Canadian Skyline Thread III

[ssiguy]

Appreciate the pics. That looking down Yonge to Bloor is nauseating. Could they possibly make Yonge any uglier and pedestrian hostile if they tried?

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

Appreciate the pics. That looking down Yonge to Bloor is nauseating. Could they possibly make Yonge any uglier and pedestrian hostile if they tried?

It used to be worse but once it finishes it's gentrification from Dundas up to Bloor it should resemble Robson Street, but that will take all of the fun out of it. As soon as you are north of Bloor the streets personality changes drastically. 15 years ago that stretch on the previous page was all porn shops and head shops. Personally, I like the grittiness of the section you find terrible. It makes for a very interesting walk therefor a great pedestrian experience. I only wish they would put in wider sidewalks and get all of the Uber Eats delivery guys to hang out on the side streets and not block pedestrian flow. That section you don't like is just 1km in length from Carlton up to Bloor.

Sidewalk cafe in Rosedale, Toronto. Taken on Yonge Street looking south toward downtown by Greg S, on Flickr

Yonge Street in Rosedale looking south to Bloor Street. Toronto. by Greg S, on Flickr

This whole section feels like a different world to the section south of Bloor. It also has my favorite view of the insane growth of the Yorkville skyline.
Autumn Dusk by Jack Landau, on Flickr

1027 Yonge 32 by Michael Muraz, on Flickr

[WhipperSnapper]

The traffic just kills me.

[905er]

I just love eating outdoors next to the exhaust fumes and traffic lol.

what is that last low rise building? I absolutely love it!

[zoomer]

The One (1 Bloor West) construction progress, as of June 14, 2024 by Jeremy Gilbert, on Flickr

I love this part of Yonge. The full length up to Bloor is interesting and pedestrian packed. The main draw backs are as mentioned the amount of car traffic and the narrow sidewalks. I think Yonge has enough super tall high rises though, that could kill the vibe, keep those to other streets with less character, but we know that’s not going to happen.

I think like any city if you’ve lived long enough in it you see the warts and the frustrations build. To an outsider though like myself when I visited in May, I loved the city and Yonge street in particular. Sure throughout the core there were many parks that were overgrown, or partially fenced off, the roads and sidewalks are worn and crumbling under the weight of humanity and vehicles, graffiti is everywhere, but those things didn’t bother me at all for some reason. Perhaps because I was on holiday mode. Also because when I travel I’m not looking for the same thing I left, nor do I expect it.

Toronto has very little in terms of physical natural beauty at all, and maybe over time that would get to me, but I still found as a whole it was a fantastic visual treat in its own human built way. The gardens/landscaping seemed non-existent or very basic even in some of the posh neighbourhoods (at least compared to what I’m used to in Victoria) but those streets were still beautiful and had nice trees.

As for the previous comments that Montreal and Vancouver have the best skyline and downtown core to explore - sorry, coming from a BC guy even, you have to put Toronto in the top 2 here with Montreal. And I love Vancouver, there is no comparison during the summer months especially when you have the beaches, mountains and Stanley Park thrown into the mix. But having just having visited Vancouver a couple of days ago I was struck my how quiet it was downtown, especially Robson street. A number of empty shops and some in not so prime condition for a high street. It felt like Toronto was exploding with new high rises and construction, but downtown Vancouver seems unusually quiet right now. Again, it might be my familiarity with Vancouver and having explored most of the nooks and crannies of downtown that I’m under appreciating a city I also love.

[LikesBikes]

Originally Posted by zoomer

The One (1 Bloor West) construction progress, as of June 14, 2024 by Jeremy Gilbert, on Flickr

I love this part of Yonge. The full length up to Bloor is interesting and pedestrian packed. The main draw backs are as mentioned the amount of car traffic and the narrow sidewalks. I think Yonge has enough super tall high rises though, that could kill the vibe, keep those to other streets with less character, but we know that’s not going to happen.

