Quality of Canadian urbanism

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by giallo

Indeed. And I'd say for worse.

Outside of added density and some nice greenery, everything else in that photo makes me depressed.

The noteworthy takeaway is what a diamond in the rough these places are. It's an ideal foundation upon which to intensify. There are a few buildings one can restore/repurpose (those old school buildings) to maintain architectural diversity. The road widths lend itself well to pedestrianization, landscaping, and re-paving. They're not those impossibly wide boulevards we see in car dependent suburbia. Most Canadian cities now have decent urban planning policies in place and are now on the right path.

I suspect these quintessentially Canadian places will look amazing in 15-20 years. All the ingredients are there. We just need to insist on good quality and be patient. It's not places like peninsula Halifax I'm worried about. It's cities like Sudbury that desperately need investment and intensification but neither is likely.