The Great Canadian Skyline thread for CMAs 1 million and under

[lio45]

With that Speedy so prominent in it, the shot is almost as colorful as a typical St. John's view.

Plus, that Speedy building's a lot nicer than the Rooms, so bonus points there for Waterloo over its colorful rival.

[FrAnKs]

Signalhillhiker will appreciate

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Dr Awesomesauce

Not the most flattering of angles, but point taken.

'Performance exhaust!' Yes, this is the world we've created.

It could be the most flattering angle in the world and the clutch of student apartment towers that have sprung up over the last few years would still be ugly as hell. The whole area really needs to be seen to appreciate how bad it is.

[beatlesque]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

It could be the most flattering angle in the world and the clutch of student apartment towers that have sprung up over the last few years would still be ugly as hell. The whole area really needs to be seen to appreciate how bad it is.

Some of the architecture I've seen in pictures of Kitchener, e.g, the City Hall, looks great. I've always thought that that building is fantastic. Seeing all these ugly buildings in this shot of Waterloo - a place with such a renowned university and business history among other things - just screams of the contempt of developers for people who actually live there.

The attitude of the money-grubbing people who put these things up doesn't really surprise me as they will invariably do this when they can get away with it. What is a disappointment is that cities - and this happens everywhere obviously but seems really badly the case in this picture - let them get away with it when they could demand better, and reflect the city better.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by beatlesque

Some of the architecture I've seen in pictures of Kitchener, e.g, the City Hall, looks great. I've always thought that building is fantastic. Seeing all these ugly buildings in this shot of Waterloo - a place with such a renowned university and business history among other things - just screams of the contempt of developers for people who actually live there.

This attitude of the money-grubbing people who put up these things doesn't really surprise me as a lot of them will invariably do this when they can get away with it. What is a disappointment is that the city - and this happens everywhere obviously but it seems really badly the case with these recent commie blocks - lets them get away with it when it could demand better, and reflect the city better.

Waterloo has some wonderful architecture (CIGI, Cdn Clay and Glass Museum, Balsillie School, Perimeter Institute are all GG award winners), and the Uptown area has improved greatly, but the student ghetto in the Northdale neighbourhood is awful. New plans are in place that should lead to improvements over time and, hopefully, make for a more liveable neighbourhood.

Meanwhile, I heard from a reliable source just last week that one of the biggest obstacles to UofWaterloo's recruitment of world-class academic talent has become the sorry built environment of both the university (some good buildings but a cluttered, over-crowded campus that desperately needs a plan to pull it all together) and the City. If true, that's an issue with national implications, given the level at which UofW now operates.

[beatlesque]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Waterloo has some wonderful architecture (CIGI, Cdn Clay and Glass Museum, Balsillie School, Perimeter Institute are all GG award winners), and the Uptown area has improved greatly, but the student ghetto in the Northdale neighbourhood is awful. New plans are in place that should lead to improvements over time and, hopefully, make for a more liveable neighbourhood.

Meanwhile, I heard from a reliable source just last week that one of the biggest obstacles to UofWaterloo's recruitment of world-class academic talent has become the sorry built environment of both the university (some good buildings but a cluttered, over-crowded campus that desperately needs a plan to pull it all together) and the City. If true, that's an issue with national implications, given the level at which UofW now operates.

Excellent points - and the fact that there are those great buildings demonstrates even more what a place like Waterloo could demand (especially in comparison to other places which I imagine are more desperate for development at any cost). I think developers often treat a place as it allows itself to be treated, living up or down to that. The resulting built environment then has very tangible consequences as you describe.

[middeljohn]

Remimds me of this used car lot taking up both sides of Jasper Ave in downtown Edmonton. Incredible how it sucks the soul right of that section of the city. Even when they're not being driven, cars are detrimental to a city's urban fabric.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by middeljohn

Remimds me of this used car lot taking up both sides of Jasper Ave in downtown Edmonton. Incredible how it sucks the soul right of that section of the city. Even when they're not being driven, cars are detrimental to a city's urban fabric.

The irony, if you are speaking of Waterloo, is that the problem is not that strip in the foreground, which is what you'd find in similar areas anywhere, but rather much of the high-rise development in the background (and you don't even want to know about the mid-rise garbage between those towers and the university).

[vid]

Honestly, it's easier to ignore commieblocks than those things. It's like they can't decide if they want to look like shit, or like crap.

[thomax]

Source - twitter.com/cityofhamilton



Source - twitter.com/cityofhamilton



Source - twitter.com/cityofhamilton

[thomax]

I love this view of Hamilton, it's not posted enough...

Blue Waters by Ray Love www.facebook.com/raylovephotography/, on Flickr

[OTSkyline]

^ Very nice hamilton shot! It's very rare to see the city (and it's skyline) full-frontal rather than from behind

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by DerekSoundGuy

Waterloo Skyline by dereksoundguy, on Flickr

Waterloo slowly building a skyline

That muffler joint totally makes the picture.

[HomeInMyShoes]

It's certainly the cleanest looking thing in the picture.

[Cyro]

Swiss chalet to the right isn't all that bad either.

[kwoldtimer]

If you could do a 360 degree pan, you'd see that the Speedy is one of the prettier bits of that stretch of Weber St. It's like the Waterloo (look at all our shiny high tech!) that they don't want you to know about.

[Dylan Leblanc]

It's the most architecturally attractive building in the photo!

[davidivivid]

Quebec On The Hill by The Cleveland Kid, on Flickr

[Kong Tower]

Another view of Waterloo's emerging skyline, with Kitchener's in the distance

[Chadillaccc]

That steeple pic is amazing David!