Transit oriented development in Canada

[Chadillaccc]

I have heard Oregon is fantastic. Portland and Seattle are my two top future US destinations, though, due to pressure from friends, Vegas will probably be my first US destination.

[SpongeG]

portland is awesome if i could move to oregon i would in a heartbeat

i don't see how vancouver's TOD is any better or worse than what they are doing in portland - scott road, 22nd, renfrew, 29th ave, nanaimo, etc etc stations are all unpedestrian friendly at this rate of what you guts expect from TOD

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

portland is awesome if i could move to oregon i would in a heartbeat

i don't see how vancouver's TOD is any better or worse than what they are doing in portland - scott road, 22nd, renfrew, 29th ave, nanaimo, etc etc stations are all unpedestrian friendly at this rate of what you guts expect from TOD

There is far more TOD occurring n Metro Vancouver than there is in Metro Portland, there is no match to the scale.

Of course every single station along a 3 line system is not gong to be a great example for TOD.

No one ever claimed that!

[vanman]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

portland is awesome if i could move to oregon i would in a heartbeat

i don't see how vancouver's TOD is any better or worse than what they are doing in portland - scott road, 22nd, renfrew, 29th ave, nanaimo, etc etc stations are all unpedestrian friendly at this rate of what you guts expect from TOD

There has been virtually no TOD built around those stations unfortunately, I don't know why you would bring them up. Stations like Joyce, Edmonds, Gilmore, Holdom, Brentwood, Gateway, King George, Patterson etc are examples of good TOD.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by vanman

There has been virtually no TOD built around those stations unfortunately, I don't know why you would bring them up. Stations like Joyce, Edmonds, Gilmore, Holdom, Brentwood, Gateway, King George, Patterson etc are examples of good TOD.

because someone brought up stations in portland that have no TOD

we all know about the TOD in vancouver

[Chadillaccc]

and I'd imagine that Portland is the US's model TOD city considering I've never heard of a real TOD anywhere else in the states.

I agreed with his point at first, but upon seeing the examples shown, I would assert that Canada's TOD are better, because they are the exact same, only Canada's have much higher density.

[MolsonExport]

there is absolutely no transit-oriented development in London, Ontario. Nothing. Here, we like to build shops with their back-end facing the street, so that parking lots enjoy the better view. London is quite possibly the most auto-centric of the big dozen cities in Canada.


Seattle's mass transit is terrible (maybe it has improved since my trips in the mid-late nineties). There was an underground busline with 8 stops, and a rump of a monorail (leftover from the world fair).

[vanman]

Massive proposal for Surrey's King George station.

Originally Posted by jhausner

http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1091...revitalization





Image sources from newswire.ca.

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

1. 300,000sf is slated to be retail, with 500,000sf as commercial, which is quite a lot.
2. 180,000 should anchor 300,000 SF of office, making the office space a go
3. 1,700 is supposed to be spread over 3 towers. This is huge. An average residential tower is about an 8,000sf floorplate. Assuming a 80% sellable efficency this allows for 6,400 sf of sellable per floor. With an average unit size of 700 SF (arbitrarily chosen) that allows for about 9 units per floor, or a total of 186 floors. Over 3 towers this allows for 3 62 floor towers or one very tall tower with a two taller towers next to it as it appears in the rendering.

[memememe76]

I kinda hate Seattle's transit system. I don't understand it at all. I don't get why I can't use my light rail pass when I want to take a bus. I don't get why they don't have an all-day bus pass. I don't get why I pay when I *leave* the bus. Also, their light rail stations are basically in the middle of nowhere. I don't get it.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by memememe76

I kinda hate Seattle's transit system. I don't understand it at all. I don't get why I can't use my light rail pass when I want to take a bus. I don't get why they don't have an all-day bus pass. I don't get why I pay when I *leave* the bus. Also, their light rail stations are basically in the middle of nowhere. I don't get it.

because they don't have one transit system they have multiple systems with different authorities - same with san francisco they have busses that serve marin county for instance that run through san francisco city itself but aren't part of that city, the bart system is separate from the muni system etc etc.

we are pretty lucky in vancouver where translink covers everything from busses to seabus and skytrain

[Chadillaccc]

Actually in the render it shows 4 towers, once shorter one just nubbing up right behind Coast Capital building.


It's funny that SpongeG brough up only the worst of the worst stations in the Skytrain system as examples of how bad Vancouver's pedestrian friendliness is, and brings up only Portlands one good TOD as an example of why US TODs are better. So, 5 stations out of 47 make the Metro Vancouver TOD network a right off? You do know all of those stations except Scott Road are in established neighbourhoods that wouldn't be demolished without a fight... right? Where Metro Vancouver builds TODs are in derelict lots (hence the new proposal in Edmonds to take out the VV and Pawn Shop), and businesses like grocery and department stores, not established neighborhoods, not often at least.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

Actually in the render it shows 4 towers, once shorter one just nubbing up right behind Coast Capital building.


