The Great Canadian Cities that are never talked about on SSP thread

[urbandreamer]

Is Stratford talked about much here? I was in Stratford's Festival Marketplace "mall" for the first time yesterday: had fun shopping at Hart - didn't realize they've got 121 locations across Eastern Canada! Anyway the store reminded me of a mix between Army & Navy, Honest Ed's and BiWay; or a disorganized Giant Tiger without the groceries. I bought several $8 plaid shirts to fit in with the locals better. (Come to Stratford on winter weekdays and you realize how similar Woodstock is to Stratford - very blue collar. Downtown I saw drunken old men standing outside of bars smoking, shop girls on smoke breaks - never see so many smokers in Toronto anymore.)

I get to London about once every six weeks. Last time I was there (mid October), I was focused on car shopping - test drove a bunch of cheap hatchbacks - so didn't stop to take any construction photos. I enjoyed Masonville Place - it's a mix of Vaughan Mills and Yorkdale - nice. (As a construction update nerd, this obsession is very hard to give up. Now that I've been enjoying driving so much, it's taking a back seat to the car. I rarely have someone onboard who is willing to take photos - they think I'm a weirdo ha. I've thought about getting a dash cam to get updates.) Many of the construction sites are ugly precast towers in the suburbs - north London/Arva, Wonderland Road area, Oxford St etc. There's hundreds and perhaps thousands of beige and grey SFH and TH in development.

My impression of Sarnia: sort of like a southern version of Owen Sound: great beach nearby, great view of industrial marine activity, rather downtrodden core with some signs of life. I would move to either place if I had a girlfriend and job there. I've been meaning to get to Brantford for a big nerdy construction update - but so far have gotten frustrated by traffic, distracted by other sites like Paris and Ayr.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by Arrdeeharharharbour

I check out the London page every once in a while. I lived in London for a number of years...through the 90's and maintain an interest in the city. But, it seems no body in London has a camera or is willing to post a pic. Pictures do make a difference adding considerably to the discussions.

I post the odd construction photos, but not as many as I'd like, mainly because it's annoying to have to upload to flickr or whatever first (whereas Facebook is so easy lol). I'm an LTL delivery driver so I'm around town a lot, anything you want to see?

[Blitz]

I live in downtown London and have posted photos within the London subforum but yeah, it could use some more exposure on the national threads. There are currently three towers under construction downtown (each at least 30 stories).

[MolsonExport]

yes, London is currently experiencing a high rise boom, and some high quality stuff going up in the core. If we could only get a downtown grocery store, and a few more quality infill residential...

Downtown is always on the cusp of really becoming something or deteriorating. I think it has tremendous potential, if they could do something about all the junkies. There must be more junkies per capita in London than any other city I have visited, aside from Vancouver and San Francisco.

[urbandreamer]

London needs a strict height limit and design review panel. I'd suggest 8 storeys, red brick street-facing facades. Maybe give tax breaks to property owners, encouraging them to fill in their parking lots before anymore historic buildings are torn down. Oxford Street from Clarke Road to the Thames River should be lined with four storey buildings - stacked townhomes perhaps with some retail pockets: a modern version of Van Horne (Montreal.)

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

London needs a strict height limit and design review panel.

design panel: okay, yeah, as long as the guidelines aren't too restrictive.
Height limits? Is there some amazing view in London in need of protection or something?

[JHikka]

What is Galt’s Heritage Conservation District Really Protecting?
In Cambridge, Ontario, a proposed historic district uses preservation as a tool to fight urban development, argues Sean Maciel.
Sean Maciel
Dec 15, 2021

On October 5, 2021, the City Council of Cambridge voted to advance the creation of a “Galt Core Heritage Conservation District.” Under the Ontario Heritage Act, municipalities can designate Heritage Conservation Districts, or HCDs. Unlike those individually designated heritage properties, an HCD can take any scale, from a street to an entire municipality. The intent is to support the conservation of cultural heritage beyond an individual structure — taking into account more holistic factors such as the prevalence of certain architectural styles, specific views and vantage points, and a sense of place.

Council and city staff have framed this choice as a common-sense decision to conserve our built heritage, drive tourism, create economic prosperity and encourage appropriate development in Galt’s long-struggling downtown core. Unfortunately, the proposed Heritage Conservation District so fundamentally misunderstands the social, cultural, and architectural heritage it seeks to protect that it can — and likely will — instead be used to block the stewardship Galt’s historic core badly needs.

https://www.azuremagazine.com/articl...ly-protecting/