Supertalls & Subways: Walking Down Toronto's Most Important Street

Рет қаралды 28,581

2 жыл бұрын

Ever since I first started living in Toronto back in freshman year of university, I've been keeping an eye out on Yonge Street - Toronto's most important street, which is rapidly going through a transformational change. Let's walk though it!
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Пікірлер: 300

@spencermulvaney 2 жыл бұрын

I like this. Say it with me everyone, more city talks with Reece!

@maknyc1539 2 жыл бұрын

more city talks with reece!

@danielbaum9908 2 жыл бұрын

Agreed!

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Message received!

@brendanforde2631 Жыл бұрын

agreed 10/10 video

@Not_Sal 2 жыл бұрын

I love the city talks. Cities and transit go hand in hand with each other. Transit oriented development is also the future of urban planning in North America, there will be plenty of upcoming projects to make videos about

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I am so excited about doing more videos about TOD

@Qaaxxx 2 жыл бұрын

To me increasing the walkability of the area is more then just the icing on the cake, it the biggest thing to happen in the area. Tall buildings are cool, but they aren't bike lanes or more sidewalk.

@peach7469 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, cities need to be more people friendly! That includes walkability, and transit. They complement each other, and help counter the car-centric apocalyps.

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

I suppose these things sort of go hand in hand in my mind. A dense street should inevitably become more people oriented.

@nunyabusiness1489 2 жыл бұрын

But population density is HEAVILY correlated to walkability. If a neighborhood has higher density it can support more businesses, which will, on average, be closer to where people live, and therefore be quicker to reach on foot. And more people living in a given neighborhood, especially one that's walkable, usually means more people riding transit, which allows higher frequency transit lines and/or more transit lines.

@Freshbott2 2 жыл бұрын

Could you do a piece on how pure density of floor space increases at all cost can result in lower density of street level amenity and diversity? In Australia a single structure will often replace a whole block of skinny street-fronting businesses with one single space that's lucky to have one street level business, and then abuse the term "mixed use". I imagine it's typical in most of Canada too.

@JohnUnit 2 жыл бұрын

This is exactly what has happened on Yonge. Look at a Streetview of Yonge and Maitland 2010 vs. Now.

@Krispy416 2 жыл бұрын

Yes this is happening throughout Toronto. They will replace a plaza which has a shawarma spot/bakery/convivence store/beauty salon with a condo which retail consist of a bank or like a chain pharmacy and real estate or law office. Small local businesses are getting wiped out.

@lester51494 2 жыл бұрын

Totally. I keep saying this but we need a mechanism for new large devs to include small flexible retail spaces at street level to lower the barrier of entry for local business.

@SweatySockGaming 2 жыл бұрын

@@lester51494 They want to keep the barrier high to artificially inflate lease prices like in nyc

@Freshbott2 2 жыл бұрын

@@SweatySockGaming I don't think there's any conspiracy involved but planning frameworks usually emphasise amalgamation, and with density targets if an organisation wants to buy up property they usually have to prove a planned increase in density to the city to gain approval. The easiest way to build a tower is to flatten what's there and dig the foundation. There's no reason a high-rise can't retain the original frontage though or alot frontage for multiple businesses but it's not the default. I personally think the solution is rather than density targets, the municipalities should set amenity targets that require at least an equivalent number of essential and non essential services within a certain radius. Arbitrary density targets often overshoot and so developers need to go past the 5-8 story sweet spot, any higher for a small lot and the cost per unit increases. So you get a situation with apartments for the rich only, and reasonable low hanging fruit is made unviable for smaller developers, even thought the average increase in density with just a few stories would be huge. We'd probably see a lot more individual lots being increased in height rather than amalgamations which is great. The more local ownership and independent tenancies can be retained the better it is for the community.

@belcavendishny 2 жыл бұрын

this is a refreshing change of pace. we can talk about transit plans all day long, but ultimately it's important to center the lived experience said transit plans facilitate

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely at the end of the day, the city is all about the buildings and infrastructure too! Not just the transit!

@pauldevey8628 2 жыл бұрын

For a city like Toronto growing at 100,000 - 150,000 souls /year its growth is inextricably linked to transit. Great vid, as always!

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Paul! It's really exciting to see more people living on top of the Subway!

