The New Death of the City

[mariomike]

I've always found them to be generally shallow and plasticky with no mental or personality difference between them.

I said, "There are lots of them."

Didn't guarantee they would meet your high standards.

I wonder what their opinion was of you?

 

[Kirkhill]

Predicting the end of cities while were still in the middle of a pandemic is like saying there is no shoreline when you're in the trough of a wave.

Of course lots of urban businesses and services are hurt. They are hurt in rural areas too. De-urbanization will have to overcome a pretty strong 500 year trend if his prediction is to come true:

View attachment 64820

The other thing to remember when talking about the "death" of cities. When people are leaving cities they for the most part aren't leaving urban areas for rural areas. They are leaving the most densely populated urban areas for somewhat less densely populated urban areas. They're not trading cities for farms. They're trading downtown cores for places that still have all the amenities of a city within reach, but just have a bit more private space around them.

The City of Toronto is a city. To the North-East Markham is a city by name but most Toronto people would call it the suburbs. North of that Stouffville is a town but only the people around the very edges (a small minority of the population) would be called rural. A little further North of that is the community of Ballantrae. A collection of mainly estate homes in "the country". Almost none of the people in any of these communities leads a remotely rural life. They are urban dwellers with varying degrees of urban density. Generally the more money you have, the less density you can afford. That means that most of the population will continue to live in relatively high density communities. Maybe not in high cost areas like The Beaches, or Manhattan, but I think cities are not only here to stay, they will continue to grow and spread.

And maybe using Rome as the example of a dying city isn't the best choice. It did last for 1,000 years afterall!

Wrt Rome. It grew from 753 BC to 165 AD. It maxed out with the defeat of the Greeks and the Carthaginians in 141 BC and Mithridates ca 65 BC. I only give the Romans credit for 2 to 300 years. Milan, Ravenna and Byzantium don't count. Rome was dead long before Romulus Augustulus took the throne.

Beyond that, I agree with you. In part.

Cities change, grow and die, just like any other colony. The react to their environments. Some adjust and some don't.

 

[Kirkhill]

But about 90% of those people will not be in North America.

Just sayin'...

And that is another useful point. Current Torontonians may be inclined to trade the condo for the suburbs. On the other hand people in Calcutta or Hong Kong might see a Toronto condo as an improvement.

Catastrophes are measured by their time scales. Is there time to adapt?

 

[mariomike]

On the other hand people in Calcutta or Hong Kong might see a Toronto condo as an improvement.

I hope your people people from Calcutta have pretty deep pockets.

10 Luxury Condos in Toronto (Most Expensive Penthouses [y])

It’s time we take a look at the top 10 MOST EXPENSIVE condos in Toronto. Despite the recent negative news on the LUXURY real estate market, these HIGH-END condominiums in the city are still WELL-COVETED and in RIDICULOUS demand. Is your condo LUXURIOUS enough to be on this list? Let's find out!

precondo.ca

Average GTA home price to top $1 million for first time in 2021, real estate board says

Homebuyers in the Greater Toronto Area better prepare to spend more than they ever have before.

toronto.ctvnews.ca

Your profile tells us you are from Lethbridge, Alberta. Why not tell us what you love about it. Yeah, I know, "It's not Toronto!" But, other than that.

Lethbridge, Alta. leads the country in crime severity, StatCan says

The agency released its results of the Crime Severity Index (CSI) on Friday, a measure that looks at all police-reported crime and weighs it against volume and seriousness of the offences. This year's data put Lethbridge, Alta., the province's fourth most populous city, at the top of the list.

calgary.ctvnews.ca

 

[Blackadder1916]

I said, "There are lots of them."

Didn't guarantee they would meet your high standards.

When I was younger, that's how I liked women. Lots of them, with low standards. Hell, let's be honest, I didn't change much as I got older.

 

[mariomike]

When I was younger, that's how I liked women. Lots of them, with low standards. Hell, let's be honest, I didn't change much as I got older.

Sometimes, "Quantity has a quality all its own."

 

[Kirkhill]

Without being too coarse, but on the subject of girls, in a big city there are lots of them. For those interested in that sort of thing, YMMV

I hope your people people from Calcutta have pretty deep pockets.

10 Luxury Condos in Toronto (Most Expensive Penthouses [y])

It’s time we take a look at the top 10 MOST EXPENSIVE condos in Toronto. Despite the recent negative news on the LUXURY real estate market, these HIGH-END condominiums in the city are still WELL-COVETED and in RIDICULOUS demand. Is your condo LUXURIOUS enough to be on this list? Let's find out!

precondo.ca

Average GTA home price to top $1 million for first time in 2021, real estate board says

Homebuyers in the Greater Toronto Area better prepare to spend more than they ever have before.

toronto.ctvnews.ca

Your profile tells us you are from Lethbridge, Alberta. Why not tell us what you love about it. Yeah, I know, "It's not Toronto!" But, other than that.

Lethbridge, Alta. leads the country in crime severity, StatCan says

The agency released its results of the Crime Severity Index (CSI) on Friday, a measure that looks at all police-reported crime and weighs it against volume and seriousness of the offences. This year's data put Lethbridge, Alta., the province's fourth most populous city, at the top of the list.

calgary.ctvnews.ca

It's true. I live in Lethbridge. I like it although we are thinking of moving further out to a smaller town or an acreage. Short form is I like elbow room and long horizons. Trees bother me.

