Toronto Ridiculous NIMBYism thread

[EagleEye]

Have you been to Scarborough?

Born and raised here.

 

[Skeezix]

Born and raised here.

Then you know! (Apologies for the tongue and cheek question)

Vastly underutilized commercial sites, dominated by fields of parking. Towers in the Park-type high-rises, with enormous wasted tracts of land. House farm after house farm, often with no allowance for compatible midrise along the avenues. Even many of the low-rise neighbourhoods (not all) are tremendous wastes of space, designed in an era when land was cheap - an inefficient use of space with winding roads and cul-de-sacs. Even if one wants to build single-family houses with nicely sized yards today, that's not how you would do it if land when land is at a premium. Even many of the arterial roads collectively have hectares and hectares of wasted, soul-destroying and pedestrian-discouraging boulevards.

I also grew up in a balcony bungalow, in a neighbourhood designed much the same way.

ETA: I didn't grow up on a balcony.

 

[EagleEye]

Then you know! (Apologies for the tongue and cheek question)

Vastly underutilized commercial sites, dominated by fields of parking. Towers in the Park-type high-rises, with enormous wasted tracts of land. House farm after house farm, often with no allowance for compatible midrise along the avenues. Even many of the low-rise neighbourhoods (not all) are tremendous wastes of space, designed in an era when land was cheap - an inefficient use of space with winding roads and cul-de-sacs. Even if one wants to build single-family houses with nicely sized yards today, that's not how you would do it if land when land is at a premium. Even many of the arterial roads collectively have hectares and hectares of wasted, soul-destroying and pedestrian-discouraging boulevards.

I also grew up in a balcony bungalow, in a neighbourhood designed much the same way.

ETA: I didn't grow up on a balcony.

I'm glad you didn't grow up on a balcony!

 

[Skeezix]

I'm glad you didn't grow up on a balcony!

The 2010s version of the Dickensian childhood.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Born and raised here.

Me too.....in case you thought I might be taking out me arse.

 

[EagleEye]

Me too.....in case you thought I might be taking out me arse.

Bungalow...or balcony?

 

[SunriseChampion]

Bungalow...or balcony?

Combination.....ground floor of an apartment building.

 

[Towered]

Most of these ambitious yuppies prefer living not in suburbs. We need to build more in built-up areas to drive costs down. There is more than enough space to house another 1 million people in Toronto alone.

That's a low estimate. You could easily double Toronto's population without even touching most of the "stable neighbourhoods" like the Annex for example.

 

[SunriseChampion]

That's a low estimate. You could easily double Toronto's population without even touching most of the "stable neighbourhoods" like the Annex for example.

I was trying to not come off as an efficiency radical, but, yeah, you are correct!

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

That's a low estimate. You could easily double Toronto's population without even touching most of the "stable neighbourhoods" like the Annex for example.

Doesn't mean we shouldn't though. The Annex is a prime spot for residential intensification.

And as far as 'stable neighbourhoods' goes, the Annex is too wealthy for young families to move into. Controversial opinion time, but I don't know how a neighbourhood with no kids can be considered as stable. The Annex is more like a live-in "heritage" museum than a stable neighbourhood.

 

[Filip]

Doesn't mean we shouldn't though. The Annex is a prime spot for residential intensification.

And as far as 'stable neighbourhoods' goes, the Annex is too wealthy for young families to move into. Controversial opinion time, but I don't know how a neighbourhood with no kids can be considered as stable. The Annex is more like a live-in "heritage" museum than a stable neighbourhood.

Exactly, particularly the Annex straddling two subway lines.

I'm a big proponent of hiking the residential tax rate on those houses to something astronomical - as the infrastructure serving this neighbourhood (and others like it) are light years ahead of most Toronto neighbourhoods.

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

Exactly, particularly the Annex straddling two subway lines.

I'm a big proponent of hiking the residential tax rate on those houses to something astronomical - as the infrastructure serving this neighbourhood (and others like it) are light years ahead of most Toronto neighbourhoods.

Impose a land value tax instead of (or in addition to) property taxes. Goal accomplished.

 

[pman]

Exactly, particularly the Annex straddling two subway lines.

I'm a big proponent of hiking the residential tax rate on those houses to something astronomical - as the infrastructure serving this neighbourhood (and others like it) are light years ahead of most Toronto neighbourhoods.

I’m assuming that you wouldn’t be affected by the astronomical tax hike you propose.

 

[Filip]

I’m assuming that you wouldn’t be affected by the astronomical tax hike you propose.

Of course not - oddly enough my taxes are about the same... In an area bereft of decent infrastructure. Thank you MPAC and Toronto.

 

[fiendishlibrarian]

Controversial opinion time, but I don't know how a neighbourhood with no kids can be considered as stable. The Annex is more like a live-in "heritage" museum than a stable neighbourhood.

As someone who has interacted with this neighbourhood for nearly thirty years, I can attempt a short answer: In large part, Boomer U of T faculty who bought in at the right time, and the right place.