I think like any city if you’ve lived long enough in it you see the warts and the frustrations build. To an outsider though like myself when I visited in May, I loved the city and Yonge street in particular. Sure throughout the core there were many parks that were overgrown, or partially fenced off, the roads and sidewalks are worn and crumbling under the weight of humanity and vehicles, graffiti is everywhere, but those things didn’t bother me at all for some reason. Perhaps because I was on holiday mode. Also because when I travel I’m not looking for the same thing I left, nor do I expect it.

Agreed. I was in downtown Toronto in February and absolutely loved walking down Yonge even if it was kind of dirty, chaotic and not the kind of place I could really see myself living in. The high number of pedestrians and interesting shops and restaurants just make it an interesting experience that is unlike any other street in Canada IMO. It's not beautiful in an architecture or urban design kind of way but it's got a lived in NYC-esque mix of diversity, energy and grit.

[biguc]

How are the plans going to expand and improve the sidewalks on Yonge?

[WhipperSnapper]

I don't think it's funded which means the plans aren't going anywhere. Housing is the word of the day.

[CryingAutumn]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Sheesh... those Kitchener snout houses are one of the things I find the most frustrating about discussions around housing and zoning. People often talk about the debate between either making housing efficient or making it enjoyable and attractive. But the overwhelming trend in NA is that contemporary single family housing is both less efficient and less attractive than legacy urban housing. Urban streets like the one below are both more efficient and more beautiful / interesting. They look lived in and weathered giving a real sense of place. Plus, they integrate well with the surrounding city with highrise and midrise multi-unit a short walk away with more planned. And that attractiveness isn't in spite of having city stuff nearby, it's in part because of it. Feeling like you're tucked into a quiet charming nook ior side street n the midst of a busy interesting setting feels amazing while being in an expanse of dullness feels like being nowhere. Similar to how being in a cool shady spot on a hot summer day feels amazing while being in a cool shady spot in the middle of winter just doesn't.

And while part of the older homes being more attractive may be their age, the majority is that the front yard isn't dominated by garage doors with the human entrance being tucked off to the side. Plus they aren't set back so far from the street with driveways occupying most of the landscape out front with the rest being boring turf. And the kind of place where those snout houses are located (or other suburban areas that I've experienced) just seem isolated due to their distance from things combined with the circuitous street layout that makes things harder than necessary to get to relative to their actual distance.

This is the housing that we're missing! Historic areas like these are some of my favourite areas to be in. People focused and full of life! Very pleasant without garages out in the front, large manicured lawns and large distances between everything like out in modern day suburbia.

[CryingAutumn]

Originally Posted by LikesBikes

Agreed. I was in downtown Toronto in February and absolutely loved walking down Yonge even if it was kind of dirty, chaotic and not the kind of place I could really see myself living in. The high number of pedestrians and interesting shops and restaurants just make it an interesting experience that is unlike any other street in Canada IMO. It's not beautiful in an architecture or urban design kind of way but it's got a lived in NYC-esque mix of diversity, energy and grit.

Cities are my favourite places to be, especially ones human scaled and full of life. So chaotic it's almost calming in a way. Feel a lot more motivated in the city than in suburbia.

[Calgarian]

Is Calgary just completely dead on this forum now?

[harls]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

Is Calgary just completely dead on this forum now?

No.

Post some shots!

[WhipperSnapper]

https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=105667286

9 high rises under construction and 4 of those are basically done. Chad knows nobody here will be envious about 5 over 1s.

[GeneralLeeTPHLS]

Originally Posted by biguc

How are the plans going to expand and improve the sidewalks on Yonge?

Yeah, it's been in limbo (aka dead) for a very long time. Honestly, I was shocked the city got bike lanes installed a few years ago from Bloor to Davisville.

That being said, the city is redoing Bloor right now along the central corridor, and bike lanes are being added, which again is surprising to me.