DarwinP
Active Member
I did the survey and I hope someone takes the time to read it lol
I went all it. You never know someone may actually care and take note. fingers crossed
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Yonge-Dundas Square/Sankofa Square (Brown + Storey Architects)
- Thread starter MetroMan
- Start date
I went all it. You never know someone may actually care and take note. fingers crossed
yrt+viva=1system
Senior Member
kotsy
Senior Member
The extension of the video screen on the south side of the media tower on the North/West corner is completed. The old screen portion has been brought in to match the width of the new portion.
Northern Light
Superstar
The latest missive in The Star that YDS is failing.
www.thestar.com
‘There is nothing attractive about it’: Yonge-Dundas Square is struggling to attract people and is costing the city money. Can the heart of the city be fixed?
Hampered by its design and hit by the pandemic, the downtown public space needs resuscitating.
www.thestar.com
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
The latest missive in The Star that YDS is failing.
‘There is nothing attractive about it’: Yonge-Dundas Square is struggling to attract people and is costing the city money. Can the heart of the city be fixed?
Hampered by its design and hit by the pandemic, the downtown public space needs resuscitating.
I am glad they didn't hold back - though the solutions portion of the article is neither here nor there.
AoD
vatche
Senior Member
that square is pathetic. I’m sorry to say that.
Admiral Beez
Superstar
Paywall free: https://archive.ph/oshaxThe latest missive in The Star that YDS is failing.
‘There is nothing attractive about it’: Yonge-Dundas Square is struggling to attract people and is costing the city money. Can the heart of the city be fixed?
Hampered by its design and hit by the pandemic, the downtown public space needs resuscitating.
Biggest issues at YDS:
1) The underground parking lot feels unsafe and stairwells are covered in piss. Security and staff do nothing.
2) The area seems to be surrendered to intoxicated, mentally ill and unpredictable/unstable folks. Open drug use is common.
3) It‘s one big asphalt slab with no shade trees to sit under and enjoy the day.
4) It’s often too loud, when I come up from the piss-smelling stairs the racket hits me. Often this is due to some corporate-sponsored event.
So, in summary, YDS is unsafe, smelly, untidy, shadeless and loud. How that seemed like a good idea to the Square’s designs IDK. What YDS should be like is Berczy Park, a nice place for sober and sane folks to enjoy some downtown public space.
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vatche
Senior Member
Some people I know are scared to go there. Plus they have a high end mall right next to it. And what‘s worse is that no one is doing anything about it. Bryant park is nyc is so much better. chairs, trees,. Needs to be cleaned and fixed up ASAP.
Northern Light
Superstar
This forum and I myself have discussed many of the design shortcomings here.
Amongst us collectively, there is broad agreement it can/should be better, though a fairly substantive difference between those of us would prefer less of a 'Times Square' vibe; and those who think it hasn't gone far enough in that direction.
I won't rehash all the positions taken up thread, including my own, at this point. (except to say I'm in 'The Anti Times camp); but we can all agree w/e one aims at, the current set-up ain't working.
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Edit to add:
This was my relatively low cost, straight-forward plan to make the square work better:
Yonge-Dundas Square (Brown + Storey Architects)
Curious what people feel the square is lacking. Other then maybe some more greenery in the summer time
This was my ambitious, lets not rifle for loose change in the couch, but rob Ft. Knox to pay for the re-do version:
Yonge-Dundas Square (Brown + Storey Architects)
I get how some see Yonge-Dundas as shabby and tacky. Perhaps that's becuase we reside here and see it on a daily basis. But from a tourists’ perspective, what do they see? I wonder if New Yorkers find Times Square tacky? Personally I feel that Yonge Dundas is trying to be everything but doesn’t...
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Both versions would benefit from the safe injection site's re-lo or closure which is likely now pending.
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Blixtein
Active Member
It's a total dump at this point and it perfectly illustrates the state of this city.
isaidso
Senior Member
Most downtown folk I know don't go to Dundas Square or the Eaton Centre. Both are over run with loud obnoxious people who've commuted there from points many miles away. I don't hate either place, do enjoy the sensory overload of the square, but I'll only head there if I absolutely have to. And yes, I'd also take Bryant Park over Dundas Square.
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Towered
Superstar
As its featureless, cheap built form perfectly encapsulates the soulless, vapid qualities of the mainstream corporate culture that it's surrounded by, it essentially openly mocks the dull masses who make the journey to visit it.
It's brilliant.
It's brilliant.
Northern Light
Superstar
Ok, I like dumping on the Square for its many shortcomings as much as anyone; but I do think you're ranging into the territory of hyperbole here.
Brown and Storey are about as un-corporate a design firm as you'll find, they're very civic minded; and there's actually a fair bit of money in the Square (the water feature is not nothing burger, and the entire square is granite).
It was well intended, but has not functioned as well as one might have hoped in part because too much was asked of a tiny plot of land (the parking garage really makes a hash of things); and also limited by the terrible choices the City
and PenEquity made in the developing what surrounds the square as well.
From Wikipedia:
Aside from design shortcomings; the Square is also struggling to fund programming as they've lacked a program sponsor since the pandemic came about.
That's a big factor in the lack of more frequent concerts/events.
UtakataNoAnnex
Senior Member
There was nothing Mr Towered said that was hyperbole, IMO...if anything, I thought he was being a bit too polite about it. >.<
yrt+viva=1system
Senior Member
I’ve always wondered, does the parking garage do well? I’ve never ventured in to take a look.
The aspect I dislike so much about the existing square is that it’s all one ugly grey tone.
Personally I think a nice large fountain would be great for the square. Dare I say to hand over the square to CCxA to work their magic? Lol.
The aspect I dislike so much about the existing square is that it’s all one ugly grey tone.
Personally I think a nice large fountain would be great for the square. Dare I say to hand over the square to CCxA to work their magic? Lol.