Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
If you were here in the summer, there are many weeks when the downtown (and also neighbouring suburbs) completely empty out as residents take vacation time and go up north. During these weeks, even the 401 at rush hour moves without traffic snarls, because so many residents are out-of-town. Toronto residents have a longstanding tradition of spending at least a few days "up north" every summer, and during these periods the city can be pretty quiet outside the core.
Otherwise, the city is at its most bustling from April to June - most downtown neighourhoods are filled with pedestrians, patios are jammed, and parks are busy and filled with families. As you move into July and August, many residents decamp to cottage country, and the downtown is the only area that remains busy, mostly with tourists in town for our summer festivals.
This was probably the case for me. I went in mid-June.
Yonge Street and Wilshire Boulevard seem to have a ton in common - they will be a lot more alike once Wilshire has a subway running down its length like Yonge does.
This is what I was saying to Fitzrovian and was mocked about - the last two years the DT core has grown quite a bit not only in population density but also the urban landscape due to the sheer number of new people taking possession of their condo's... I've lived DT for 4 years and have noticed a big difference in both counts - so yes for a city like Toronto - 2 years means a lot. It would be interesting to see what the latest density counts are for the DT core...
Quote:
Originally Posted by TOkidd
However, with Toronto's residential building boom, its downtown becomes busier and busier. Now that I am not living in the city these days, every time I visit it seems like the city has grown and become busier. It has changed tremendously since the late-90's when I first moved downtown.
This is what I was saying to Fitzrovian and was mocked about - the last two years the DT core has grown quite a bit not only in population density but also the urban landscape due to the sheer number of new people taking possession of their condo's... I've lived DT for 4 years and have noticed a big difference in both counts - so yes for a city like Toronto - 2 years means a lot. It would be interesting to see what the latest density counts are for the DT core...
I'm sure the changes are at a pretty brisk place, but this isn't breakneck China-esque changes though with a few hundred thousand people and a subway line or few being added in two years. You're talking about something more akin to some tens of thousands of people being added in two years and construction reflective of that pace of growth. Numbers-wise, it's about the same pace of growth as Los Angeles and LA has much of that concentrated in downtown and its vicinities these days, so I can understand what you're talking about--though LA is a lot more adaptive re-use of old mid-rises and high-rises in the mix.
That being said, two years even at that pace is not magic. It isn't even China. Five years probably.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 06-02-2013 at 05:45 PM..
I'm not comparing it to China... never did - never said it was magic. Don't know enough about L.A's growth to comment but pretty fair to assume the growth has to be spread out much more than DT Toronto. So i'm just looking at what is being constructed around me- the DT core in a small footprint is growing fast by any N.A measure no other city's landscape is changing as drastically in Canada or the U.S...Again I would be surprised if L.A is packing its growth in as compact a footprint as that of DT Toronto!!?? Anyway Neither L.A or Chicago are constructing at nearly the same pace as Toronto - its not even close.. those numbers don't lie either.
The graph in the link covers 2011 and construction continues strong into 2013.... having said that those buildings under construction in 2011 have been taken possession, are being taken possession of or will be...most are condo's.. As I said before - only Mexico City and NYC in N.A are even worth comparison against Toronto in terms of high rise construction... L.A and Chicago are not..
When was the last time you were in DT Toronto and the time before that?
Quote:
Originally Posted by OyCrumbler
I'm sure the changes are at a pretty brisk place, but this isn't breakneck China-esque changes though with a few hundred thousand people and a subway line or few being added in two years. You're talking about something more akin to some tens of thousands of people being added in two years and construction reflective of that pace of growth. Numbers-wise, it's about the same pace of growth as Los Angeles and LA has much of that concentrated in downtown and its vicinities these days, so I can understand what you're talking about--though LA is a lot more adaptive re-use of old mid-rises and high-rises in the mix.
That being said, two years even at that pace is not magic. It isn't even China. Five years probably.
Yonge Street and Wilshire Boulevard seem to have a ton in common - they will be a lot more alike once Wilshire has a subway running down its length like Yonge does.
Yonge and Wilshire are pretty different, IMO. They're similar in that they're major arterials with lots of highrises, but that's about it.
Curious--what major differences do you see? I think the fact that they're both "linear" downtowns seems to give them a lot in common.
I wouldn't agree that either are really linear downtowns.
In the case of Yonge, however, it's virtually a non-stop urban format from downtown to the 401 freeway or thereabouts. With Wilshire, it's totally different.
Wilshire doesn't really go into downtown LA (well it technically does, but it isn't a major street at that point), then once it leaves downtown you go past suburban-style big-box stores and the like. It doesn't really pick up in intensity until you've left the city core, as it moves past McArthur park. And the most highrise-laden part of Wilshire is actually past Beverly Hills, as you near UCLA.
In contrast, Yonge reaches its apex downtown, and then recedes as it heads out of downtown, with activity peaks at subway stations. It's a very different vibe.
And even the highrise parts of Wilshire aren't really pedestrian-friendly as in Toronto. Yonge tends to be pedestrian friendly during the entire stretch, while Wilshire isn't realy pedestrian friendly anywhere. I would say the Beverly Hills stretch is the most pedestrian friendly, but even there, it's kind of semi-pedestrian friendly (you see the department stores all have parking lots in the back, and the main entrances for stores face the back parking lots, not the front sidewalk).
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
