UserNameToronto
Active Member
...twee...
I can't think of a better word than twee to describe the plan. Then again, Cabbagetown's not a place that shies away from twee-ness.
...twee...
Perhaps a reason for Toronto’s strange amnesia about our own history, though it’s all around us, is because we’ve been trained to look for the central historic district we don’t have. The easy history. Toronto’s a hard city to market to tourists, in part, because it takes some work and an eye for the details to see its historic roots.
http://www.thestar.com/life/2013/08/15/much_that_is_old_works_in_toronto_micallef.html
You can't market what you can't identify or don't value. I get tired of the Toronto-has-no-history or Toronto-is-too-young nonsense that is the popular perception in this city regarding its past. Even those who do value history in Toronto often have a complete inability to impart it or celebrate it with any passion. We approach it like academics and scientists rather than artists or poets, which is part of the problem. We need to approach it form both angles. There is more to history than names, dates and facts. There is a story in history too. We show ourselves remarkably incapable of telling this story in any meaningful, relevant or compelling way... This is our problem.
I've lived in "Cabbagetown" for nearly 40 years.
I think the exposed hydro poles are a Toronto-wide issue, not a Cabbagetown-specific issue.
Perhaps Shawn Micallef's article will change your outlook on them?
Much that is old works, in Toronto: Micallef
Many cities have touristy historic districts, but not Toronto, where old stuff from streetcars to telephone poles are everywhere, supporting the real life of the city.
http://www.thestar.com/life/2013/08/15/much_that_is_old_works_in_toronto_micallef.html
Don't take this the wrong way but this strikes me as a very bizarre attitude. Buried hydro wires aren't just for tourist districts. Buried hydro wires support real life in the city just as well as "old stuff", if not better. A higher standard for streetscaping and beautification makes the city more pleasant for everyone.
I've been away from Toronto for several years in a city that has buries utilities. Now when I come back to Toronto, the hydro poles and streetcar wires really stand out to me, much more than when I was living there. But I think it's part of the city's look and charm.
It's weird for a big, modern, first-world city to have throwbacks like these, and I think they give Toronto some much needed character.
It is a great area. I've been living in CT since 1998 (less a three year stint in Fredericton). It was a lot rougher back then, with prostitutes and drug dealers evident at night, plus more rooming houses. In 1998 my wife and I noticed that folks with kids were moving out once, and when asked said they didn't want to raise kids there. Now the area is filled with kids, including mine.Just moved to Cabbagetown 2 months ago. We absolutely love it. Best kept secret in Toronto.
How about the potholes and asphalt patched sidewalks? Those are pretty charming too right?
How do other cities manage to have their own 'look' or exude their own charm or character while burying wires and dealing with utilities in a way that isn't completely disrespectful of the public realm? The hydro pole is a symbol of our neglect and of a tradition of indifference to our urban form. We can do much better.
It is a great area. I've been living in CT since 1998 (less a three year stint in Fredericton). It was a lot rougher back then, with prostitutes and drug dealers evident at night, plus more rooming houses. In 1998 my wife and I noticed that folks with kids were moving out once, and when asked said they didn't want to raise kids there. Now the area is filled with kids, including mine.
I wouldn't live anywhere else now. It's so central to everything - last weekend we all walked to the ROM and back to see the bat cave, et al. On the weekend the kids and I walked down to Corktown Common park, and then went swimming at Regent Park Aquatic Centre. I'm thinking of buying a condo at the Canary District to give to my daughters. The area is going to be great in ten+ years when they're adults.
True, but a house in the Annex will cost you more. Back in 1998 our 5 bedroom semi cost under $300K. Even back then a similar place in the Annex would have been $200K more... been here since 1997, and from my comfy little perch in C'town, well, The Annex looks good to me. Strange the way the grass is greener ...
We're getting off the topic of Cabbagetown here, but let me share this thought anyhow:
I've been away from Toronto for several years in a city that has buries utilities. Now when I come back to Toronto, the hydro poles and streetcar wires really stand out to me, much more than when I was living there. But I think it's part of the city's look and charm. It's weird for a big, modern, first-world city to have throwbacks like these, and I think they give Toronto some much needed character.
I personally find other downtown niggles (panhandlers, poor wayfinding signage, the need to pay cash to ride the TTC) much more troublesome than hydro poles. Pals who have visited Toronto agree.
True, but can you imagine the constant cutting operation and ugly tarmac plugs we’d see all over the city if the utilities were all buried? Already we can’t seem to coordinate the cuts to take place during re-surfacing, resulting in newly laid sidewalks being disfigured by utility cuts.you're right it is weird for a big city to have throwbacks like these. And it shows that while on the surface Toronto is a big, modern city, deep down it still has growing up to do. There is nothing charming about filthy wooden poles and 50 year old transformers that look like they're about to topple over. Their presence also means that street trees cannot grow in many areas.