Personally I think the city needs more of this streetwall, but some call this "oppressive" and would prefer a dinky 2 story podium with a stick thin curtainwall tower set back far from the street.
 
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xy3 said:
Personally I think the city needs more of this streetwall, but some call this "oppressive" and would prefer a dinky 2 story podium with a stick thin curtainwall tower set back far from the street.
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I second this. Theres certainly an appropriate place for setbacks, but I'm also ok with some buildings sitting directly adjacent to eachother without separation creating a very impending street wall. It's just part of the big city vibe and I love it.

The Gloucester road street wall in hong kong is one of my favorites of all time.

mlapfs.jpg

Credit: pic2map.com

gloucester-road-hong-kong-busy-wan-chai-district-evening-peak-hour-103642484.jpg

Credit: dreamtime.com

traffic-in-gloucester-road-wanchai-hong-kong-china-AFE1TY.jpg

Credit: alamy stock photo.

Obviously the road itself is maybe not one to emulate. It's basically the city's main highway/access road for the downtown core along Hong Kong island but the street wall here is beautiful and diverse
 
Bjays92 said:
I second this. Theres certainly an appropriate place for setbacks, but I'm also ok with some buildings sitting directly adjacent to eachother without separation creating a very impending street wall. It's just part of the big city vibe and I love it.

The Gloucester road street wall in hong kong is one of my favorites of all time.

View attachment 348909
Credit: pic2map.com

View attachment 348910
Credit: dreamtime.com

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Credit: alamy stock photo.

Obviously the road itself is maybe not one to emulate. It's basically the city's main highway/access road for the downtown core along Hong Kong island but the street wall here is beautiful and diverse
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Beautiful! Wow, very large Boulevards and well organized
 
Gloucester is iconic in terms of certain skyscrapers and the photography vantage points, but it's not pedestrian friendly. Hennessy Road, which runs mostly parallel along it a few streets away, is the more notable pedestrian urban experience, along with the section of Johnston Road if focusing in the Wanchai area.
 
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I was going to say, Gloucester is pretty much the last street you want to be on moving east west across the island. Though when I visited in October / November 2014, it was surreal as traffic had been banished and a lovely little pedestrian city had temporarily been allowed to thrive there and further west on Connaught and Harcourt Roads.

Didn't really end well, but it was magical while it lasted.
 
AlbertC said:
Gloucester is iconic in terms of certain skyscrapers and the photography vantage points, but it's not pedestrian friendly. Hennessy Road, which runs mostly parallel along it a few streets away, is the more notable pedestrian urban experience, along with the section of Johnston Road if focusing in the Wanchai area.
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Yep - it's basically an urban highway (sort of like the at-grade portion of Route 1 - Waterloo Rd). The north side of Gloucester is populated by fairly sterile towers from the 80s/early 90s with almost no street level engagement (like how many pedestrians do you see in those shots - and it's HK!). It's their version of University Avenue.

Honestly, if one wanted a lively street wall Nathan Road is a far better model (and Yonge/College almost had that vibe).

AoD
 
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There is a reason I specified the road is not one to emulate lol, I just always loved the street wall driving down it.

Project end is 100% right, it was fantastic during occupy when there was no traffic and the majority of locals agreed. Going downtown during that time was a breath of fresh air both figuratively and literally
 
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