Commie-block (slabsville) capital of Canada

[BretttheRiderFan]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

"Exclusively building".

The rest of the continent was almost only building low-density housing, which was not the case in Ontario. And if it weren't for those "commieblocks", there'd have been a hell of a lot more of that nasty sprawl here (as unattractive as slabs are, at least they're better than unending single family houses).

Also, your pic is clearly from Vegas or Phoenix or something...our 'burbs in the GTA aren't built in the desert.

lol

I googled Toronto sprawl and that was the first pic that came up!



I am a fool!

But you saying that Toronto was better than the rest of the continent in regards to suburbanization is debatable with those commie blocks as this thread has proved that they are very prevalent in other cities as well

[Wharn]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Horrible? Better than the shit suburban houses the rest of the continent was exclusively building in the 50s-80s, at least.

I actually prefer some of the low-density development from that period. Having a city with winding retarded streets is certainly better than having a mini Pyongyang. If it were up to me, though, I would have a lot less low density and a lot more townhouses or low-rises that address the street. Having these giant towers (or even neverending rows of single family homes) detaches the individual from the city around them by giving it a sense of impersonality. This is actually one reason why I prefer Tokyo to Seoul; the latter may be bustling and vibrant, but dammit, those tower blocks...

Originally Posted by BretttheRiderFan

lol

But you saying that Toronto was better than the rest of the continent in regards to suburbanization is debatable with those commie blocks as this thread has proved that they are very prevalent in other cities as well

Toronto's outer ring of suburbs are a destitute, soul-crushing place. Unlike the suburbs of London, Kitchener, Hamilton or even Ottawa, they feel more like some far-flung strip of land in hell's half acre than a cohesive part of a city.

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

You are right. But it was the Dark Sorceress Auburn.

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble...

timothyworst.com


She sure ain't Galadriel.

I'm glad London's finally rid of her, but it's not like we're being run by Aragorn now. If anything we exchanged the Dark Sorceress for Saruman... albeit a fatter and younger version.

[niwell]

Ehhhh.... I've never really minded the commie-blocks myself. Yes, they can be ugly, but aren't exclusively so. I tend to refer to them as banal at worst. Of course the modern stucco versions have no excuse.

Most importantly though, the presence of that level of density in the suburbs does allow for a base level of services within walking distance. And can support frequent transit. In a contemporary context slab tower communities provide a focal point for suburban neighbourhoods that can actually be retrofitted and intensified with new uses.

The biggest downside to the vintage commie-blocks is one few even realize: they are terribly inefficient. It's quite shocking the percentage of GHGs that come from Toronto's older highrises as a proportion of the city's total. The bones of the buildings are solid though, and they are easy to retrofit for energy efficiency - though for funding this is best coupled with intensification strategies and development of uses on underutilized land at the tower bases. It's the basic idea behind Toronto's tower renewal project, which is partly based on the European experience and is gaining interest at the Provincial level as well as a few private undertakings.

http://www.towerrenewal.ca/

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by BretttheRiderFan

But you saying that Toronto was better than the rest of the continent in regards to suburbanization is debatable with those commie blocks as this thread has proved that they are very prevalent in other cities as well

I said Ontario (or at least Southern Ontario), because these towers are prevalent throughout the region. In the rest of Canada & the US...not so much. Obviously they have a few, but not nearly at the level that they're found in Ontario. Also, yeah, I would definitely make the claim that Toronto's post-war development is higher-density than anywhere else in Canada/USA.

Originally Posted by Wharn

Toronto's outer ring of suburbs are a destitute, soul-crushing place. Unlike the suburbs of London, Kitchener, Hamilton or even Ottawa, they feel more like some far-flung strip of land in hell's half acre than a cohesive part of a city.

Whoaaaa, hold it. The suburbs in these places aren't destitute and soul crushing places? Could've fooled me. Toronto just has a larger quantity of it, being Canada's largest city.

