This is what I saw from my roof a couple days ago: https://twitter.com/aaronmhamilton/status/919820166833242112
The only sorta crummy building on the waterfront from this vantage is the Canada Malting Silos, but even that has its charm.
To me, a lot of the rest of the city is an eyesore. Unfortunately a lot of the large buildings in Toronto are brutal postmodern slabs of concrete spiritual oppression, including many around New City Hall.
The Port Lands are not actually so bad at the shore, some of the industrial stuff like the Hearn coal reactor and the recycling plant that went up in flames a month or so ago is a bit rough, but it's convenient to the city that these things are within city limits. It is exceptionally unusual to have facilities like those on the Port Lands and the island airport this close to the city center.
Developers have already ransacked almost everything south of the Gardiner at this point, so I suppose it's only a matter of time until they turn the rest of the city into a quick buck as well.
You sure have made a lot of assumptions about me: I'd advise you to keep them to yourself, Rob.
I suppose it can be attributed to the expressway being there, but shit - I dread visiting the area on foot.
But Toronto is mostly just a giant cold suburb, that is reasonably well run, but doesn't standout for any reason in particular.
It's the ultimate 'B' city.
It's consistently better than almost anywhere, and yet, not one aspect is really world class. I mean - San Francisco is 'missing' so many things that make it a truly all-round city, yet is so exceptional in many ways. Toronto 'has everything' but it really lacks a 'raison d'etre'.
And FYI I grew up there I can say what I want about it :)
It's more brand oriented and suburban than ever before.
Example: Toronto used to have a 'musical sound'. You could hear a band maybe know that it was from TO.
No such thing anymore.
TO is a large group of fairly well behaved and polite people from around the world getting along in the cold. And that's it.
Toronto has made me realize that culture cannot be invented, and that you can't just 'create' cohesion.
Sadly, most things that would have made the are unique - have been wiped out ... the suburbs of Toronto, Singapore, Denver, Amsterdam - are becoming more and more alike the only thing differentiating them is the weather. :)
I think we need a new version of globalization :)
Give me a friend who moved to Montreal over the Toronto lot any day.
Even thought most folks have some 'imported' culture to which they can belong and which gives them identity, it's rarely going to be common enough - or prominent enough - that it gives them any swagger or anything.
To your point: sometimes people make pop songs about Montreal, not so much Toronto, although Drizzy has been doing some calling out ... I just can't think that he's authentic.
Toronto reminds me a lot of Singapore these days: ex-English colony, well managed, secure, but no real culture of their own or swatter.
Again, not hating, I lived there for 20 years :)
Do you mean the port lands? There's nothing wrong with that area. It was built for industrial shipping. The only eyesore in that area (Rebel) opened up no more than 3 years ago. If you mean Lakeshore, those tent cities under the Gardiner are recently established as well.
Take a water taxi over to Hanlan's before Winter rolls around. It'll change your perspective. We have a beautiful city.
http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/nbe/wcm/connect/waterfront/97... (pdf)
There are some shops centered around the film industry, deeper in is the Hearn (grandfather worked there in the 50's -- it's a nice building on the outside but requires massive amounts of maintenance to see life in the future. It's still well-used by the film industry.), Pinewood Studios Toronto, there's a garbage/recycling centre, and truck yards, empty lots, overgrowth, and an old fireman's club... and the Keating Channel pub. If you've ever worked the film industry in Toronto, you probably know the place.
When you compare Toronto's waterfront to other cities -- I get it completely. It's nowhere near as done up as say, Seattle or Boston. It's because it has an industrial past.
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That said -- much of the city does have a nice waterfront. The Port Lands area in question is the exception here. The east end was the boardwalk and beaches and even Ontario Place on the west end is getting an overhaul, starting with the new Trillium Park: http://ontarioplace.com/en/park-trail/
Seattle also has an industrial past, and more importantly, a lot of it is still industrial. If you pop open google maps and zoom in on Seattle's waterfront, essentially everything south of Yesler Way is shipping and other industrial uses. Additionally basically everything south of the stadiums is pretty industrial, even further inland.
From looking at Toronto, it looks like the Port Lands area you are talking about is pretty similar to the Sodo area in Seattle I was talking about, while your Harbourfront Centre and Bathurst Quay are more like what people usually consider the Seattle waterfront, with lots of parks and some restaurants, near what I can only assume is your downtown area?
The biggest difference that I see is that you guys appear to have a _lot_ of parking lots, and your rail lines and a big expressway appear to run right between your downtown and the waterfront.
The Gardiner Expressway is a notorious design flaw with criticisms spanning decades -- people just rely on it too much now to change it. Though it's now crumbling and needs repair, there are some propositions for beautifying that area.
The rail lines have been there for a very long time, though in different spirit, maybe.
This whole conversation has reminded me I haven't spent much time down around certain parts of the waterfront in a long time. The expressway is a major psychological block for a lot of people. It makes it seem so far away. In seattle it felt like a short walk from halfway up downtown because of the features all along the walk. Walking beneath the Gardiner here is not a thrilling experience for a downtown. That's one difference I can note for sure, if we're to compare properly comparative regions of the cities.
No way, Montréal will have that second HQ!
Eh, I disagree. You don't see Houston or Tokyo trying to upsell on their coast-line. I think tourist cities play it up, but major cities that exist where they are because of their ports don't push tourists towards it because bustling ports are almost by definition disgusting.
The only exception I can think of is San Francisco, but that's by nature of its unique peninsula geography. You can just go to the west side to find decent beaches. The Port of San Francisco (east side) is still gross. (to me... there is a lot of tourists piers there I guess)
The waterfront area is pretty nice right around Harbourfront Centre, though. The Beaches to the east and Sunnyside/Humber Bay Park to the west are pleasant as well.
In the broader sense, sure. At the micro level, no. i.e. see Chicago and Uptown.
I didn't see the link posted but this is probably a better link.... https://sidewalktoronto.ca/
Toronto is a funny city. Most cities play up their coast line, Toronto gets scummier as you move towards the water, though they are addressing it and its improved a lot over the past 10 years with the condo boom.
I really hope they can do something productive with the land because right now its a big eye sore and its a prime location right in the heart of the city.