HomeDiagramsDatabaseMapsForum About
     

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Regional Sections > Canada


Reply

 
Thread Tools Display Modes
     
     
  #1  
Old Posted Apr 18, 2017, 9:05 PM
Docere Docere is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 7,364
What is "downtown"?

Inspired by Hipster Duck's thread. which raises the question of what separates downtown from the rest of the city.

In others, what makes a downtown and how do you define downtown?

Vancouver has the "Downtown Peninsula" which includes downtown proper as well as the very urban and densely populated West End.

Toronto's downtown definition is quite extensive, and is really more of a greater downtown, stretching from Bathurst to the Don and from Yorkville to the lake. Certainly the Financial District, the area around City Hall and Dundas Square and the Entertainment District are downtown, but what about Church-Wellesley, Yorkville, Bay-Cloverhill, the Grange, Kensington, Harbord Village etc.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #2  
Old Posted Apr 18, 2017, 9:07 PM
caltrane74's Avatar
caltrane74 caltrane74 is offline
gettin' rich!
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Toronto
Posts: 34,170
Everything you mentioned there is in downtown Toronto.

My only question is the western boundary which fluctuates between Bathurst in the North at Bloor and Dufferin near the lake.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #3  
Old Posted Apr 18, 2017, 9:19 PM
SignalHillHiker's Avatar
SignalHillHiker SignalHillHiker is online now
I ♣ Baby Seals
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Sin Jaaawnz, Newf'nland
Posts: 34,681
As I'm sure is the case everywhere else, in St. John's there are a few different things people might mean when they say "downtown".

"The Downtown" is a clearly-defined neighbourhood that is mostly commercial but includes some residential areas closest to the core (which, in turn, are these days mainly rental suites, hostels, etc.).



__________________
Note to self: "The plural of anecdote is not evidence."

Last edited by SignalHillHiker; Apr 18, 2017 at 11:18 PM.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #4  
Old Posted Apr 18, 2017, 9:40 PM
Beedok Beedok is offline
Exiled Hamiltonian Gal
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 6,804
For Ottawa: the area between Bronson, Somerset, the Canal, and Ottawa River, excluding a big of the golden triangle and adding about a block around Sussex and Rideau.

Hamilton's is really blurry. Partly because people on the mountain consider practically the whole lover city 'downtown'. But for a more standard count... Bay, Hunter, Wellington, and Cannon maybe?

Thunder Bay north is probably bounded by Pearl, Algoma, and Camelot. South I'm less sure... Miles, Vickers, Arthur, and . . . either Simpson or the River depending on how picky you feel.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #5  
Old Posted Apr 18, 2017, 9:41 PM
manny_santos's Avatar
manny_santos manny_santos is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: New Westminster
Posts: 5,007
In Kingston it's generally considered anything east of Division Street along Princess, Queen, Brock and Johnson Streets, as well as anything along Lake Ontario between the causeway and Gore Street. I've heard some broader definitions that stretch west to Bath Road.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #6  
Old Posted Apr 18, 2017, 9:43 PM
TorontoDrew's Avatar
TorontoDrew TorontoDrew is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 9,786
For me the TTC map better describes what I consider Downtown Toronto to be. The traditional borders of Bathurst and the Don I think have spilled over into more urban built up areas now. I used to live at Ossignton and College which I considered downtown, I now liver near Queen and Broadview I feel like it's more downtown then my last address. If we are discussing neighbourhoods then downtown is a much smaller region but the downtown or the parts of the city where people are considered downtowner's is much larger. In the East I'd go as far to say the Beacheas is the eastern border of downtown Toronto where people who consider themselves downtowners live. In the west Bloor West Village and the Junction, and to the north almost everything south of St Clair east of Dufferin and west of O'connor.

Reply With Quote
     
     
  #7  
Old Posted Apr 18, 2017, 10:20 PM
Xelebes's Avatar
Xelebes Xelebes is offline
Sawmill Billowtoker
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Rockin' in Edmonton
Posts: 13,833
Edmonton doesn't have a downtown. It chose to build its fort, and eventual main street on higher ground. So it has an uptown. But then most of Edmonton is uptown.
__________________
The Colour Green
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #8  
Old Posted Apr 18, 2017, 11:34 PM
balletomane balletomane is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 553
Downtown Winnipeg is bounded roughly by the Red River to the east, the Assiniboine River to the south, Isabel/Colony/Memorial/Osborne North street(s) to the west and the CPR tracks to the north. Population 18,000 in about 4.1 sq km.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #9  
Old Posted Apr 19, 2017, 12:44 AM
Docere Docere is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 7,364
Quote:
Originally Posted by TorontoDrew View Post
For me the TTC map better describes what I consider Downtown Toronto to be. The traditional borders of Bathurst and the Don I think have spilled over into more urban built up areas now. I used to live at Ossignton and College which I considered downtown, I now liver near Queen and Broadview I feel like it's more downtown then my last address. If we are discussing neighbourhoods then downtown is a much smaller region but the downtown or the parts of the city where people are considered downtowner's is much larger. In the East I'd go as far to say the Beacheas is the eastern border of downtown Toronto where people who consider themselves downtowners live. In the west Bloor West Village and the Junction, and to the north almost everything south of St Clair east of Dufferin and west of O'connor.
That's almost all of the Old City of Toronto.

Bathurst to Don is already a rather extensive definition IMO.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #10  
Old Posted Apr 19, 2017, 12:53 AM
Coldrsx's Avatar
Coldrsx Coldrsx is online now
Community Guy
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Canmore, AB
Posts: 66,729
Downtown Edmonton is a geographic area for the Downtown Edmonton Community (1 of 158 communities in our city), for the City of Edmonton and for the Downtown Business Association.

