As much as I like towers for extra density it's too bad 4th street wasn't getting more of the mid-rise 6-12 floor projects. Still this is a good density boost to the arrea. If it gets built along wit the Lofts project, the whole vibe of the area is going to change. Maybe that nice feel of 4th street in Mission will continue on in this stretch.
 
Podium doesn't look too bad on this one. If a podium is done right, as seen on a project like Curtis Block, then highrises can be as effective at generating mainstreet vibrancy. What we've been normally getting in cities like Calgary and Toronto are tall glossy towers with poor tower setbacks or poor ground-level retail design. Midrises or smaller towers aren't always guaranteed to be better for street life. If the scale of a midrise is too large and lacks any architectural significance, as seen on The Metropolitan, then a midrise can be just as detrimental to street life as a 40 storey shiny office tower.

I think EV, at full build-out, will become an ideal example of where a highrise district is capable of generating good vibrancy thanks to a pedestrian-oriented design. Sidewalks are wide, single narrow roads for vehicles, the retail portions of the towers don't have massive ceiling heights, etc. Sure many of the developments could have benefited from tower setbacks and there are odd outliers like the Arris podium but overall EV is a well-designed area. It just needs to get those empty lots fully developed before everyone realizes how good of a job CMLC did with the neighborhood. All and all, highrises do have value in good urban design. It's just a matter of execution.
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gsunnyg said:
Podium doesn't look too bad on this one. If a podium is done right, as seen on a project like Curtis Block, then highrises can be as effective at generating mainstreet vibrancy. What we've been normally getting in cities like Calgary and Toronto are tall glossy towers with poor tower setbacks or poor ground-level retail design. Midrises or smaller towers aren't always guaranteed to be better for street life. If the scale of a midrise is too large and lacks any architectural significance, as seen on The Metropolitan, then a midrise can be just as detrimental to street life as a 40 storey shiny office tower.

I think EV, at full build-out, will become an ideal example of where a highrise district is capable of generating good vibrancy thanks to a pedestrian-oriented design. Sidewalks are wide, single narrow roads for vehicles, the retail portions of the towers don't have massive ceiling heights, etc. Sure many of the developments could have benefited from tower setbacks and there are odd outliers like the Arris podium but overall EV is a well-designed area. It just needs to get those empty lots fully developed before everyone realizes how good of a job CMLC did with the neighborhood. All and all, highrises do have value in good urban design. It's just a matter of execution.
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This is entirely a function of city transportation planning, not private development. If 4th and 14th were changed to two lanes of traffic, like EV, the streets could look identical.

The ground floor level design of the towers do play a role, but the design proposed on this project isn't what's limiting vibrancy.
 
MissingMiddle said:
This is entirely a function of city transportation planning, not private development. If 4th and 14th were changed to two lanes of traffic, like EV, the streets could look identical.

The ground floor level design of the towers do play a role, but the design proposed on this project isn't what's limiting vibrancy.
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That's true and this is why EV has created a solid base for highrises to excel. I was just trying to prove that tall highrises don't have to mean doom and gloom for having vibrant streets.
 
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