Quote:
Originally Posted by alps
I'm not bothered by the blank wall. Besides, something will likely be built to cover it up once that bunker-like building on the same block is redeveloped.
I don't like the artificiality of requiring false facades...it's a city, not Disneyland. False facades are usually not very convincing. And it's wasteful if the facade is liable to be covered up in the future anyway. We don't need more regulation mandating arbitrary setbacks from the property line. The preference for "point towers" over squatter buildings that meet the property line is also a matter of personal preference.
In Japanese cities, many people would consider individual buildings very often basically "ugly". But the cities are highly liveable as a result of dense, walkable urban design with active streetscapes, human scale at ground level, high quality public realm, good public transit, etc. And the cities are beautiful and distinctive when viewed as a whole. So I feel we should definitely encourage good urban design through planning regulations (i.e. mandating continuous, active street frontages), but I feel we shouldn't be too prescriptive when it comes to purely aesthetic matters.
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Not sure how a wall with false windows is Disneyland like. A wall with no windows (especially one with tin siding) vs a wall with windows would lose the beauty contest every time. Development for development sake is not a good planning model. Building design / appearance is subjective and will always stir debate about modern vs traditional etc. Blank walls are in a separate category as very few people would find them a welcome addition to a cityscape. The original Midtown Tavern hotel proposal had a 17 storey blank wall facing the mouth of the harbour. The building was designed to the property line which happened to be a parking lot. If the building had been built those who approved would likely have to wait a long time for a 17 fl. building to be built beside it to cover up a planning mistake.
Are the windows in this building Disneylandish?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leinster_Gardens
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