@nunyabusiness1489 2 жыл бұрын

Greater Toronto is definitely one of the very few exceptions to the norm in North America. It's almost always the case that metro areas here are either 1.) Growing virtually entirely through sprawling out further with low-density greenfield development 2) remaining mostly stagnant because there is no more developable land within a reasonable commute from the city center and because they don't allow nearly enough redevelopment for denser housing in already developed neighborhoods, 3) still growing quickly but not adding new housing and forcing people to live with more roommates or commute from entirely different metro areas (like the Bay Area, which has only added 1 home for every 10 new jobs), or 4) remaining stagnant because their economy has been decimated by de-industrialization.

@MissionHomeowner 2 жыл бұрын

@@nunyabusiness1489 Toronto had GREAT politicians going back 130 years that I know of. They built a subway deck under the Bloor Street Viaduct over 50 years before the subway! They planned ahead for the time of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Visionaries.

@Alexizweird 2 жыл бұрын

After attending UofT and now back in the US due to a program change, I can’t express how much I miss Toronto. I truly hope I’ll be able to come back and hopefully get a job that reflects the HCOL of the city!

@tylerhan8692 2 жыл бұрын

hope to have you back!

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

We hope you return!

@Thorum0 2 жыл бұрын

Living in a city where the central road was pedestrianised a few yeadsago, it's amazing how fast the available pedestrian space gets used. Amazing concept for a video :)

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely! I will be covering it for sure, theres a similar street in Vancouver

@n.b.3521 2 жыл бұрын

Wellesley was my station too! My first Toronto apartment was in 110 Maitland, a building which is currently mysteriously boarded up, but with no known redevelopment plans.

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Haha, always fun to meet fellow Wellesley users :)

@tylerhan8692 2 жыл бұрын

This is my neighbourhood! Super spot on video, city talks are great :D One thing I'm really appreciating about DT Toronto is how all the heritage/legacy facades are incorporated in the new designs instead of getting demolished. It adds a lot of character with the juxtaposition of the old and new. The other thing is how the condos are generally glass and white - a lot more light gets reflected down to the street level that doesn't happen nearly as much in a place like New York.

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Great points! I know the approach of gutting buildings and only keeping the facades is controversial, but keeping them is still a very cool thing I agree!

@jakebibit5292 2 жыл бұрын

Really enjoyed learning about what's to come downtown, please keep making these types of videos. Maybe do the non stop construction site of Yonge & Eglinton next lol.

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

That's a great area for me to cover change wise!

@_Matt_Matt_365_ 2 жыл бұрын

Super cool! I love to learn about toronto!!! I feel like many of us live ignorant to the changes and developments in our city.. not entirely our fault though... Thanks for vid!

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words!

@levibasinger820 2 жыл бұрын

As someone with a background in urban planning, an interest in urban design, and an obsession with transit, I really enjoyed this video. I would love to see other videos like this highlighting urban neighborhoods of Toronto, Vancouver, and other cities. This gives me ideas of places to visit as I also travel to experience new transit system expansions.

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

That's absolutely my plan!

@rockinstrawberries 2 жыл бұрын

Ayyy my community! I'll be sure to say hi if I ever see you on the streets

@qwincyq6412 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this. When I lived in Toronto and took the subway to St. George one of my pastimes was strolling down Yonge Street to Dundas Square. Hard to imagine how much that streetscape has changed in such a relatively short time.

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

One of my hobbies over the years too!

@mycolebrown4719 2 жыл бұрын

My favorite video so far. I love public transportation but this is great because it has fewer tropes in comparison to other transit videos.

@matthumphries 2 жыл бұрын

I really don't know a ton about urban planning or transit, but channels like City Beautiful, Not Just Bikes (which is how I found this channel), and now your channel have really opened my eyes to how interesting and important this stuff is. And having such high quality content that specifically focuses on my home city is truly fortunate.

@Dan-qv9xy 2 жыл бұрын

Love it! I love transportation but it’s really just other other side of the coin from land use. Both are very interesting in their own right, would love more of this.

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Exactly, there are inherently tied together!

@JohnUnit 2 жыл бұрын

I just wish the changes hadn't completely obliterated the small businesses that were in those old buildings.

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

I agree, though other events have done tons of businesses in sadly

@Altricksss 2 жыл бұрын

Obliterated is a good word. The retail spaces these condos offer are often not street traffic-friendly and doesn't give you a cost-connected city vibe like the older buildings had. Just look at the Aura Tower where you're directed inside the tower to escalators before you can even go to any shop.

