[Bad Bear]

what's to see beyond Bloor st, Church st and Spadina ave? it is just a huge flat land with low rise houses, just like what you will see in Dallas.
South view of the Toronto Island is nice.

Unobstructed view isn't necessarily that great. Most condo dwellers in Mississsauga and Scarborough have unobstructed view too. I have been up to the Cn tower several times and all I can say is the view is underwhelming (compared with Hancock tower or Rockfeller centre for example).

You still comparing three different city with three different skyline.

 

[ksun]

The CN Tower may be a bit too high and removed from the city at that level. .

Yep, I completely agree.
One reason I don't think the CN tower view is not that great is because it is too high - or other buildings are too short. You don't get the visual impact of skyscrapers on or slight above your eye level. Take that photo again, nothing nearby is remotely close to its height. FCP is only 55%. On the east, even the 50+ L tower becomes a dwarf, not to mention all the buildings below 30 stories are minuscule. This coupled with the mostly low rise area under 12 stories east of Yonge and west of University, there is very little visual impact.

I agree that there are other much better vistas to bee seen than view from the CN tower.

 

[ksun]

You still comparing three different city with three different skyline.

you mean skylines of Toronto, Chicago and New York are different and shouldn't be compared?

I love Toronto, but objectively speaking with zero home bias, the view from a downtown skyscraper in Chicago/New York is way better than Toronto. Most of our tallest buildings are squeezed on a tiny pocket of land. Skylines look better/bigger when they are a bit more spreadout. I think there is something stupid max height restriction for buildings only like 100 meters east of Yonge st? Imagine what how much better our skyline will be if Church st, Jarvis st and Spadina are lined with 20-40 storey buildings instead of 2-10.

 

[someMidTowner]

you mean skylines of Toronto, Chicago and New York are different and shouldn't be compared?

I love Toronto, but objectively speaking with zero home bias, the view from a downtown skyscraper in Chicago/New York is way better than Toronto. Most of our tallest buildings are squeezed on a tiny pocket of land. Skylines look better/bigger when they are a bit more spreadout. I think there is something stupid max height restriction for buildings only like 100 meters east of Yonge st?

Unfortunately for all the fanboys, cities are planned and built based on more than how the skyline will look - which as most people know, is completely arbitrary and has nothing to do with/does not reflect a city's livability or economic situation. New York and Chicago aren't Toronto, and if we are rating cities based on something as irrelevant as skylines then we should all just move to a place where autocratic governments put skyline growth above human rights and livability.

Imagine what how much better our skyline will be if Church st, Jarvis st and Spadina are lined with 20-40 storey buildings instead of 2-10.

The skyline may look better, but the historic properties along those historic streets are...well..historic. It is comforting to know that the ridiculous idea quoted above will never gain any traction due to levelheaded planners and City staff.

 

[caltrane74]

When Real Estate Prices hit the right level, the railway tracks can be covered. The way things are going downtown, we might see the first project to cover the railway tracks in 10 to 15 years. Oxford Place has put in first dibs.

 

[Torontovibe]

what's to see beyond Bloor st, Church st and Spadina ave? it is just a huge flat land with low rise houses, just like what you will see in Dallas.
South view of the Toronto Island is nice.

Unobstructed view isn't necessarily that great. Most condo dwellers in Mississsauga and Scarborough have unobstructed view too. I have been up to the Cn tower several times and all I can say is the view is underwhelming (compared with Hancock tower or Rockfeller centre for example).

Are the 40 story towers in the Distillery flat land? What about Market Wharf? Too short? St. Jamestown? Regent Park? All flat to you? Maybe Pace will make you feel better. If you think Toronto is like Dallas, you either don't know Dallas or Toronto very well.

 

[interchange42]

Please get back to the thread topic.

42

 

[isaidso]

Yep, I completely agree.
One reason I don't think the CN tower view is not that great is because it is too high - or other buildings are too short. You don't get the visual impact of skyscrapers on or slight above your eye level.

Toronto has been building up to the CN Tower for the last 40 years. The skyline will always feel dwarfed by the CN Tower till we add a few towers in the 400-500m range. Only something that height can stitch the CN Tower to the city. We'll get there eventually, but likely not for another generation or two.

That a 47 floor, 160m Delta looks like a midget next to the CN Tower highlights what kind of scale is necessary. Anything under 400m really isn't going to play off the CN Tower well. Chicago does this well. They have a few super talls rather than 1 tower almost double the height of the rest. They play off each other to stunning effect.

 

[ushahid]

why cant some developers build something taller near cn tower?

 

[sub-URBAN]

why cant some developers build something taller near cn tower?

because the views from the CN tower would be blocked if taller towers were surrounding it

 

[One Nut Kruk]

because the views from the CN tower would be blocked if taller towers were surrounding it

Which is exactly why I don't want the Oxford buildings built in their proposed location. They would utterly ruin the presence of the CN Tower. It's baffling that such tall towers could possibly be approved that close to it.

 

[ushahid]

good thing is that at least it will fill the gap in skyline. I don't like that gap in the skyline and it is not has high as the observatory floor of CN tower.

 

[sub-URBAN]

good thing is that at least it will fill the gap in skyline. I don't like that gap in the skyline and it is not has high as the observatory floor of CN tower.

The gap is already getting filled with the completion of the Ritz, Shangri-la and the new RBC tower, and new projects like theatre park, various projects in the entertainment district, the mirvish towers if they are approved, and Southcore.

 

[MafaldaBoy]

03 February 2014:


Toronto Construction by MafaldaBoy, on Flickr


Southcore Construction by MafaldaBoy, on Flickr


Southcore Financial Centre by MafaldaBoy, on Flickr


Southcore Financial Centre by MafaldaBoy, on Flickr


Southcore Financial Centre by MafaldaBoy, on Flickr


Southcore Financial Centre by MafaldaBoy, on Flickr


Southcore Financial Centre by MafaldaBoy, on Flickr

 

[ushahid]

I think Delta has the best façade in Toronto. What do you guys think?