Canadian Urban Canyons
 

I saw the "New york discussion" in the Tallest U/C thread and wondered if there were a thread exclusively about our skyscraper canyons. I couldn't find one (maybe it's very old), so here it is.
We can include skyscraper walls (like Sherbrooke in front of McGill U, Queen in front of Nathan Philips Sq, etc.)


I think Canada has very impressive walls/canyons considering the size of our cities.


Let's start with this one:

Albert Street, Ottawa, March 5, 2010
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...s/IMG_0211.jpg

Re-posted from the Top 10 U/C thread:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4011/...10347454_o.jpg
By: tomms on UT (January 7, 2010)

This is looking west on Adelaide in Toronto. The streetwall will really solidify once Trump (282m), Shangri-La (214m), 100 John Street (135m), Bay-Adelaide East (196m), and Richmond-Adelaide III (183m) are built.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...s/IMG_0211.jpg

Holy crap.

I guess what Ottawa lacks in height, it more than makes up for with volume and density.

It's a strange thing - if you consider the total office inventory, Ottawa still has one of the highest in the country, only trailing Toronto and Montreal if I recall correctly. You would never guess from the skyline though.

Halifax has a real canyon if that counts ... mind you its a rail cut.

Other than that we have no real impressive ones though Bedford Row has one; Bedford @ Prince

Granville Street Mall has one; Granville @ Duke

Hollis has a small one; Hollis @ Prince

And finally its not a street but; South Park St Looking East Towards Park Lane

howe street vancouver

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3253/...fd010591_b.jpg
flickr BC Robyn

no real canyons in winnipeg....i guess this is as close as it gets....

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/1633/downtown49.jpg

Even though it's not really a canyon, it's a nice Winnipeg shot.

what about this viking?
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1180/...752d6796_o.jpg

and this
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2436/...b5c38b9b_o.jpg

Looking north on 3rd Street SW, aka Barclay Mall.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3143/...7a4c534e_b.jpg

picture by me

Hey, I used to work in that brick building on the left. Good times.


Some more Ottawa canyons/streetwalls (by me - click most for big size)







http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3183/...ef0a82a1_b.jpg






and a Canada day canyon to close 'er up.

I think downtown Ottawa has the most solid canyons in Canada. No set backs and step ups here, barely any sidewalks either, just concentrated walls of concrete and glass. If you don't look up too high, you'd think you're in a huge city.

Edmonton has maybe 2-3 canyons:

101st from jasper to 103ave

102ave from 102st-100st

jasper from 100st-103st

The Calgary canyon I posted in the other thread:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3290/...b774902b_b.jpg

• Video Link

Video of me in the streetwalled corridors of yonge street.

Boul Rene Levesque (formerly, Dorchester), Montreal:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3052/...12f5a28880.jpg
photo c/o Steve Brandon http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-brandon/3098559685/

boulevard Rene Levesque!

here one of halifax i took a year ago

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos...6_395384_n.jpg

St Catherine

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/51/10...f487d1cf_o.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/christo...olf/105514554/

Some great shots here. Thanks for the posts.

more of me scodoodling in yorkville..

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There is a point in which I mistakenly call the intersection bloor/yonge

ha!

I would say Calgary takes the cake, we have one on pretty much every street downtown, especially 5th and 6th.

I haven't walked the streets of Calgary, but I wonder if Ottawa doesn't make up in number of buildings what they lack in height. It's pretty solid on every street.

Jasper Ave in Edmonton:
http://www.edmonton.ca/city_governme..._sky_shot.jpeg
from http://www.edmonton.ca/city_governme...ew-vision.aspx

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3122/...6abb207e90.jpg
from http://www.flickr.com/photos/37842237@N07/4002515388/

101 Street - will show a little better when Epcor is done. It's located at the end of these buildings on the right.
http://www6.worldisround.com/photos/28/278/609.jpg
from http://www.worldisround.com/articles...1/photo45.html

Calgary's Stephen Ave canyon - fairly low- to mid-rise historic fabric.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...5/IMG_0131.jpg

Ottawa wins in this case IMO. Downtown has a very solid and almost uninterrupted wall just about every street. The buildings tend to fill out the entire envelope and open plazas at grade are a rarity (thanks in part to the lack of height if I had to guess). It also helps that the streets themselves tend to be a fair bit narrower than Calgary.