@Nunavuter1 2 жыл бұрын

@@Altricksss The site of Aura was a parking lot for decades. Every time I walked past the parking lot, I wondered why nobody had built a building on the site. So while Aura is less than stellar in how it meets the street, it is better than the parking lot it replaced.

@77dris 2 жыл бұрын

Whoa! Two of my favourite topics on one of my favourite channels!

@zackakai5173 2 жыл бұрын

When I visited Toronto a few years ago I had only seen Yonge-Dundas Square in the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels, so when I suddenly found myself there on the top deck of one of those sightseeing busses (because it wasn't somewhere I had specifically planned to visit) I was like, "hold up a minute, is this where I think it is?" Oh and I was also so privileged to witness Duckman playing there before he called it quits in 2019.

@alexgerman7679 2 жыл бұрын

This format is lovely, some more would be a great addition to the channel!

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Alex!

@IKEMENOsakaman 2 жыл бұрын

Toronto is one of my favorite cities. The city is clean and people are very friendly and nice.

@doimoi958 2 жыл бұрын

Wow, you're on the content grind. Love it! 👍

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@tanukibomber1 2 жыл бұрын

Very strange seeing such detail about my neighborhood and station. Keep it up Reece

@TotallyRedonkulous 2 жыл бұрын

I really enjoyed this!! So informative and interesting. More of this please :)

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Will keep it coming!

@WilliamChan 2 жыл бұрын

More city talks for sure! I follow UrbanToronto too, and it was cool to see your article there. I'm sure a lot of other viewers are like me with interest both in transit and urbanity

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Cool to hear! I love looking at projects on UT!

@robertkarp6336 2 жыл бұрын

I’m loving this video. I like the map you use which shows the actual alignment of the subway. It’s interesting that the subway was built a half block off Yonge, Bloor, etc. instead of cut and cover under the road itself.

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

To be fair, parts were built under the street once you're south of College!

@n.b.3521 2 жыл бұрын

Nice! I like this format too. Would love more, but I'm a little worried you're stretching yourself too thin. You have new content up constantly!

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Don't worry, I'm pacing myself! I would love to make more though . . .

@goldnile718 2 жыл бұрын

Would love more of these videos but also think at least a passing mention of how these tall expensive condo buildings are problematic too.

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah that a good point

@thelandofdustin 2 жыл бұрын

Love the look at development. Definitely keep making these types of videos!

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@canadiandude24 2 жыл бұрын

Great video! Hope you make more!

@tommysalami28 2 жыл бұрын

Great vid Reece love to see more like this one

@johnmackinnon1026 2 ай бұрын

Love the content,..great mix, keep it up.

@river9632 2 жыл бұрын

I loved this - happy for you to make more similar content!

@TheKenContinuum 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome video, Reece. I'm more of a skyscraper geek than a transit geek, but I've loved all of your transit videos, and now after watching this all my youtube needs have been fully met. hah

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

So happy to hear, I am a shameless skyscraper lover too!

@troyh1025 2 жыл бұрын

I really enjoyed this very unique video keep more of these videos coming.

@tylerhergott3893 2 жыл бұрын

Loved the vid!

@vanaox3690 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome video ! Please more city talks like this !!

@obrienliam 2 жыл бұрын

Good content. Can't talk about transit withtout the context of buildings/development.

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Couldn't agree more!

@christopherwilson5341 2 жыл бұрын

Reece you knocked this video out of the park! Super cool!

@AA_8184_1 2 жыл бұрын

Nice addition to your videos! Look forward to getting back to Toronto to experience these changes!

@bobbbxxx 2 жыл бұрын

Definitely more like this, Reece! Awesome tour.

@theobrudal9150 2 жыл бұрын

Love this kind of content

@pembrake 2 жыл бұрын

cool new format. keep it up 👍

@allenageorge 2 жыл бұрын

Loved seeing this city-walk video of a Toronto Reece. Keep up the great work!

@incredibility4224 Жыл бұрын

I love skyscraper updates in Toronto. Id love for you to make more of these videos!

@grundewa 2 жыл бұрын

Love the video!! Please more city talks!

@gardneross 2 жыл бұрын

Super interesting, loved it!

@thecadeaujournals3980 2 жыл бұрын

This is my new favourite RM video! Keep up the personable content!

@mohsinvance389 2 жыл бұрын

You're doing a great job with these videos. Keep it up man!

