I took a walk up Cherry street last weekend. It's really looking great! I can't wait for it to be opened all the way through.
 
The intersection changes at King & Cherry/Sumach requires some refinement - the E-W crossing on the south side of the intersection is FAR too wide without a pedestrian island of some sort. Plus the countdown clock hasn't been adjusted (which is odd because they had to completely change the lights and programming for the new streetcar turn signal) so you only receive about a 10 second countdown.
 
DSC said:
Cherry Street has reopened! Today you can walk and drive on Cherry Street from Mill Street to Lake Shore Blvd. The Metrolinx work continues at the bridge but traffic and pedestrians can get through (like Lower Sherbourne). Now to get the TTC to put the 72/172 bus back on its proper routing!
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Is the little streetcar line going to be interlined with King so that you can take it to King and then it heads west towards downtown or will you have to transfer?
 
ssiguy2 said:
Is the little streetcar line going to be interlined with King so that you can take it to King and then it heads west towards downtown or will you have to transfer?
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I heard that it will be used as a planned short turn destination for 504 streetcars going east with every 2nd or 3rd card ending there. I don't think they plan to end westbound 504 cars there but it is not opening until 2016 so who knows.
 
TheKingEast said:
What is your point exactly? I could come up with a similar picture of a Toronto development.
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I haven't seen any Condos like that on a main downtown artery in Toronto that's been built in the last decade.

TheKingEast said:
Montreal's architecture and design blows Toronto's out of the water.
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Pull the other one ... it plays a tune.

James said:
^ That picture of the cluster of multiplexes in Montreal is one of the less than stellar examples of architecture in that city.
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They are condos BTW ... it's not an apartment block - completed in 2009 if I remember correctly.

Here's a great view from Streetview - https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&l...s0mZq_Lqew8m2yoE4YCI3g&cbp=12,320.58,,0,-1.83

Montreal blows Toronto out of the water ... LOL!
 
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nfitz said:
I haven't seen any Condos like that on a main downtown artery in Toronto that's been built in the last decade.

Pull the other one ... it plays a tune.

They are condos BTW ... it's not an apartment block - completed in 2009 if I remember correctly.

Here's a great view from Streetview - https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&l...s0mZq_Lqew8m2yoE4YCI3g&cbp=12,320.58,,0,-1.83

Montreal blows Toronto out of the water ... LOL!
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You rang?

I can't find the post that launched this little TO-v-MTL debate but I can say that Montreal USED to blast Toronto out of the water. For centuries. But that stopped happening c. 1978 with very very few exceptions. A condo complex called Le Sanctuaire (c. 1988) comes to mind. Right now there's a lot of condo development happening in the lower downtown, i.e. south of La Gauchetiere -- and it's pretty forgettable.

This is not to praise everything Toronto has done since, or is doing now. I travel trhoeugh the W. Donlands almost daily and have observed their growth carefully. The grey/black never bothered me until recently. I think that's because of the extent of it; it just goes on for acres. Mind you, I think it's the new fad, like avocado and gold appliances were cool in the 70s, black appliances had a brief run in the 80s-90s, and now it's stainless.

I'd rather the black then the glass towers. At least (I think) the black can end up having coloured panels put in, or coloured railings, or something. And balconies dressed up with window boxes, street furniture, even cars will make a difference.

ETA: I should add that Montreal is generally better at low- and mid-rise development but only because it has a long tradition of it. Keesmaat's "avenue" concept was a reality there a century ago. The street view linked to above is just a modern version of what used to be known as "Balconville" -- the duplexes and triplexes where the working and middle classes lived. A lot of those are going up in formerly industrial areas in the lower downtown (Saint Henri and NDG). But design-wise, meh.
 
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I'd disagree in terms of recent developments, Toronto has some amazing low / mid rise development throughout the greater core, and 'amazing' here is used in context, that is in some cases the 'amazing' part is how well they fit into a particular area, I think King East (and the surrounding neighborhood) has great examples of this.

Where Montreal shines is its built form, so much better and well refined when compared to Toronto.
 
You definitely have a point about the built form. I think it has to do with the fact that Montreal doesn't have the demand, and the rush rush rush, Toronto does. More care can be taken, and is. Also, the colder winters may be a factor. Ya gotta sock in that insulation and have real windows.
 
Image by Waterfront Toronto. Even they couldn't come up with a more flattering way to present this.

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That picture makes me sad and angry! I hate when great opportunities are squandered in this city. This could have been, and should have been, much better. (and a whole lot less dreary)
 
It looks a lot better in person, aside from the horrendous colour choice for the mechanical penthouses. I would have liked more colour, but it hardly makes this area a disaster. Once it's populated and the greenery grows in a bit, it will look a lot better.
 
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