What makes a small downtown "charming"?

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Originally Posted by softee

North Bay's Main Street is somewhat charming -- at least a block or two of it, anyway.

https://goo.gl/maps/7r6sLKQi4xN2

https://goo.gl/maps/GnjLaW1XTGS2

That is pretty decent. I went to visit some people at Nippissing back in 2005. Being young I could care less about the surroundings. And only went downtown at night to get drunk and have a good time. Didn't realize it looked like this.

They even have a clock post. Another little thing to add to the list. Completely useless now but a nice little accent piece for a downtown.

Actually looking more and more at this street view, I didn't realize there's a lot more going on there than I would have thought. Interlock road looks nice!

The nig
ht before I went downtown, Strombo was at the campus pub. This was during his Much Music days and not CBC. I shook his hand and briefly talked to him. I don't think he knew what I said because he looked totally blazed.

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Another things is balconies. Whether they're real or decorative, they add a little intimacy to a streetscape.

The French Quarter is full of them. Unionville in Markham has a few. Frenchmans Bay in Pickering has tonnes but that's because most of that street is three storey housing.




From https://neighbourhoodwalks.wordpress...frenchmans-ba/




From http://gtarealestateblog.com/markham-real-estate/

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Drove through Uxbridge, Sunderland, Beaverton and Sutton this weekend. Seemed like all of them had those clocks on the sidewalks. Uxbridge and Beaverton were pretty interesting.

Uxbridge has a decent DT and they got a few old trains there and one of them takes people on a short scenic journey.

Beaverton has a lot of rustic charm. And some of those houses along the mouth of Beaver Creek were really interesting. As well, they had a few murals on old buildings. That's something I don't think was mentioned. Murals definitely add character to a place.


http://eastgwillimburywow.blogspot.c...ain-mural.html

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Drove through to Niagara as well this weekend. Here's an example of a gateway to a neighbourhood like I had mentioned earlier.


http://grimsbyradio.com/

[urbandreamer]

^I like stopping for coffee at Station 1 and going across the street to the Dutch store to buy candy in downtown Grimsby. Bonus the Dutch farm girls are kinda hot.

[Loco101]

I always like town squares. We badly need one in Timmins and our downtown is really bad to begin with and could use a square for events.

[megadude]

Originally Posted by Loco101

I always like town squares. We badly need one in Timmins and our downtown is really bad to begin with and could use a square for events.

Good point.

Hadn't even thought about that despite growing up in Brampton. They really improved the "Four Corners" and built around the Rose Theatre to make it a gatherine place. Formerly there were banks on all four corners of Queen and Main.


http://www.brampton.ca/EN/Arts-Cultu...s/Welcome.aspx


http://www.brampton.ca/EN/Arts-Cultu...ree-Films.aspx

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Mississauga


https://www.insauga.com/catch-euro-2...re-this-summer


https://www.narcity.com/ca/on/toront...in-mississauga

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Kingston


http://www.experienceslc.ca/experien...aItem-ig3x3evr


(THE CANADIAN PRESS / Lars Hagberg)

[Loco101]

Any town squares in smaller communities? Please post some photos.

Rouyn-Noranda has one in front of its city hall and the city has the same population as Timmins. It has a nice fountain and many outdoor events are held at it.

[megadude]

I noticed on the Ontario forum that Chatham is getting a condo building downtown. I have never been to Chatham so I was surprised to see how decent their DT is. And going back to the trees debate, I would definitely take trees than no trees, but Chatham has some monster trees that you could say interfere with the streetscape. These pics don't do it much justice. You have to google street view to appreciate it. The trees block views from 2nd floors and cause too much shade.


http://downtownchatham.com/


http://www.tripmondo.com/canada/ontario/chatham-kent/
http://downtownchatham.com/

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^ By the way, look how beautiful that clock is. I never paid attention to them until someone posted a link to North Bay and I saw the clock. Now I notice them all the time. I think I want one. If I ever get a house with a big patio in the backyard, I have to find a cheap broken used one and I don't care if it tells the time or not.

[megadude]

Another nice feature for a downtown is an old timey theatre. For a bigger downtown, modern theatres work well as long as they look nice.


Chatham:

http://downtownchatham.com/


Uxbridge:

http://www.branstrans.com.au/blog/co...e-and-hillier/

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Modern:

Burlington:

Tourism Burlington


Brampton:

http://www.etnow.com/news/2012/2/d-a...re-in-brampton

[megadude]

Not nice. Oakville:



http://www.whattravelwriterssay.com/perfarts166.html

[megadude]

Another thing to add is statues. Expensive to commission them so that's why bigger cities tend to have them and not small towns. Niagara on the Lake is one of the few smaller places that has one, which is for obvious reasons. Home of the Shaw Festival.


Contributor: Ian Dagnall / Alamy Stock Photo

[niwell]

I actually kind of like the Oakville Centre buildings, but the context of the complex is awful. If they fixed up the plaza in front and somehow relocated the parking / loading area fronting 16 Mile Creek it would help a lot. Also the building needs a reno badly. I guess at that point it may be easier to start from scratch...

[megadude]

Originally Posted by niwell

I actually kind of like the Oakville Centre buildings, but the context of the complex is awful. If they fixed up the plaza in front and somehow relocated the parking / loading area fronting 16 Mile Creek it would help a lot. Also the building needs a reno badly. I guess at that point it may be easier to start from scratch...

When I'm there, I don't mind it at all. It's a little quirky given its layout and its location on a hill beside the river. It's just so much concrete!

But ya, I can also see them tearing down and starting over at some point in the near future. Probably put a couple condos around it of course, just like on the other side of the river.

I fish that river all the time by the way. I launch beside the theatre/library. I like going up and down the river. Lots to see in terms of nature, sail boats, yachts, fancy houses. That big honking piece of concrete is not exactly one of the features of a trip along the river!

[ssiguy]

Chatham actually has a very nice downtown and a fairly vibrant one to boot.

Besides all of the above mentioned points, I also think the actual streets thenmselves make a big difference. Curving streets add a sense of intimacy as do thinner ones as opposed to these long wide routes. They help to define the downtown area and better showcase the architecture. A lack of one-way streets also helps as often all they accomplish is having cars fly by the downtown increasing the noise and unfriendly pedestrian realm.

[jonny24]

Somewhat related:

I was on foot in Gore Park downtown Hamilton, which is somewhat rare since I don't tend to walk that far east from my place. But I think it would a great spot for some European style cafe-patio seating. Especially along the slice of King that's closed off to traffic. Unfortunately I don't think the right type of cafe/restaurant is there along that stretch. Bu I loved the feel of those when I was in Barcelona. In one square by a church all three restaurants on the square had all their tables grouped together and that helped create a critical mass of people that made it an attractive place to stop for a meal.