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Old Posted Jan 2, 2014, 3:16 PM
RyeJay RyeJay is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2011
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Quote:
Originally Posted by isaidso View Post
I've always found that viewpoint baffling. Skyscrapers are the palaces and castles of the 21st century.
If they are "castles" then there should be very few of them, for castles existed to house the head governing population of the aristocracy.

Quote:
Originally Posted by isaidso View Post
The truly great cities are the ones that marry their natural assets with man made wonders. Vancouver seems to have forgotten the last part and will never join the ranks of the world's great cities because it's built form just leaves one under whelmed. Montreal used to care about both.
Height is not the absolute measure of architectural beauty and wonder. Not even close.

Both Montréal and Vancouver are recognised around the world for different reasons. I believe you are talking somewhat abstractly when you reference the "ranks of the world's great cities." If you'd like to provide a list of those cities (is Toronto included?), then I may be able to provide a list of negative aspects to every city you throw at me.

Height is not the absolute measure of municipal greatness.

Quote:
Originally Posted by isaidso View Post
A building only denigrates its surroundings if it's ugly. Buildings don't simply exist to fulfill a function, they're designed to be visually pleasing, lift our spirits, captivate us, etc. These are clearly people who see buildings/architecture as a necessary evil rather than things to admire/celebrate.
And some people understand that worshipping skyscrapers doesn't mean compromising your natural settings.

I support supertall skyscrapers. I can comprehend, though, why they are inappropriate sometimes.

Aside from aesthetical reasons for approving or disapproving of high urban densities: are you completely certain that the density Toronto is building is both financially and environmentally sustainable?

Quote:
Originally Posted by isaidso View Post
Montreal used to be a place that revered the skyscraper. I doubt Vancouver ever did. Now both seem to build them with reluctance and build them as short as possible in the hope that one might not notice their existence. Looks like Vancouver and Montreal will turn their backs on the skyscraper. They almost come off as cities that have given up on amounting to something grand. How sad!
Holy shit you place a lot of esteem in a building's height. There's so much more to a city than its skyline.

Just because Montréal and Vancouver have shorter skylines than Toronto, doesn't mean these cities are any less "grand." In fact: I prefer the former, when compared to Toronto, for their exquisitely established streetscapes.
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