Toronto Union Park | 303.26m | 58s | Oxford Properties | Pelli Clarke Pelli

balenciaga said:
true.
All these Chinatowns, Little Italy, Koreatowns etc. are nothing special in big North American cities. It doesn't reflect Toronto's uniqueness at all. For example if you go to LA, there is downtown Chinatown, on the east there are a few cities which are predominantly Chinese such as Monterey Park, San Gabriel, Alhambra etc, just like Markham. NYC has essentially 6 Chinatowns, Chicago, Boston, Houston, Philadelphia even Montreal/Ottawa have chinatowns.
Almost all major NA cities are very diverse. Only those who have never visited another city think it is a big deal.
Click to expand...

Oh really? Tell me where can I go in Toronto, where I will see not a single Chinese person? What area can I go where I will see no black people or Latinos? People just take it for granted, that all mixed cities are just like Toronto but they are not.

I stayed in Glenview, when I was in Chicago, last month. Guess how many black people I saw in that part of Chicago? ZERO! No Indians, no Chinese, no Latinos or African Americans, and I was there for 5 days. As a matter of fact, I saw very few non-white people in any part of North Chicago. Check out Atlanta, Indianapolis and New Orleans, which are even more segregated. Next time you travel to the USA, keep your eyes open and notice the difference because I see it (and feel it) quite clearly. So I will state again, yes, Toronto is different!

And yes, everywhere we went down south, we were bombarded by chain restaurants. Even when we thought we had found some small, independent southern food joint, it turned out to be just another corporate chain. Only in Chicago and New Orleans, could we find non-franchise restaurants. Seriously, all the major cities in the south have no independent restaurants, in their downtown cores. (or in the burbs for that matter) It's amazing how many fast food chains they had, that I had never seen before or heard of. We don't need them up here because they were all pretty bad.

Toronto does seem to have many more independent stores and restaurants, than most other cities. Let's keep it that way.
 
Last edited:
Torontovibe said:
Oh really? Tell me where can I go in Toronto, where I will see not a single Chinese person? What area can I go where I will see no black people or Latinos? People just take it for granted, that all mixed cities are just like Toronto but they are not.

I stayed in Glenview, when I was in Chicago, last month. Guess how many black people I saw in that part of Chicago? ZERO! No Indians, no Chinese, no Latinos or African Americans, and I was there for 5 days. As a matter of fact, I saw very few non-white people in any part of North Chicago. Check out Atlanta, Indianapolis and New Orleans, which are even more segregated. Next time you travel to the USA, keep your eyes open and notice the difference because I see it (and feel it) quite clearly. So I will state again, yes, Toronto is different!

And yes, everywhere we went down south, we were bombarded by chain restaurants. Even when we thought we had found some small, independent southern food joint, it turned out to be just another corporate chain. Only in Chicago and New Orleans, could we find non-franchise restaurants. Seriously, all the major cities in the south have no independent restaurants, in their downtown cores. (or in the burbs for that matter) It's amazing how many fast food chains they had, that I had never seen before or heard of. We don't need them up here because they were all pretty bad.

Toronto does seem to have many more independent stores and restaurants, than most other cities. Let's keep it that way.
Click to expand...

Thank you! It's nice to see at least one other person who appreciates all we have have, I'm wonder if those arguing with my post (which was suppose to be positive, why the hate?) has actually been to other cities comparable to us? I've been to Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal, Chicago, LA, Seattle, NYC, Philledalphia, Boston, Miami, Mexico City, Huston, Dallas, San Salvador, Minneapolis, Vegas, San Francisco, and Detroit. In all my numerous travels, I've never, once, encountered what we have here, multiculturalism not only built his city, but dare I say, defines it, so please, don not tell me every city has the same thing, hey do not. Each of them has their own uniqueness, and I've really enjoyed travelling to them all many times (I like to drive, a lot, and explore other urban areas), but I have yet to experience all that we have elsewhere. I'm biased, being a born and bred Torontonian, but believe me, no other city has nothing on us. We're not the biggest, or the richest, but definitely unique.
 
At the risk of getting too far off topic, I do agree that Toronto's range of independent shops and restaurants is outstanding, and one of our strongest features. Even London (UK), the city other than Toronto I know best, has been utterly swamped by chains, to the point where there are entire neighbourhood main streets that are probably less than 10 or 15 percent independents, especially in more affluent areas. This is something I hope Toronto manages to preserve.
 
Torontovibe said:
Oh really? Tell me where can I go in Toronto, where I will see not a single Chinese person?
Click to expand...

Oh ya? Well where in any US city can you go without seeing hispanics everywhere? I think only three live in Toronto (exaggerating for effect). So there!... and so you've travelled to Peoria and feel you can claim that Toronto's diversity is 'unique'? Try going to any large urban centre in the US comparable to Toronto and you will find demographics that have changed and diversified enormously over the last twenty or thirty years just as Toronto's have.

Look, this is a dumb argument, plain and simple. We may have more 'Chinese' than Minneapolis or Milwaukee but they may have more Hispanics or Hmong. Is this what it really comes down to? Adding numbers in this way??

... and for the insecure among you nobody is suggesting Toronto isn't diverse or that this isn't a good thing. Only, claims of diversity being unique to Toronto will fall on deaf ears anywhere in most of the modern developed western world where pluralism and diversity are the order of the day, to one degree or another. So again, to put it simply, this is not what makes Toronto a unique city apart from any other. We have to dig deeper for this, and not rely on tired multi-culti cliches.
 
Last edited:
Torontovibe said:
Toronto does seem to have many more independent stores and restaurants, than most other cities. Let's keep it that way.
Click to expand...

You must not be a shopper. The big chains have taken over Bloor-Yorkville, and Queen W the last few years, pushing the indie boutiques out of the downtown.

I take it the mall at the casino will be either carbon copy Eaton Centre, full of mid level chains or a indoor Bloor-Yorkville, full of high-end chains.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
why not just use this thread to talk about oxford place instead of determining what makes toronto unique i'm sure theirs another thread for which those type of topics are more appropriate.
 
joey_122@hotmail.com said:
why not just use this thread to talk about oxford place instead of determining what makes toronto unique i'm sure theirs another thread for which those type of topics are more appropriate.
Click to expand...

I agree, these guys are spouting mindless drivel that's completely off topic and not even articulated well.
 
attachment.php
 
Thanks blacktrojan/PE - looks pretty stunning to me. Otherworldly, even. Breaks the rectilinear mould completely without resorting to crassness.

AoD
 
Nice looking renders, but this is far from ever being approved. I'm sure if the casino is turned down for this project, the whole thing will collapse. With city hall in a quandary right now, who knows
when they will even make a decision. Even the Mirvish project has a lot of nay sayers, as sad as that is. I wouldn't get too attached to either of these right now. The DRB hasn't got a hold of them either.
 
bmiller said:
Nice looking renders, but this is far from ever being approved. I'm sure if the casino is turned down for this project, the whole thing will collapse. With city hall in a quandary right now, who knows
when they will even make a decision. Even the Mirvish project has a lot of nay sayers, as sad as that is. I wouldn't get too attached to either of these right now. The DRB hasn't got a hold of them either.
Click to expand...

Add to that the fact that Oxford has gone out of its way to clarify the building heights are dependent on demand. It seems to me this whole project should be in the "Fantasy" category as it currently is so far fom any kind f approval. The drawings and website are just a carrot to suck us in.

If they do get the approval For a casino, there should be some stringent requirements in the agreement that the other buildings are built - especially covering the tracks - in a timely manner.
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top