Sometimes legal, other times symbolic.
__________________
"The destructive effects of automobiles are much less a cause than a symptom of our incompetence at city building" - Jane Jacobs 1961ish

Wake me up when I can see skyscrapers
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #11  
Old Posted Apr 19, 2017, 1:04 AM
Innsertnamehere's Avatar
Innsertnamehere Innsertnamehere is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Hamilton
Posts: 11,551
Quote:
Originally Posted by Docere View Post
That's almost all of the Old City of Toronto.

Bathurst to Don is already a rather extensive definition IMO.
TorontoDrew's description is more of "living in the city" to me. Downtown is more Bathurst-Jarvis, Bloor-the lake.

I live in the Queen and Dufferin area, and while I certianly live in the city, I wouldn't say I live downtown in the traditional sense. That said, when my parents visit from the outer suburbs, they say they are heading downtown. So its a matter of perspective.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #12  
Old Posted Apr 19, 2017, 1:19 AM
ue ue is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 9,480
Quote:
Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker View Post
As I'm sure is the case everywhere else, in St. John's there are a few different things people might mean when they say "downtown".

"The Downtown" is a clearly-defined neighbourhood that is mostly commercial but includes some residential areas closest to the core (which, in turn, are these days mainly rental suites, hostels, etc.).



You really like showing off that map, don't you?
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #13  
Old Posted Apr 19, 2017, 9:24 AM
SignalHillHiker's Avatar
SignalHillHiker SignalHillHiker is online now
I ♣ Baby Seals
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Sin Jaaawnz, Newf'nland
Posts: 34,681
Quote:
Originally Posted by ue View Post
You really like showing off that map, don't you?
It's just so easy. I've probably posted sections of it 1,000 times yeah. Sorry!
__________________
Note to self: "The plural of anecdote is not evidence."
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #14  
Old Posted Apr 19, 2017, 11:28 AM
north 42's Avatar
north 42 north 42 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Windsor, Ontario/Colchester, Ontario
Posts: 5,810
Windsor's downtown extends from the Detroit River south to Erie St, west to Caron Ave. and east to Aylmer St. Not a very big area!
__________________
Windsor Ontario, Canada's southern most city!
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #15  
Old Posted Apr 19, 2017, 1:12 PM
MonctonRad's Avatar
MonctonRad MonctonRad is online now
Wildcats Rule!!
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Moncton NB
Posts: 34,488
Downtown is a state of mind........

I can probably think of 4-5 theories as to what actually constitutes downtown Moncton.

I think that Downtown Moncton Incorporated (the business development agency) defines DT as being south of St George St, and between Vaughan Harvey Blvd and King St
__________________
Go 'Cats Go
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #16  
Old Posted Apr 19, 2017, 1:24 PM
Taeolas Taeolas is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Fredericton
Posts: 3,971
Downtown Fredericton is pretty obvious; it's the block of buildings with commerical, office and apartments right in the core of the city, hemmed in by Westmoreland Street to the west, Regent street to the East, and running along King and Queen streets.

Go outside those boundaries and it really quickly turns into residential houses, the government buildings and/or the cemetery. The city itself has basically defined the downtown area slightly bigger; reaching out to just past Smythe Street; and those blocks are nicely densifying, but they are still a bit to suburban for me to personally consider them part of the Downtown core yet.

When you look at Google Maps of that area of Fredericton, "Downtown" IMO would be the parts shaded light orange/brown along those blocks basically.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #17  
Old Posted Apr 19, 2017, 1:26 PM
MolsonExport's Avatar
MolsonExport MolsonExport is online now
The Vomit Bag.
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Otisburgh
Posts: 44,807
The Question: "What is Downtown?"
The Answer:
Video Link
__________________
"If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."-President Lyndon B. Johnson Donald Trump is a poor man's idea of a rich man, a weak man's idea of a strong man, and a stupid man's idea of a smart man. Am I an Asseau?
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #18  
Old Posted Apr 19, 2017, 1:54 PM
Drybrain Drybrain is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 4,125
Quote:
Originally Posted by Docere View Post
That's almost all of the Old City of Toronto.

Bathurst to Don is already a rather extensive definition IMO.
This seems to be a perennial Toronto point of contention. A lot of people seem to define practically anywhere between the Don and the Humber as downtown. I get that if someone is in, say, Markham, and they're going to Parkdale, they might say they're going "downtown" as a general directional indicator.

But that seems to be a suburban conflating of "urban" or "old" with "downtown". Realistically, I think it's approximately Sherburne to University, below Bloor. And there's an argument to be made that it widens out the further south you go. i.e., I wouldn't call the Annex between Spadina and Bathurst downtown, but I could see Queen West as far as Spadina, and King West as far as Bathurst.

But if I'm on Ossington or Parliament, I'm not downtown.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #19  
Old Posted Apr 19, 2017, 2:00 PM
Acajack's Avatar
Acajack Acajack is online now
Unapologetic Occidental
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Province 2, Canadian Empire
Posts: 67,921
Quote:
Originally Posted by MolsonExport View Post
The Question: "What is Downtown?"
The Answer:
Video Link
He. Is. Back.
__________________
The Last Word.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #20  
Old Posted Apr 19, 2017, 2:09 PM
kwoldtimer kwoldtimer is online now
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: La vraie capitale
Posts: 23,524
Quote:
Originally Posted by MolsonExport View Post
The Question: "What is Downtown?"
The Answer:
Video Link
Now that tune will be in my head all day. And I will smile...
Reply With Quote
     
     
This discussion thread continues

Use the page links to the lower-right to go to the next page for additional posts
 
 
Reply

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Regional Sections > Canada
Forum Jump


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 9:08 PM.

     
SkyscraperPage.com - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.