The Great Canadian Skyline Thread!

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

Perhaps but I doubt it would be such a reoccurring hot topic.

What if the population differential were shifted and Canada has a 9 times greater population than the US?

[DZH22]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

I wonder how many American's have continuous conversations about which Canadian city theirs look like. LOL.

Most of these comparisons seem to be people from Toronto comparing their city to New York. I'm at least trying to make reasonable comparisons. Boston and Montreal are two peas from the same pod. Toronto is like Chicago's little brother that may one day (in the semi-near future) grow larger than its big brother.

I attempted to expand on an ongoing conversation and added pictures to a skyline picture thread. The Americans that would talk about Canada are Northern Americans like myself. Boston to Montreal is a nice trip for a long weekend. Northern US cities are comparable enough to Canadian cities, so I don't see what the problem is.

[TorontoDrew]

Taken by: Anna
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cominupshort/

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by DZH22

Most of these comparisons seem to be people from Toronto comparing their city to New York.

Actually going back the past several pages that is not the case at all.

Originally Posted by DZH22

I attempted to expand on an ongoing conversation and added pictures to a skyline picture thread. The Americans that would talk about Canada are Northern Americans like myself. Boston to Montreal is a nice trip for a long weekend. Northern US cities are comparable enough to Canadian cities, so I don't see what the problem is.

Relax, where did I say there was anything wrong with it. I was just making a comment about how often this happens. Also I agree Montreal does share a few similarities with Boston in terms of scale and history, they both have very different built forms though as you images prove.

I forget who said it now a few pages prior to this one. People need to get thicker skins.

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

What if the population differential were shifted and Canada has a 9 times greater population than the US?

Then for sure .

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by DZH22

Most of these comparisons seem to be people from Toronto comparing their city to New York. I'm at least trying to make reasonable comparisons. Boston and Montreal are two peas from the same pod. Toronto is like Chicago's little brother that may one day (in the semi-near future) grow larger than its big brother.

I attempted to expand on an ongoing conversation and added pictures to a skyline picture thread. The Americans that would talk about Canada are Northern Americans like myself. Boston to Montreal is a nice trip for a long weekend. Northern US cities are comparable enough to Canadian cities, so I don't see what the problem is.

Toronto has much more in common with New York than Chicago. The problem is people can seem to get passed the physical size difference or vernacular of the two cities. I really don't find much Toronto has in common with Chicago. Population density may be it. The built form is vastly different. Toronto has more like New York in that regard. Chicago is a regional business centre. Toronto is the financial centre of a country. It's just a different feeling/ attitude as the region has more worldwide significance than probably Canada.

[hipster duck]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Toronto has much more in common with New York than Chicago. The problem is people can seem to get passed the physical size difference or vernacular of the two cities. I really don't find much Toronto has in common with Chicago. Population density may be it. The built form is vastly different. Toronto has more like New York in that regard. Chicago is a regional business centre. Toronto is the financial centre of a country. It's just a different feeling/ attitude as the region has more worldwide significance than probably Canada.

If anything, I think that Toronto's built form is even more underwhelming than Chicago's. It might be less dense owing to the fact that Chicago is a bit more depopulated and Toronto has more postwar apartment towers, but you don't have to go very far from King and Bay to get into residential areas of semi-detached homes with yards. In New York, you have to travel 10 miles out on the subway to extreme southern Brooklyn or eastern Queens to get neighbourhoods that are built the same way as, say, Gerrard and Sherbourne.

Millions of New Yorkers live in prewar tenement buildings that are 5-6 storeys tall and come right up to the sidewalk. The number of Torontonians who live in similar building types is approximately zero.

[le calmar]

I think that Toronto and New York have a very different feel. I am talking urban form here, but I get what you mean with Toronto being different as Canada's largest city. New York is old, like a much larger version of Boston or Montreal, with cramped old neighbourhoods, rowhouses and old buildings, whereas Toronto definitely looks and feel more modern.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Toronto has much more in common with New York than Chicago. The problem is people can seem to get passed the physical size difference or vernacular of the two cities. I really don't find much Toronto has in common with Chicago. Population density may be it. The built form is vastly different. Toronto has more like New York in that regard. Chicago is a regional business centre. Toronto is the financial centre of a country. It's just a different feeling/ attitude as the region has more worldwide significance than probably Canada.

I kind of see some of your points, but in terms of urban form, Toronto has bay and gable houses just blocks away from its CBD skyscraper cluster... You really don't have that much anywhere on Manhattan Island, much less a few blocks away from Midtown or Lower Manhattan.

[Acajack]

There is a certain prestige that comes with being the biggest city in a G8 country like Toronto is, but there is also a "heft" that you get simply for being a major city in the United States of America. Even if you are "only" in third place. This premium for being in the U.S. is difficult for Canadian cities to overcome, even the larger ones like Toronto.

