I agree that skyscrapers don't 'make' cities, I can't see how slandering other places helps at furthuring this point.
Strange Advance
Active Member
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I haven't been to Mumbai, but dire poverty is evidently widespread. Why bother building a skyline when many thousands of your fellow citizens are living in a landfill?
innsertnamehere
Superstar
it doesn't hurt to point out the major issues india is facing, the difficulties that country experiences are almost scary, and all we can really do is wish them luck. the corruption, caste system, wealth disperity, etc is horrible, and one can only hope that they can find a way to climb out of it. while you can hope for the best for them, it is indeed a bit odd to compare Toronto with Mumbai. the issues facing Toronto today look like childs play compared to what Mumbai has to deal with.
RC8
Senior Member
To be fair people do live in those towers, and it's precisely the type of place that well-to-do slum dwellers can afford.
In any case, the parade of unsightly towers and slums, social and infrastructural dysfunction, and the overwhelming oppression of the poor by the wealthy, means that defining Mumbai as a world class city shows a massive level of immaturity.
Furthermore, architecturally, 97% of the stuff that gets built in places like Mumbai, Dubai, or Shanghai is architecturally offensive. Toronto's condos are actually pretty great by world standards. The fact the architecturally offensive towers in these places are also huge just adds insult to injury.
But really, unless you want a dozen Auras and Trumps popping up all over the city, the current M-G plan needs to be turned down.
In any case, the parade of unsightly towers and slums, social and infrastructural dysfunction, and the overwhelming oppression of the poor by the wealthy, means that defining Mumbai as a world class city shows a massive level of immaturity.
Furthermore, architecturally, 97% of the stuff that gets built in places like Mumbai, Dubai, or Shanghai is architecturally offensive. Toronto's condos are actually pretty great by world standards. The fact the architecturally offensive towers in these places are also huge just adds insult to injury.
But really, unless you want a dozen Auras and Trumps popping up all over the city, the current M-G plan needs to be turned down.
E.B.
Active Member
anyone read globe & mail article on m/g? it says m/g will have an updated design for the city council meeting in December.
rpeters
Active Member
while we're completely off-topic, I'd like to point out the unique architecture of hong kong. Has anyone noticed the towers they put up are often 6-in-a-row of extremely tall buildings. yes toronto does a lot of double tower developments and also has commie blocks but hong kong takes it to a whole new level. they have 200m commie blocks that form a virtual wall of condos, the density is out of this world. I'm not saying it's a bad thing they have limited land and all but take a look at this picture, it's quite impressive. I'm not sure how it affects quality of life since barely any one in HK drives but it's definitely quite different than North American living. When I saw this picture I definitely got a futuristic ecumenopolis vibe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kowloon_Panorama_by_Ryan_Cheng_2010.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kowloon_Panorama_by_Ryan_Cheng_2010.jpg
Big Daddy
Senior Member
I certainly hope they aren't reducing the height of any of these towers, is the iconic nature of this project that makes it both exciting and noteworthy.
Do you have a link to the story? The search feature I found isn't working.
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gabe
Senior Member
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...rvishs-tall-order-in-toronto/article15809360/
I hope they don't chop the buildings. Hopefully they will show a more detailed rendering of the podium and how will look at street level.
TheTigerMaster
Superstar
The divide between rich and poor in Mumbai is insane. They have some of the worlds richest people living in mansions located just blocks away from the slums.
DtTO
Active Member
Did you even read my comment? Better skyline isn't synonymous with better city. Dubai is a backwards cesspool, and the evidence is clear in their immigration system and treatment of South Asian workers. Dubai is nowhere near Toronto on the world stage, and that will not change anytime soon. Calgary, a Canadian city that also received much of its wealth from oil, is also a much better city than Dubai.
Do you expect people to take you seriously? Please show me how Toronto has not made any progress, when it is continually climbing various charts that measure metrics of a city's "greatness." I seriously doubt a single chart that compares cities' worldwide influence takes into account how large their skyline is. The whole skyline measurement thing is specific to people who enjoy that kind of thing. Are you telling me that people who enjoy cars should also rank Dubai #1, because they have a corrupt police force with an extravagant fleet? Please...
How is this related to your statement re "Toronto sucks"? If you're talking architecture quality, I would say Toronto is about average. Just go take a look at what other cities have built (London, Chicago, Shanghai, Mumbai, etc.), and not just their most iconic buildings; architecture these days is simply not as intricate as it used to be; labour is much more expensive these days.
Dubai has some of the most embarrassing derivative work on the planet. I would seriously hate for Toronto to have those eyesores. The treatment of the pedestrian realm, even in their most prominent buildings is a joke. Money =/= class.
The "7 star hotel" is a perfect summation of Dubai; it's all skin deep. There's no such thing as "7 star hotel"; Dubai made that up. Regardless of how many "7 star hotels" Dubai has, their treatment of poor people (who happen to constitute a majority of the population) is disgusting. Rich people have fancy things anywhere on the planet, so it is best to judge how the poor are treated, especially when they constitute a majority (ex. Dubai).
What does this have to do with your "Toronto sucks" sentiment? Your judgment of a city based on its skyline is really shallow.
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salsa
Senior Member
TheTigerMaster
Superstar
Many Torontonians forget the difference between young and Yonge
And that's how you know you're talking to a real Torontonian and not some foreigner posing as one (it's happened before - "Toronto is so nice, it's right by the ocean")
And it's not the first time I've done that. I use Yonge (street name) so much more than young in my conversations.
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salsa
Senior Member
Toronto should not be competing with those places. What does the skyline have to to with being world class? Is London or Paris not a world class city because there's no skyline? Why don't you pack your bags and move to Dubai, Hong Kong, or Mumbai since apparently those cities are so great.
TheTigerMaster
Superstar
That skyline ins't even great in the first place.
Generally the advice I give when I hear Torontonains whining about the city and why it can't be more like [insert random world class city]. Torontonains have a tendency to really underestimate and hate on their own city. Actually physically travelling to many of these supposed "world class cities" (ahem... New York, Chicago, Hong Kong) really makes me appreciate living in Toronto. Many of these "world class cities" are great to visit, but not so great for actual living.