Never been to Ottawa, but Calgary has some very high, very long canyons downtown, maybe I'll use google to get an idea when I have time.

This is probably my favorite "winding" urban canyon in Vancouver.

Pics are my own!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2215/...58a2cfc0_b.jpg


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4030/...ffdd7547_b.jpg


My flickr account:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30634635@N03/

Cheers

Streets in Vancouver seem to have so much more character than the ones here...

That is a beautiful streetwall. One of the prettiest ive ever seen, well at least outside of home, or manhatten.

It depends on what you're looking for in. Calgary's got a few avenues that are almost completely filled + height on their buildings.


From Flickr

4th Ave
From Flickr Default user
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2563/...54604137_o.jpg

From Flickr Surrealplaces
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2647/...5c92da0c_b.jpg



5th Ave
Fro Defaultuser on flickr
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2596/...503fb6aa_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2512/...bf7fb5fd_o.jpg


6th ave
From Flickr surrealplaces
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2609/...70f2144c_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3090/...d9c0da61_b.jpg


7th Ave
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2690/...f1dcc0d2_b.jpg

Various shots of the Bay Street canyon looking north:


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3367/...7c52df20_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2325071...25353/sizes/l/



http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x.../murano1-1.jpg
By: confusion on UT



http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3389/...5b11dde8_o.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/greyvdm...19611/sizes/o/

Those Calgary shots are money, that was what I was referring to.

King Street looking west.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2744/...ef9f6cc0_o.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomms/4353869876/


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2441/...cfecd194_o.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/greyvdm/

Here's a twofer. Front Street and Wellington Street looking west.

http://i48.tinypic.com/v3lv9i.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcos_...7622881761932/

http://www.axelrd.com/photos/montrea.../Img_37648.jpg

http://www.axelrd.com/photos/montrea...306_c53136.jpg

http://www.axelrd.com/photos/montrea...410_c53462.jpg

axelrd.com

Those Bay/King Street shots Are Schoolin'em, son!!



Here is me on Wellington!!!


• Video Link

the exchange district in winnipeg has a few "mini" canyons.. or let's say gullies maybe?

[all photos by myself]

rorie street:
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-...51364_7035.jpg

king street:
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-...02114_9581.jpg

portage ave. can be canyon-esque at moments:
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-...51377_8691.jpg

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._4058175_n.jpg

south down main street:
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-...51378_9012.jpg

Even Calgary's Beltline district (south of downtown) has canyons forming. Half of these buildings weren't in this view 3 years ago.

[IMG][/IMG]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/...1dc0518a_o.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/djipibi/2341239771/

Bay Street looking north. Note that the building on the right of the frame has been replaced by the Bay-Adelaide Centre, and Trump is currently rising in the gap in the immediate foreground.

http://img3.exs.cx/img3/8092/Toronto009.jpg
By: Skybean on SSP

Looking south on Yonge Street's famous low-rise streetwall.

http://www.cyburbia.org/gallery/data...oronto_020.jpg
By: Skybean on SSC

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3250/...930406a7_b.jpg

:(

It was even more impressive before suburbs happened:

http://img532.imageshack.us/img532/3...ssectionfw.jpg

That's looking in the other direction.

ah, I miss St paddy's day parades in Mtl.:(

Not sure about that...

Many cities have very solid canyons, but Montreal & Toronto will certainly dominate this thread.
(haven't been to Vancouver/Calgary, so show some more pics if I'm wrong!)

I thought the pics of downtown Calgary on pg 2 did a pretty good job illustrating the point - long and tall corporate canyons.

Ste. Catherine might be my favourite canyon in the country. very cool. I also like the older tight canyons of Old Montreal. :tup:

University
http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/5751/image2c.png
wander4 flickr

love that 2 building winnipeg canyon....

calgary has great canyons not only because of the number and height of the buildings but also because of the layout of downtown....its a small number of long very straight streets running parallel to each other...it makes for great vistas.

http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/3424/sany0146d.jpg

My first picture in contribution of this thread...

and video

• Video Link