[caltrane74]

Those commie blocks in St. Jamestown house something like 1500 to 2000 people.


EACH.

[Wharn]

Originally Posted by Cambridgite

Whoaaaa, hold it. The suburbs in these places aren't destitute and soul crushing places? Could've fooled me. Toronto just has a larger quantity of it, being Canada's largest city.

I live in London's "suburbs", and really it feels more like an organic outgrowth of the city rather than some cancerous tumour. I can easily get downtown, to the university, grocery stores, bars, sports fields, driving range, and if I was Jewish I could even walk to the Synagogue. Of course I may be biased from living in the North End of the city, because admittedly most of the South and East sucks pretty bad.

The same thing goes for Toronto's inner ring of suburbs. My parents live near Finch and Leslie, and despite the fact that the houses are the small shitty 60s types, it's great. Sheppard subway is a 5 minute bus ride away, streets are quiet, tennis and parks nearby, there's a ton of amenities within walking distance... great place to grow up. I look around most of the inner ring, and it's more of the same, except where Metro ruined the surrounding neighbourhood with Ontario Housing Projects (small ghetto near Finch and Leslie, but I'm thinking of places like Markham and Eglinton when I say this).

[Doady]

Both Etobicoke and Mississauga have more slabs than most of places listed in the poll. Only Scarborough and North York beat them. Maybe Ottawa also.

Of the slabs 12 storeys or taller:

North York has 400+ buildings
Scarborough has around 250
Mississauga and Etobicoke each have around 200

Of course, the ones less than 12 storeys, there's a lot more.

I guess with the advent of Google Maps and Street View, it would be too hard to count them, if you wanted to.

Originally Posted by Wharn

I live in London's "suburbs", and really it feels more like an organic outgrowth of the city rather than some cancerous tumour. I can easily get downtown, to the university, grocery stores, bars, sports fields, driving range, and if I was Jewish I could even walk to the Synagogue. Of course I may be biased from living in the North End of the city, because admittedly most of the South and East sucks pretty bad.

Ah, I guess that's true. The advantages of living in a smaller city...

Yeah, I hate how long it takes to get across the GTA. But then again, I suspect most people would just do a lot of activities in their own little 15 minute bubble.

[matt602]

I wanted to come in here and complain about Hamilton's commie blocks downtown but Toronto just blows everything away. Hamilton's ratio stands out so well though simply because the skyline is made up of 100% pre-1990 buildings, with small exceptions. It's the brown and white skyline...

[Dirt_Devil]

Laval University in Quebec City. Those are residences for foreign students. Pavillon Alphonse-Marie-Parent.






http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Rzvreihx9Fc/Sp...4/P8270134.JPG

[mike474]

Originally Posted by Dirt_Devil

Laval University in Quebec City. Those are residences for foreign students. Pavillon Alphonse-Marie-Parent.






http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Rzvreihx9Fc/Sp...4/P8270134.JPG

I had the (dis)pleasure of living there one summer Such and ugly campus in such a beautiful city. That place is commie central, PEPS, dear lord!

[vid]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

I said Ontario (or at least Southern Ontario), because these towers are prevalent throughout the region.

It's province wide. Even places like Fort Frances and Wawa have them, albeit on a much smaller scale and not necessarily the same construction technique.

Two in Kenora in this photo from 2003; 2009's Streetview footage shows the one on the right has a new vinyl skin! (The other, 5 storeys, is to the left.)

Kenora: Seven floors, no balconies; Not really a slab, but as ugly as one

Fort Frances: Maybe not exactly a slab apartment but it serves the same function: low income housing

[softee]

North Bay has about 30 slabs between 5 and 11 storeys.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Wharn

I live in London's "suburbs", and really it feels more like an organic outgrowth of the city rather than some cancerous tumour. I can easily get downtown, to the university, grocery stores, bars, sports fields, driving range, and if I was Jewish I could even walk to the Synagogue. Of course I may be biased from living in the North End of the city, because admittedly most of the South and East sucks pretty bad.