Prior to Lethbridge I have lived in Vancouver (while working in Seattle), Indianapolis, Calgary, Willowdale, Oshawa, Whitby, Cornwall, Guelph, London, Peterborough (ON), Nottingham, the real London and my home town of Ayr Scotland. I reckon I have a fair sampling of urban environments.

I like Toronto, and other cities, for about three days at a time.

 

[Good2Golf]

I've always found them to be generally shallow and plasticky with no mental or personality difference between them.

That’s why the beer at the ‘ballet’ is so cheap...

 

[OldSolduer]

That is heresy. You will be burnt at the stake.

Time for The Spanish Inquisition

 

[daftandbarmy]

It's true. I live in Lethbridge. I like it although we are thinking of moving further out to a smaller town or an acreage. Short form is I like elbow room and long horizons. Trees bother me.

Prior to Lethbridge I have lived in Vancouver (while working in Seattle), Indianapolis, Calgary, Willowdale, Oshawa, Whitby, Cornwall, Guelph, London, Peterborough (ON), Nottingham, the real London and my home town of Ayr Scotland. I reckon I have a fair sampling of urban environments.

I like Toronto, and other cities, for about three days at a time.

Blairmore and Coleman could use some 'settlers'

 

[mariomike]

I like elbow room and long horizons.

I bet you would love the Grand Canyon state as much as I do!

Give me land, lots of land under starry skies above
Don't fence me in
Let me ride through the wide open country that I love
Don't fence me in

 

[Kirkhill]

I bet you would love the Grand Canyon state as much as I do!

I do indeed. I've only had the pleasure of a few days in Arizona but thoroughly enjoyed it. Particularly enjoyed Ventana Canyon.

 

[mariomike]

I do indeed. I've only had the pleasure of a few days in Arizona but thoroughly enjoyed it. Particularly enjoyed Ventana Canyon.

They say it's acceptable for a grown man to cry at funerals - and the Grand Canyon.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Seen -

One of the points made in the original article that got me spinning off in the Roman tangent was



Firefighters (and for that matter soldiers) exist because of cities. If people choose to revert to living in widely dispersed family compounds like the Saxons then there will be no garbagemen, sewer workers or firefighters. Those people provide necessary services to cities but only exist in their modern high tech forms because of the needs of the cities. They become redundant if cities are declared surplus to requirement.

Problem in Vancouver is that those people can`t afford to live here, even my friend who is RCMP and his wife is a ER nurse, could not afford to buy a apartment here in North Van. Housing prices have disconnected from the local wages, small companies are moving to the suburbs to be closer to workers and to avoid traffic jams.

 

[mariomike]

There are over 9.5 million people in the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

This explains why Toronto real estate is so expensive,

 

[daftandbarmy]

Problem in Vancouver is that those people can`t afford to live here, even my friend who is RCMP and his wife is a ER nurse, could not afford to buy a apartment here in North Van. Housing prices have disconnected from the local wages, small companies are moving to the suburbs to be closer to workers and to avoid traffic jams.

A buddy of mine runs a GM dealership in North Van. None of his staff, apart from a handful, can live there and most commute in from as far away as Langley etc.

If the 2nd Narrows Bridge is closed for some reason in the morning, the office is empty...

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I know several of my friends have taken their businesses out of North Van for that very reason.

 

[mariomike]

WW2 destroyed many cities requiring them to be rebuilt, with superhighways connecting them and low density commuter suburbs.

Because those post-war super-highways were not common in Britain, Germany and Japan during the war, the Aiming Points were usually the center of the city.

Obviously we prefer to hit factories, shipyards, and railways. It damages Hitler's war machine most. But those people who work in these plants live close to them. Therefore, we hit your houses and you. We regret the necessity for this.

That is what it said in propaganda radio broadcasts and leaflets dropped over enemy cities.

After the war, many cities ( Toronto for example ) re-located the rail freight yards ( passenger rail service remained downtown ) and stock yards and associated meat processing plants, as well as other heavy industry out of town. But, it's not as though the land was allowed to sit vacant. It was put to residential and commercial use.

eg: The Railway Lands

Railway Lands - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Stockyards

Stock Yards Village - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[BillN]

Problem in Vancouver is that those people can`t afford to live here, even my friend who is RCMP and his wife is a ER nurse, could not afford to buy a apartment here in North Van. Housing prices have disconnected from the local wages, small companies are moving to the suburbs to be closer to workers and to avoid traffic jams.

Colin, I left home in North Van 44 years ago when I joined the Forces........now I can't afford to go home. My last visit was about 3 years ago and I was shocked at the changes, it certainly isn't the quiet place I grew up in. Sad really, I always thought I'd end up back there.

 

[mariomike]

Colin, I left home in North Van 44 years ago when I joined the Forces........now I can't afford to go home. My last visit was about 3 years ago and I was shocked at the changes, it certainly isn't the quiet place I grew up in. Sad really, I always thought I'd end up back there.

They even wrote a book about that.

You Can't Go Home Again - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org