Quote:
Originally Posted by isaidso
Looks like Vancouver and Montreal will turn their backs on the skyscraper. They almost come off as cities that have given up on amounting to something grand. How sad!
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That's unfair, especially considering that Montreal is building more skyscrapers right now than in the past 30 years.
But towers are just one among many other elements that can make a city grand. The vast urban renewal programs in Montreal like the Quartier des spectacles or Griffintown, contribute much more to the city's general appearance than any super tall would. Montreal's public realms have also seen radical transformations (Square Dorchester, Place des Festivals, Place Jean-Paul Riopelle, Square Victoria) and they make Montreal looks as grand as it never did.
Toronto is building many grand towers, yes. But very few have any architectural merits. Also its public realms are very poor compare to Montreal's. Compare Dundas Square to Place des Festivals. Or compare the new Aquarium near the CN tower that looks like a Home Depot to Montreal's new Planeterium. Good architectural gestures are not always in the sky...