Canadian Urban Canyons - Page 88

Denscity · #**1741** Posted **Apr 28, 2023, 8:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Vancouver's in a league of its own, with Toronto being the only city that surpasses it.

Ottawa will never have anything as impressive as Vancouver's Downtown Peninsula, not even when LeBreton Flats is built out.

Oh for sure there's a height limit in Vancouver so would be second or third to Toronto.

905er · #**1742** Posted **Apr 29, 2023, 1:04 AM**

thanks for specifying that earlier post was Waterloo. Almost had it mistaken for Pyongyang.

MolsonExport · #**1743** Posted **Apr 29, 2023, 2:44 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by cranes

Waterloo - King Street between Central & Columbia

• Video Link

I'm getting some shacks-by-the-stacks vibes.
It is great to see KW growing up. Alas, I see but a single pedestrian on the streets in those canyon shots.

GeneralLeeTPHLS · #**1744** Posted **Apr 29, 2023, 2:49 AM**

Wow, I see the best candidate for a Simcity mockup in real life in Canada.
It blows my mind how recent it was to see subdivisions here.

Rico Rommheim · #**1745** Posted **May 1, 2023, 4:50 PM**

[/QUOTE]

Awesome shot!

phone · #**1746** Posted **May 1, 2023, 5:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denscity

Oh for sure there's a height limit in Vancouver so would be second or third to Toronto.

Are you saying that were it not for the height limit, Vancouver's skyline would be superior to Toronto's?

MolsonExport · #**1747** Posted **May 1, 2023, 6:15 PM**

Love Vancouver, but the skyline ranks maybe fourth in Canada, after Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary (some, perhaps many would switch the order of Calgary and Montreal, which is fine, but I love Montreal's classic 1960s skyscrapers and the layers of older (1920s-30s) skyscrapers juxtaposed with the newer towers).

Toronto's is of course, numero uno.

AuxTown · #**1748** Posted **May 1, 2023, 6:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Love Vancouver, but the skyline ranks maybe fourth in Canada, after Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary (some, perhaps many would switch the order of Calgary and Montreal, which is fine, but I love Montreal's classic 1960s skyscrapers and the layers of older (1920s-30s) skyscrapers juxtaposed with the newer towers).

Toronto's is of course, numero uno.

No way, Vancouver has Calgary beat 8 days a week IMO!

So much more depth and density. Calgary's got a couple cool signature towers but Vancouver has some beautiful architecture in the last few years. Bow just doesn't do it for me either

Also, anyone who even ponders a switch between Calgary and Montreal needs to get their eyes checked. A cluster of late 90's early 00's modern styled towers will never compare to the 60+ years of skyscraping beauty that MTL has to offer.

Nouvellecosse · #**1749** Posted **May 1, 2023, 6:28 PM**

I'm 100% with Molson on this one. The only way Vancouver looks like it has more layers and depth to me is from aerial shots which I consider a separate issue from skyline. But I agree Vancouver does look cooler from aerials.

giallo · #**1750** Posted **May 1, 2023, 7:30 PM**

I love skyline opinions. Everyone's is a bit different.

For me, Toronto is the clear #1, of course, but #2 is Calgary for me. I just like its shape and massing.

#3 was Vancouver, but Montreal's new skyline has really grown on me, so I'd probably put it ahead of Vancouver's right now.

So yeah, my #4 is also Vancouver, but with the way all of our cities are growing, it could be a totally different list in a few years.

Anyway, glad you guys like the Vancouver aerial.

MonkeyRonin · #**1751** Posted **May 1, 2023, 7:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

I'm 100% with Molson on this one. The only way Vancouver looks like it has more layers and depth to me is from aerial shots which I consider a separate issue from skyline. But I agree Vancouver does look cooler from aerials.

Vancouver actually has a pretty impressive stock of pre-war towers given its age & size, which Calgary...doesn't. Plus the bridges & port facilities. So objectively, it does have more layering & depth in terms of built heritage & variety. It's also got more dense mid-rise development surrounding the skyline, higher-profile contemporary towers, and is a larger/denser collection of buildings. It's shorter though, of course.

Still, Vancouver is an easy #2 for me. Aside from the above reasons, it's also just very photogenic. Whoever thought to plunk a skyline onto that peninsula there sure was on to something.

Nouvellecosse · #**1752** Posted **May 1, 2023, 8:06 PM**

To be clear, my comment about Vancouver's layers wasn't about what does or doesn't exist; it was just about what is or isn't visible in most skyline shots.