The same thing goes for Toronto's inner ring of suburbs. My parents live near Finch and Leslie, and despite the fact that the houses are the small shitty 60s types, it's great. Sheppard subway is a 5 minute bus ride away, streets are quiet, tennis and parks nearby, there's a ton of amenities within walking distance... great place to grow up. I look around most of the inner ring, and it's more of the same, except where Metro ruined the surrounding neighbourhood with Ontario Housing Projects (small ghetto near Finch and Leslie, but I'm thinking of places like Markham and Eglinton when I say this).

You got a point there. But, if you are close to the subway, any soul-sucking Taranna is better, cause the fun is just a ride away.

True about London: Soul sucking, but I can (theoretically) walk downtown right from the edge of the city (northwest quadrant: Hyde Park, aka Dumbcentreland).

Haha Saruman. I put Fontana down as the leader of the trolls (he looks more like Uruk Hai than Saruman...I would prefer Saruman....anything is better than that wicked witch of the east, AMdeC-B)

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Cambridgite

Examples of stucco commie block beasts being built in the University of Waterloo student ghetto.


Source: http://waterloo-student-housing.com/...-construction/


Source: http://www.studenthouses.ca/student-housing.aspx


Source: http://www.schembripm.com/web2/schem...a%20Street%20W


Source: http://www.schembripm.com/web2/schem...a%20Street%20W

My city of Gatineau has scores of buildings like the last two, but they aren't student residences:

http://www.etasse.com/appartements-g...andres-13.html

http://www.etasse.com/appartements-g...rleans-15.html

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Horrible? Better than the shit suburban houses the rest of the continent was exclusively building in the 50s-80s, at least.

Well, the suburban houses typically built across the continent may not have been perfect (nor sustainable or desirable from an urbanity perspective), but they certainly did/do offer a better living environment for humans than most of the slabs ever did.

[Wharn]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Well, the suburban houses typically built across the continent may not have been perfect (nor sustainable or desirable from an urbanity perspective), but they certainly did/do offer a better living environment for humans than most of the slabs ever did.

I agree with this statement wholeheartedly (who doesn't prefer a bungalow to a commieblock?), although I still think townhouses are the best form of residential development. Medium-low density, but you can easily build 4-bedroom units with about 1900-2000 sqft of living space, give people a backyard, a private garage, and landscaping; all the features that make single-family homes so pleasant. Plus, the speedbumps in the laneways do a much better job at calming traffic than winding suburban roads, and they are way more energy-efficient (when you heat your own unit, you help to heat both your neighbours'). But for some reason North Americans have an intense fear of attached homes; does this related back to some juvenile desire to "live in the country", or are we so possessive that we can't have a condo corporation own and maintain the exterior?

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

You got a point there. But, if you are close to the subway, any soul-sucking Taranna is better, cause the fun is just a ride away.

That's the problem, Subways are few and far between in Toronto. If you happen to be out in Scarberia then good luck; and of course, many urban planners are still pushing TEH STREATKARS, so abandon all hope for true rapid transit in the future.

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Haha Saruman. I put Fontana down as the leader of the trolls (he looks more like Uruk Hai than Saruman...I would prefer Saruman....anything is better than that wicked witch of the east, AMdeC-B)

I think of the councillors as the Uruk-Hai, and Saruman as their nominal leader. Of course they are an unruly bunch, so they don't always listen or co-operate, regardless you have torturous regulations being imposed on you. A hopeless situation, although still better than rule by gender-bent Sauron.

[The_Architect]

Originally Posted by Wharn

That's the problem, Subways are few and far between in Toronto. If you happen to be out in Scarberia then good luck; and of course, many urban planners are still pushing TEH STREATKARS, so abandon all hope for true rapid transit in the future.

Sigh... not this again. LRT != streetcars.

[Coldrsx]

GTA hands down...