Water from Earth and Sky

Today was a beautiful day...right before it rained. But while the sun was still shining on Toronto people were outside enjoying the weather, like the people downtown at Yonge and Dundas today {May 31st, 2006}O_x

Quad

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Ryerson Quad, ~180 degrees. {May 20th, 2006}O_x

the boonies

This is why we urban planners hate the 'burbs (actually I shouldn't say that, many 'urban' planners love the suburbs for some strange reason). Surburban developers clear hectares of land of their forest and richness to build single-family house on twisted street patterns. This neighbourhood will probably be so unoriginal that if you stood in it when it is complete you couldn't even be able to tell what neighbourhood you are in, in what city, or even what part of North America, really! I mean, look at it now, you probably have no idea where this is other than obviously not in a major city. Its in Vaughan, between Major Mackenzie and Rutherford, between Keele and Dufferin I believe. See, its so boring up there I don't even know where I was. But the amount of land on this property is huge, it probably takes up over half of that square made by those four major routes mentioned. {May 28th, 2006}O_x

Last stand

I've been killing it with the Ryerson photos so I figured I'd have one last stand before going on to something else. Its just cause I had to take hundreds of Ryerson for this job I've received so I had a few good ones to share. {All May 20th, 2006}O_x

Looking northwest from the Quad, the centre of the campus.

The main entrance of the Business Building.

Jorgenson Hall

One of the residences, on Gerrard.

The Library Building, taken from the top level of the parking garage.

Gould Street at Victoria on the Ryerson Campus looking towards Yonge Street. Thats Avril Lavigne in the poster covering her ears with her mouth tapped shut for Aldo. {May 20th, 2006}

Continuing Ed

The north face of the Continuing Education building at Ryerson. Its nice how the building stands right over Lake Devo, it blurs the lines of ownership or posession! {May 20th, 2006}O_x

CED

The new Continuing Education building at Ryerson University (Don't ask me what these guys are supposed to be doing!).This is the facade of an old building that they used as the front of the new building, an excellent technique for projects that would potentially tear down all of important and beautiful buildings in Toronto. The old front entrance of the school that sat where Kerr Hall now stands in Ryerson is the entrance to the athletic centre and the old arches from an old hospital on University are kept on display on one of the upper floors of the Princess Margaret Hospital. {May 20th, 2006}O_x

Tall & Small

In the background is one of Ryerson University's residence buildings, and in the forground is the link between Kerr Hall and Jorgenson Hall. {May 20th, 2006}O_x

Crescent Town

This neighbourhood is Crescent Town, located beside Victoria Park Station. This community is built on high ground, is surrounded by the forests, and only 2 or 3 roads enter the area. It is practically designed to keep people in. The roads that enter and exit aren't meant for pedestrians, pedestrians are meant to keep in the complex. The complex has a main level where people can travel from building to building or to the local school, restaurant, health club, pharmacy and other stores. Most of the pedestrian paths do not offer a view outside Crescent Town, only the next building or townhouse. The different levels seperate the pedestrians from the automobiles for the most part. The towers are very tall, 30 floors at the most, and the community must be extremely dense. A good thing about this neighbourhood is that opposite the subway making for quick and convenient rapid transit travel. Crescent Town serves the needs of the local people but they are not encouraged to leave the neighbourhood. It is an example of Le Corbusier's Radiant City concept where a community has a high density with all the amenities and services the residents need. Le Corbusier meant for it to be applied to larger neighbourhoods and entire districts of a city, even an entire city. In Toronto the city has used these 'Super Block' designs only for their social housing and low-income neighbourhoods in order to marginalize the people's interaction with the rest of the city. {May 15th, 2006}O_x

Spring view

The view of Chalkfarm Drive from behind my building. They are very tall and viewable from many angles. The burst of green this spring is amazing, especially how they contrast with their surroundings! {May 12th, 2006}

G-unot

A sign in Parkway Forest. Someone's response to kids trying to be gangster {May 12th, 2006}O_x

Parkway flood

A parking lot in Parkway Forest filled with water from perhaps the day before's rain. The drain was probably clogged. {April 12th, 2006}O_x

Parkway pigeons

Pigeons atop a building in Parkway Forest @ Don Mills and Sheppard. This neighbourhood is amazing. It has a plaza in the middle, a huge park, almost a dozen apartment buildings, several townhouse neighbourhoods, and tons of Persians. {May 12th, 2006}O_x

Shepway

Different colours for different sides of the road in Shepway, at Leslie and Sheppard. This neighbourhood is amazing! It has lots of homes, tons of trees and bushes, and multitudes of different colours {May 12th, 2006}O_x

Springtime Bloom

St John's Rehabilitation Centre's driveway. The spring-time bloom has made the city extrememly beautiful after six months of grey skies and white ground.{May 12th, 2006}O_x

3 Chalkfarm towers, as seen from 195 Exbury. Apartment neighbourhoods stand out very distinctly in West North York. Driving along Hwy 400 near Hwy 401 demonstrates this perfectly, next time your on the 400 look east and you'll see the buildings of 'Jane Strip'. {April 16th, 2006}O_x

The sun shining through a tree at Exbury! I took this pic while I was waiting for a kid on a bike to get out of the shot I really wanted to take, but this one turned out pretty nice. {April 16th, 2006}O_x

Plane Chases

{May 4th, 2006}O_x

{April 16th, 2006}O_x

Sunset of May 4th

This sunset was amazing because there were no clouds in the air and the sky wasn't completely red or purple. My balcony has a perfect view of the setting sun all year round. {May 4th, 2006}O_x

Two buildings of Exbury {March 16th, 2006}O_x

Flemo

Two buildings of Flemingdon Park near a McDonalds. {March 31st, 2006}O_x

LIVE & LOVE

'LIVE & LOVE', written on a box full of sand outside an elementary school at Jane and Finch. {April 2nd, 2006}O_x

Jane street bustle

{R.I.P Jane Jacobs}

The hustle and bustle of Jane Street at 3:58 on a Monday afternoon. {May 1st, 2006} O_x

Don't forget to vote at PuglyToronto.com.

Not so PUGLY

{R.I.P. Jane Jacobs}

Check out PuglyToronto.com and vote for or against some of the new buildings in Toronto. "The Puglys are different. They are awards that are judged, not by architects, developers,
planners and the like, but by the public…people like you, who want to make our city more beautiful." Last years Pugly had over 10,000 votes and even encouraged one developer to rethink their design team so that they don't end up on the wrong side of the awards ceremony. Take a couple of minutes to vote on some of the city's newest architecture. I think the architecture has significantly improved over last year's, only a few this year got a 'thumbs down' from me. Vote and let me know your opinions.

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or click here to see the photo larger and in better quality than Blogger provides.

This is the view of Toronto east of Jane street, again on that bridge but this time as a panoramic view, ~180 degrees. {May 1st, 2006}O_x

Jane street bridge

Jane Street looking southeast. This picture is taken from Jane Street on the bridge that crosses the railroad, just north of Weston Road. {May 1st, 2006}O_x