Quote:
Originally Posted by dleung
Whether it's mid-rise or high-rise, I'd never live in a building with less than 200 units. You get better amenities and more owners to share risks with. I'm on an 8th floor podium/terrace unit in Toronto and a 30th floor unit in Vancouver, and definitely prefer the former over any ground-oriented unit or SFH no matter where it is (large west-vancouver mansions excepted). Low-rise, if not somewhere unwalkable, means living in constant shadow of other buildings or with neighbours staring straight into your windows.
Also 1 FSR is only good for gentle densification of unwalkable areas, but is not nearly enough to justify transit expansions. I like to live near the subway, so 2.5 FSR should be the minimum density for living within walking distance.
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Different strokes for different folks I guess, but I hated the 2 years I lived on the 15th floor of a ~300 unit tower. Experientially generic, too isolating, too disconnected from the street, and too one-dimensional with its typical single-directional view - vertical suburbia, basically. Though there are certainly better towers out there.
Everywhere else I've lived since in both Toronto & Vancouver have been like one these - either ground-oriented apartments in heritage duplex/triplexes or low-rise walkups. Not lacking in density; and no shadows, lack of privacy, or lack of access to higher-order transit to speak of. With much better access to the outdoors, more greenery, more interesting urbanity, typically better & more complex floorplans, and a better sense of community to top it off.
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