It's funny that SpongeG brough up only the worst of the worst stations in the Skytrain system as examples of how bad Vancouver's pedestrian friendliness is, and brings up only Portlands one good TOD as an example of why US TODs are better. So, 5 stations out of 47 make the Metro Vancouver TOD network a right off? You do know all of those stations except Scott Road are in established neighbourhoods that wouldn't be demolished without a fight... right? Where Metro Vancouver builds TODs are in derelict lots (hence the new proposal in Edmonds to take out the VV and Pawn Shop), and businesses like grocery and department stores, not established neighborhoods, not often at least.

once again that wasn't my point - the other person brought up portland's lack of TOD i happen to think portlands system and TOD developing is great - it is much younger than Vancouver's and it only goes to point out the difference in lifestyles between canadians and americans

vancouver is not perfect but its a lot better and has been doing it a lot longer than most cities in Canada and America, most cities in the states are only a decade into developing transit options that encourage people to leave their cars behind

[SpongeG]

well not everyone is a white colour employee working in an office tower downtown, maybe in your circle of friends, but i am working class and most people i know are and work in light industry, medical or the service industry and those kinds of businesses are not situated downtown, they are on the outskirts of towns that are underserved by transit

vancouver has lost a lot of businesses to the suburbs who have the type of land they need and thats why there is such a large reverse commute here, people actually need to leave the city to get to work

of course its nice that vancouver has become what it has but it has lost a lot of tax base becaus eit can no longer cater to a lot of businesses and industries cause it lost all that land and the suburbs/surrounding cities have been more than happy to house them

a lot of shiny happy condos only makes the city more of a resort city than a working city

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

well not everyone is a white colour employee working in an office tower downtown, maybe in your circle of friends, but i am working class and most people i know are and work in light industry, medical or the service industry and those kinds of businesses are not situated downtown, they are on the outskirts of towns that are underserved by transit

vancouver has lost a lot of businesses to the suburbs who have the type of land they need and thats why there is such a large reverse commute here, people actually need to leave the city to get to work

of course its nice that vancouver has become what it has but it has lost a lot of tax base becaus eit can no longer cater to a lot of businesses and industries cause it lost all that land and the suburbs/surrounding cities have been more than happy to house them


a lot of shiny happy condos only makes the city more of a resort city than a working city

I dont think i want light industry downtown unless that includes software development? Theres tons of service jobs downtown and doesnt st pauls and vancouver general near Broadway provide thousands of jobs as far as medical goes?

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by Denscity

I dont think i want light industry downtown unless that includes software development? Theres tons of service jobs downtown and doesnt st pauls and vancouver general near Broadway provide thousands of jobs as far as medical goes?

i never said downtown, but vancouver really has nothing left as far as industrial goes, they changed the flats in the late 90's and its slowly picking up but car dealerships? really?

a lot of business fled to surrey or neighbouring cities and in doing so have created a need for car commutes which is kind of funny when vancouver pushes tranist usage

anyway TOD extends beyond condos and residential doesn't it?

[vanman]

Crane is up for phase I of Solo District.

Originally Posted by Laniatus

Two renderings that haven't been posted yet.



http://www.solodistrict.com/index.html

[vanman]

Vaughan Metropolitan Centre

Originally Posted by Brandon716

This is where a lot of Toronto's highrise growth will come from, there's a new town centre that has me particularly interested. Vaughan Metropolitan Centre is a new downtown being developed (and they are finishing up a new TTC subway extension there to anchor it) and will add likely a hundred highrises in the coming two decades (if not more in its surrounding area).

• Video Link

^None of what is in that video currently exists, except for the subway they are completing.

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

well not everyone is a white colour employee working in an office tower downtown, maybe in your circle of friends, but i am working class and most people i know are and work in light industry, medical or the service industry and those kinds of businesses are not situated downtown, they are on the outskirts of towns that are underserved by transit

vancouver has lost a lot of businesses to the suburbs who have the type of land they need and thats why there is such a large reverse commute here, people actually need to leave the city to get to work

of course its nice that vancouver has become what it has but it has lost a lot of tax base becaus eit can no longer cater to a lot of businesses and industries cause it lost all that land and the suburbs/surrounding cities have been more than happy to house them

a lot of shiny happy condos only makes the city more of a resort city than a working city

Originally Posted by SpongeG

i never said downtown, but vancouver really has nothing left as far as industrial goes, they changed the flats in the late 90's and its slowly picking up but car dealerships? really?

a lot of business fled to surrey or neighbouring cities and in doing so have created a need for car commutes which is kind of funny when vancouver pushes tranist usage

anyway TOD extends beyond condos and residential doesn't it?

Oh yes you most indeed did mention downtown. Twice.

[SpongeG]

anyway - solo will look good and the area is going to be a lot in a few years

[memememe76]

I'm confused. I thought TOD in the US consisted of "Low rise apts, high density housing, townhomes all centred around a very pleasant walkable communtiy with small shops, cafes, restaurants, and community amenities". Not industry.

If Vancouver is becoming a "resort city", why would that be alienating and unwalkable? How is that functional?

And if you work in the medical industry, I don't see why Skytrain isn't serving your needs. King George Stn, Burrard Stn, City Hall (or whatever it's called) Stn, Brighouse Stn and Sapperton Stn are near major hospitals.