To slander everything Toronto

Garth Turner in his blog the Greater Fool "Hot on the heels of realtors bashing each other and throwing elbows over a new condo development in mid-town Toronto comes more evidence dark forces have taken over the GTA". Have a look for yourself about the remarks.

The comment that I found interesting is here;

It’s called River City. The ‘river’ in question is a channelized concrete ditch full of dead water called the Don. And in a crook of roadway, where the six-lane divided Don Valley Parkway leaps skyward to join the elevated Gardiner Expressway, on acres which sat for decades as an industrial wasteland, will rise River City. I will let you imagine.

One feature of this oasis of five buildings and 6,000 suites to be built over the next three years, is a four-acre park. But not just any park – this is the world’s first park built under highway ramps. Yes, under the Richmond-Adelaide ramps, which are choked with rush hour traffic and form one of the main arteries into The Big Smoke, will be bucolic bocci courts, children’s playgrounds and all the pigeons you’ll ever want to meet.

Now, I believe in Urban renewal. I believe in Rapid Transit. I am a proponent of neighbourhood and community. Population shifts in Canada and net migration to the Golden Horseshoe make us a destination. Endless suburbs to the east, west and north are proving to be a transit and gridlock fiasco.

So we need to revisit the Cherry Street side of the city, and the revitalization of the Don River wetlands. To that point I had done some reading, as a curious realtor, as to what might be.

Lower Don Lands Wins International Best Futuristic Design Award

Lower Don Lands plans have received the 'Best Futuristic Design Award’ in one of the world’s leading sustainability focused development industry design competitions. The Keating Channel Precinct, the Lower Don Lands’ first planned community, was recognized at the Building Exchange (BEX) Conference. The fifth annual BEX International Awards, held in partnership with the World Green Building Council, promote global standards for environmentally sound buildings, large-scale developments and infrastructure. Judged by a panel of leading experts, the awards celebrate sustainability, innovation, efficiency and collaboration in the built environment and demonstrate consideration of the issues surrounding climate change, sustainable communities and future legacies.

The Lower Don Lands is also the subject of another recent video created by Waterfront Toronto. The video, which is available for viewing on YouTube, features a flip animation that outlines the plans for the Lower Don Lands. View the video.

Winning an Award? This is a vastly different perspective than I read from the Greater Fool. Toronto is a growing and congested city that needs to deal with real issues of urban planning, hydro generation, How will we move Millions of people daily to work and back?, water cleanliness and quality of life of the residents.

This site on the Lower Don Lands could have been the Olympic Village had we won the bid. What would the fool have said then, Toronto's economy doesn't need tourist dollars? While we obviously read the same news sources, maybe I am just a glass half full person.

Please read Garth's Blog. But Please also read the comments and rhetoric. Make an informed decision. You are welcome to comment here also/