Garment Street Condos | 25 & 6 fl | U/C

[tomh009]

A counterargument I expect here is that our issues as a mid-sized city stem from sprawl and a lack of density. This brings me to my second issue with this sentiment: Why highrises, instead of midrises? I'm sure someone with urban planning expertise will tell me what this is called and why I'm wrong, but I've often seen it suggested that people are most comfortable in streets with a street width to building height ratio of 1:1 to 2:1. Personally, I feel this rings true. When I walk through highrise districts of Toronto, it never feels like a comfortable place to be. It's not warm and welcoming. It's not a neighbourhood.

One note here is that in our region you cannot build 30 stories flush with the sidewalk: in general, the rules require the use of podiums and a setback of the upper floors. The resulting streetscape is substantially less tunnel-like than downtown Toronto. Consider how King St W is shaping up from, say, Francis St to Queen St. There are new mid-rise buildings with a street wall, and taller buildings (305 King W, City Hall, City Centre, Young Condos, 55 King W) but all of the latter are stepped back.