It would be interesting to know which city between Chicago and Toronto generally has more renown around the world.

[rousseau]

Toronto's skyline seems to have a passing resemblance to Chicago's from only certain angles.

Otherwise, Toronto is very different from both New York and Chicago in terms of built form, culture, vibe, history and everything else. The end.

[softee]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

If anything, I think that Toronto's built form is even more underwhelming than Chicago's. It might be less dense owing to the fact that Chicago is a bit more depopulated and Toronto has more postwar apartment towers, but you don't have to go very far from King and Bay to get into residential areas of semi-detached homes with yards. In New York, you have to travel 10 miles out on the subway to extreme southern Brooklyn or eastern Queens to get neighbourhoods that are built the same way as, say, Gerrard and Sherbourne.

You don't have to go that far out to find neighbourhoods of semi-detached or even single family homes on tree lined streets in NYC, they can be found within five miles from Manhattan in parts of Queens.

[caltrane74]

Toronto is an accidental city on its own journey, it was never meant to be the biggest city in the country. Its urban form reflects this as well, that's why its not easy to compare to Chicago or New York. In raw numbers its an almost perfect match for Chicago though.

[caltrane74]

Originally Posted by softee

You don't have to go that far out to find neighbourhoods of semi-detached or even single family homes on tree lined streets in NYC, they can be found within five miles from Manhattan in parts of Queens.

Lots of semi-detached homes in Brooklyn too!

Manhattan is only a couple of miles wide, gotta get over yourselves.

[wg_flamip]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I kind of see some of your points, but in terms of urban form, Toronto has bay and gable houses just blocks away from its CBD skyscraper cluster... You really don't have that much anywhere on Manhattan Island, much less a few blocks away from Midtown or Lower Manhattan.

I once heard Toronto described as "a slice of Manhattan surrounded by Queens surrounded by LA." These comparisons are always going to be pretty superficial though; American and Canadian cities never really match up perfectly. We have different histories, different cultural influences and our economies boomed at different times. Any comparison, especially of pre-war built form, compares "outpost of empire" with "city on a hill."

[yaletown_fella]

Toronto (metro) is like Philly surrounded by Queens with pockets of Moscow and Century City.

[wg_flamip]

Originally Posted by yaletown_fella

Toronto (metro) is like Philly surrounded by Queens with pockets of Moscow and Century City.

Perhaps with a few post-war British council estates scattered about as well?

[yaletown_fella]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

If anything, I think that Toronto's built form is even more underwhelming than Chicago's. It might be less dense owing to the fact that Chicago is a bit more depopulated and Toronto has more postwar apartment towers, but you don't have to go very far from King and Bay to get into residential areas of semi-detached homes with yards. In New York, you have to travel 10 miles out on the subway to extreme southern Brooklyn or eastern Queens to get neighbourhoods that are built the same way as, say, Gerrard and Sherbourne.

Millions of New Yorkers live in prewar tenement buildings that are 5-6 storeys tall and come right up to the sidewalk. The number of Torontonians who live in similar building types is approximately zero.

Toronto's built form is underwhelming in the same way LA's built form is underwhelming. Toronto and LA are both cities of impressive neighborhoods and former boroughs: NYCC - Century City, St Andrews/Windfields -Beverly Hills, CBD - CBD, Hollywood - Yorkville, East Los Angeles - Dufferin/Caledonia Road, Main/Gerrard - Bunker Hill

From a proud Torontonian's perspective, Toronto's downtown is underwhelming even by Canadian standards (save for the densification and new condo development) Union station redevelopment is a step in the right direction of promoting a Chicago-quality public realm.

Toronto is NOT a centralized city. It's truly a city of neighborhoods and dosent get the recognition it deserves for this. A lot of people from outside the city (mostly other Canadians) cant see past its wall of crappy spandrel condos on the waterfront. But if they havent spent time traveling throughout the city, I dont blame them for this misconception.

[Chadillaccc]

http://www.stockaerialphotos.com/media/c...rev=8a66a9b0-b16d-47af-821e-b82c1a29135a

[lio45]

Originally Posted by DZH22

Most of these comparisons seem to be people from Toronto comparing their city to New York. I'm at least trying to make reasonable comparisons. Boston and Montreal are two peas from the same pod. Toronto is like Chicago's little brother that may one day (in the semi-near future) grow larger than its big brother.

I attempted to expand on an ongoing conversation and added pictures to a skyline picture thread. The Americans that would talk about Canada are Northern Americans like myself. Boston to Montreal is a nice trip for a long weekend. Northern US cities are comparable enough to Canadian cities, so I don't see what the problem is.

I'm amazed at your sixth sense... I decide to (very unpredictably) post a Boston pic to tease hipster duck, and you show up in the thread shortly afterwards