@carfreeneoliberalgeorgisty5102 2 жыл бұрын

I don't how he manages to release new high quality videos everyday.

@calumashleymcdonough8955 2 жыл бұрын

Great video! I love the evolution into how a city integrates with transit. Consider a video on Vancouver's increased density around transit hubs. From a distance you can tell where the Skytrain stations are based on the clusters of taller buildings

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

That's definitely true, probably going to have to wait until I head home though! Areas like Brentwood are crazy - but you should check out my all the SkyTrain videos if you hadn't!

@uru86 2 жыл бұрын

Great video! Do more of these

@cara1111 2 жыл бұрын

I love this video! And your transit videos too, both types are great! Just love your channel PERIOD! ❤ 🇨🇦 🍁

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Carlos!

@1_manproject 2 жыл бұрын

really loved this video. would love to see you talk about non-transit developments as well.

@Secretlyalittleworm 2 жыл бұрын

i'd love to see you go through more TOD nodes like this one, very insightful as always :)

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I plan to do more!

@anteeklund4159 2 жыл бұрын

There are few cities in the world I wish to visit as much as Toronto!

@romang.8493 2 жыл бұрын

Good format and interesting.

@ErelH 2 жыл бұрын

Great vid! Do more of these (:

@juniorcampbell2980 2 жыл бұрын

This is very well done 👍👍

@marchgregoroff4605 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I'm an old Toronto girl, who lived downtown for years. In the last few, I have lost a lot of mobility, so I don't get out. Through you, I get to see the new city that I love

@user-cm5tv3qg8o Ай бұрын

Love videos like this !

@u4anis Жыл бұрын

Awsome work

@nicholaswright9197 2 жыл бұрын

This man doesn’t stop!

@farhanchowdhury1534 2 жыл бұрын

Definitely keep doing these if you can!

@braydenzhang2488 2 жыл бұрын

Loved the video! Would like to see you do something similar in the area around Union Station or the Harbourfront!

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

I absolutely will!

@luisalvaro2137 2 жыл бұрын

Great video!

@hwgusn 2 жыл бұрын

I do like this format; I think it could lead in to an interesting series about good and bad urban development around recent transit projects.

@spencermulvaney 2 жыл бұрын

Perhaps a Not Just Bikes collab?

@hwgusn 2 жыл бұрын

@@spencermulvaney that’s one of the creators I was thinking of when I wrote that comment. lol

@TheTroyc1982 2 жыл бұрын

@@spencermulvaney He already compares Toronto to Dutch cities, how would a collab be different

@Chowdder 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for doing this. I lived downtown at Yonge and Wellesley too for almost a decade before moving out of downtown. This video is refreshing to see how Yonge street has changed drastically since I moved. Looking forward to more content like this.

@BlipNoir 2 жыл бұрын

Keep at it, Reece! Your usual videos are great but this is very much in the same vein. Perhaps for your future videos, if you continue with this style, you could do overviews of certain other nodes that are booming with development. E.g. East Harbour, Midtown, the Waterfront Toronto redevelopment project, Humber Bay, Mississauga City Centre, Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, etc.

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Yep! That's exactly the type of thing I would like to do!

@alhitmi2 2 жыл бұрын

Very fascinating, please more videos like this

@BadassBikerOwns 2 жыл бұрын

Comparing Toronto to my city, KL, it feels like actually the low density is a good thing. Less congested roads means less air and noise pollution, plus there is less black stain on the sidewalks and walls, caused by vehicle smoke. Less crowded sidewalks makes it more comfortable to use regularly.

@colinferguson647 2 жыл бұрын

As a frequent traveller to Asia, sometimes I get frustrated at the slow pace of development here in Toronto. I have to admit though, begrudgingly, that we have built a very livable city.

@jonathanlampier7754 2 жыл бұрын

Love this type of video. My one recommendations would be to add in renderings when you are talking about projects under construction or planned.

@bingjang4638 2 жыл бұрын

I love these types of videos! Maybe include a little bit more information relating to transit and your opinions on these towers. But I hope you keep making videos like this

@FredIsMyName22 2 жыл бұрын

More videos like this (even specific neighbourhood/development ones, like crosstown community or the well

@legoboycheng8670 2 жыл бұрын

Love these types of videos Reece!

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@MissionHomeowner 2 жыл бұрын

Make more of these, even about places NOT changing rapidly.

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

I absolutely will! Lots of unique neighbourhoods and locations to talk about!