J.OT13 · #**1753** Posted **May 1, 2023, 8:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Vancouver actually has a pretty impressive stock of pre-war towers given its age & size, which Calgary...doesn't. Plus the bridges & port facilities. So objectively, it does have more layering & depth in terms of built heritage & variety. It's also got more dense mid-rise development surrounding the skyline, higher-profile contemporary towers, and is a larger/denser collection of buildings. It's shorter though, of course.

Still, Vancouver is an easy #2 for me. Aside from the above reasons, it's also just very photogenic. Whoever thought to plunk a skyline onto that peninsula there sure was on to something.

Very little of that pre-war stock in visible in Vancouver's skyline.

I would rank them Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary. Edmonton is catching up with Calgary.

Canyons, I'd say Toronto, Vancouver, maybe Calgary, Ottawa. Montreal has a lot of space between towers, canyons are broken by parks and plazas.

MolsonExport · #**1754** Posted **May 1, 2023, 8:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Very little of that pre-war stock in visible in Vancouver's skyline.

I would rank them Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary. Edmonton is catching up with Calgary.

Canyons, I'd say Toronto, Vancouver, maybe Calgary, Ottawa. Montreal has a lot of space between towers, canyons are broken by parks and plazas.

Montreal has one of the most bad-assed canyons in the country on Rene-Levesque. Another great one is along McGill College.

TorontoDrew · #**1755** Posted **May 1, 2023, 8:53 PM**

Entry to the North side of the lower Yonge Street canyon.

Yonge Street by Jack Landau, on Flickr

TD by Jack Landau, on Flickr

J.OT13 · #**1756** Posted **May 1, 2023, 8:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Montreal has one of the most bad-assed canyons in the country on Rene-Levesque. Another great one is along McGill College.

Certainly, they have a few impressive ones, but it's not wall to wall across the entire CBD like other cities. In Ottawa, it's the shear uniformity across 6x5 blocks (soon 7x5).

logan5 · #**1757** Posted **May 1, 2023, 9:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by phone

Are you saying that were it not for the height limit, Vancouver's skyline would be superior to Toronto's?

Height wise, it would at least be on par. The real estate market has been very lucrative in downtown Vancouver for high end condos, so there would easily be many 900' to 1000' plus residential towers in dt Vancouver if not for the very restrictive height restrictions.

Toronto's downtown tower cluster is larger than that of Vancouver's downtown peninsula, but the Broadway Corridor will build up in the next 20 years at the same rate that Vancouver's downtown peninsula grew between 1990 and 2010. When the Broadway Corridor fills out, it will be hard to distinguish much difference between Toronto and Vancouver.

There is some hope for taller buildings as well, based on what the new mayor said when he was elected - the tallest buildings in Metro Vancouver belong in Downtown Vancouver. He indicated he is willing to break through height restrictions, so we will likely see some 900' plus towers in the near future (based on what is being built in Burnaby).

MonkeyRonin · #**1758** Posted **May 2, 2023, 12:34 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

To be clear, my comment about Vancouver's layers wasn't about what does or doesn't exist; it was just about what is or isn't visible in most skyline shots.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Very little of that pre-war stock in visible in Vancouver's skyline.

Depends on the angle, of course. The False Creek view, no; but the view from the east gives a better view of some of the older towers on the eastern end of downtown.

https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/2...reet-vancouver

There's also the West End view, with its layers of 50s & 60s towers & mid-rises. Toronto & Montreal are the only other Canadian cities that have this level of built diversity in their high-rises.

https://www.alamy.it/foto-immagine-i...-75839773.html

MonkeyRonin · #**1759** Posted **May 2, 2023, 12:36 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by logan5

Toronto's downtown tower cluster is larger than that of Vancouver's downtown peninsula, but the Broadway Corridor will build up in the next 20 years at the same rate that Vancouver's downtown peninsula grew between 1990 and 2010. When the Broadway Corridor fills out, it will be hard to distinguish much difference between Toronto and Vancouver.

Again you're comparing future Vancouver to present-day Toronto (or Montreal, etc). It's not as if Toronto's skyline is going to be growing any slower than Vancouver's for the foreseeable future.

LeftCoaster · #**1760** Posted **May 2, 2023, 12:40 AM**

It's going to be growing much faster really.

So much of Vancouver's growth is focused outside of the downtown peninsula.