A negative aspect of tall residential buildings...
 

Saw this opinion piece about the Toronto chair-thrower and it seems like it is not an isolated incident.

Toronto’s chair thrower is a symptom of a bigger problem

I haven't heard of specific incidents happening in Halifax, but I can't imagine it only happens in Toronto. I do recall many years ago being outside Brunswick Towers on a Saturday night after attending a party for a friend who lived there, and hearing bottles smashing around me. I didn't stick around long enough to figure out where they were coming from, but it was from above...

I know that it is like the gun argument that says people are the problem not the weapon. But... if you can't rely on people to behave responsibly, what do you do? Require heavy screens to be installed around balconies? :shrug:


Looks like she has been charged:

Woman charged for allegedly tossing chair over condo balcony

Not a new phenomenon:

• Video Link

I recall that show intro, but it was a planned event and presumably somebody was onsite to ensure innocent people weren't in the pathway of the earthward-bound TV sets (though, maybe not with the SCTV crew...).

I think most people realize that it's not a new thing (like most things in life, there are not many actual 'firsts' out there), but as we push for more and higher buildings, plus with the onset of 'fame and fortune by social media', is this something that needs to be considered, or do we just accept it and say it comes with the territory, like we tend to do with most unplanned consequences arising from our headlong rush to 'progress'...

The fires on lower floors resulting from flicked cigarette butts is a possibility that I hadn't considered before reading this article... as a non-smoker I would resent this terribly.

All part of the price one pays for succumbing to the urban planners nirvana of everyone living together in massive concrete high-rises. But you can bike to the cafe so that's good.

I prefer keeping my distance from others.

LOL... I can't disagree...

And on behalf of the "others", we thank you for that.
:D

I used to throw paper airplanes off the 21st floor balcony of my apartment at Park Vic when I was a student in Halifax.

Does this make me a bad person???

I remember a few University Parties at Fenwick Tower. Some nights there would be a TV or two coming down. It did appear that they were being thrown away from where people gathered.

That alone doesn't, but...

:haha: Just kidding, of course!

Yikes!

I'm sure the TVs were thrown with the greatest of care and clear judgement...

Seems that these days people are less accepting about being killed by a falling object. Go figure

Those are the kind of people I like to avoid.

It was a joke big guy. That is some thin skin for someone who likes to make cracks at everyone else.

That was how I took it. I think someone is feeling a little too sensitive today.

I think this is just one of those things we accept. Kids throw rocks off of highway overpasses, but we don't feel the need to encase them in plexiglass.

Perhaps so. Potential for danger exists everywhere.

The higher we build stuff, the more energy objects will have when they hit the ground (or people below).

Hopefully the fact that this individual was identified and charged will help deter those who may suffer momentary lapses in judgment and think this is a 'good idea'. Though I daresay that had they not taken a video and posted it, we would not likely know where it came from, even if it had hit and killed somebody.

Only up to the point where they reach terminal velocity. Beyond that it doesn't matter how tall something is. So unless we're calculating terminal velocity for every conceivable object that could be thrown off a building and restricting height to something acceptably below that, it's kind of moot.

Agree that it's limited by the aerodynamic characteristics of the object being thrown, i.e. when the force of air resistance equals the force due to gravity. So yeah, for something relatively light with a lot of surface area, like a chair, it will hit its terminal velocity quite quickly.

However, it's not really moot as a heavy object with little air resistance, like a cannonball for example, will possibly not reach its terminal velocity before it hits the ground, and therefore will accelerate until it hits below.

I don't think it's really a case of calculating the terminal velocity of every conceivable object, only that some cases will be worse than others. You also can't stick your head in the sand and pretend it doesn't exist, either.

But, you're right in that it's a senseless argument. As Ian says, a large rock thrown from an overpass can have equally devastating effects on the people below. Potential for danger exists everywhere... :twocents:

Encase kids in plexi?

There's a great idea!

:haha: