08-25-2024, 10:19 PM
(08-25-2024, 08:09 PM)Bjays93 Wrote:(08-25-2024, 04:06 PM)tomh009 Wrote: Stopped ... how, and then what? We have absolutely zero rules for architecture outside the heritage districts. How are you going to deny a site plan or building permit based on the design? Or force a developer to design something that you like?
I'm not fan of this building, but we have no tools to force better design, so developers can do what they want. And I will argue that housing is still better than no housing.
I was being somewhat facetious obvi I don’t think they should literally be stopped, they’re merely supervillains who are ruining a once in a century, opportunity to completely redesign and reimagine our city and region. Once these are built we will be stuck with them for many many decades and they will be the legacy of Waterloo region.
Soulless, cheap, impersonal, and inhuman. I mean genuinely many of these buildings would be at home in Soviet Russia so it’s simply sad that that is all this companies aspire to be. So no they shouldn’t literally be stopped, but yes it’s still something I genuinely take seriously because this is the legacy they are leaving behind and it’s one that says “I don’t care, Waterloo region isn’t worth it”
Ugly utilitarian housing seems to be the rule, not the exception, for countries in desperate need. Soviet Russia, as you brought up, is just one of many examples post-WW2.
It seems that drastic urban redesign comes from the vanity projects of authoritarian rulers or the uber wealthy. Otherwise those changes come gradually in wealthy states with stable housing supply, affording individuals an opportunity to make their home and community something they can invest in. I don't think either situation really describes Canada right now, so don't hold your breath.