@MissionHomeowner 2 жыл бұрын

@@RMTransit Greektown, The Danforth. The Junction. The Annex - wow - the Edwardian architecture.

@smb6995 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah I like this, because urbanism, architecture and economics are all very cool and also linked with transport closely, so double cool

@clearlynotwoke4929 2 жыл бұрын

Great video, very interesting.

@trentonc9141 Жыл бұрын

This is another great video. Having an architecture background, I have a high interest in urban design and planning. I hope you do more vids like this. Living in TO most of my life, I have seen Yonge St change so much since the 1990s (for those unfamiliar with the term ”TO”, it stands for ”Toronto Ontario”). I've used Wellesley station the most out of all station due to its village close by. So many people in that area don't even know that there is a parking garage above the station and a basketball court/tennis court/swimming pool on its roof that is for the residence at 15 Dundonald. I discovered it a few years ago when viewing it through G-Maps satellite view on an angle. It’s amazing to see all the buildings in 3d on there. It shows me how dt has changed and what new buildings to go check out in person Thanks again Reese for another great vid. I look forward to many more.

@TheTroyc1982 2 жыл бұрын

love this, more city talk please

@thierrylaberge5746 2 жыл бұрын

Love this!! Do Montréal next! So much is happening

@SirMango 2 жыл бұрын

I really liked this video. It was like a show and tell. I'd love to see more videos like these, especially if you could sneak in some history and progression on how the area changed

@jasmusic101 2 жыл бұрын

Sweet video!

@fearanchrann 2 жыл бұрын

Great video! Would love to see more of these and on other Canadian cities if you could manage it!

@joscallinet6260 2 жыл бұрын

To me, RM, what you're doing here is rounding out, filling in and detailing the very reason why we have transit in the first place: the neighbourhoods it serves, of course! I love this video, your obvious enthusiasm for much of what you're seeing here, as well as your wide-ranging knowledge of the specifics of many of the new buildings rising up all along this part of Yonge Street which you've selected to be the centrepiece of this video. I do hope that not ALL of "Old Toronto" gets erased in this period of rapid expansion and growth - rather that at least a portion of the best of it is preserved to give people a sense of where all this progress sprang up from.

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

I absolutely agree, progress is good, but the old is critical too!

@michaelvavala3088 Жыл бұрын

I enjoy looking up new developments in all Canadian cities so I very much enjoy this type of content. Hope to see more! I feel it would integrate well with Station Focus videos.

@Theonintendo 2 жыл бұрын

I like this ! It gave me the feeling I was having a tour of Toronto

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

That was the goal!

@BASSCHANNEL9090 2 жыл бұрын

This is awesome

@iFireRenegade 2 жыл бұрын

really enjoyed this video! would love to see something similar from yonge/sheppard to yonge/finch

@godowrk3360 2 жыл бұрын

I liked this video!

@jonod7913 2 жыл бұрын

Great video

@lawrencejob 2 жыл бұрын

I loved this one, although it was my first of yours.. Subscribing!

@gordnyc 2 жыл бұрын

Just seeing this, and very much enjoyed it. Toronto has become my second home over the past 4 years, and I'm looking forward to being back up there next week to check much of this out.

@brandonlind7881 2 жыл бұрын

Great video Reece! One suggestion - when you talk about proposed/under construction projects you could throw up an image of what they will look like to give some context.

@glenpower1677 2 жыл бұрын

Reece, love the exploring the City with Reece!

@simsima9809 Жыл бұрын

Hey Reece! Great video. Please do more videos like this one. Say in theater district, distillery district, entertainment district, Kipling district, etc.

@daelbows5783 2 жыл бұрын

Love this video! I think there still isn't enough development in Toronto. As u stated, it's one of the fastest-growing cities in North America. If we really want to curb urban sprawl, Toronto has to take responsibility and build more housing. Unfortunately, there are way to many NIMBYs in this city that want to bring in immigrants but don't want any development near their neighborhood to house those immigrants.

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah NIMBYISM is a massssssive problem here. Excited to see progress still happening though.

@yazanmowed 2 жыл бұрын

And guess who the subsequent price increases will hurt the most.

@Laughandsong 2 жыл бұрын

@@RMTransit Tell me about it! I am in the Facebook group Vintage Toronto because I love history. However, whenever downtown pictures or Yonge and Eglinton pictures of yesteryear are shown, you can count , on cue, on stupid comments, like " now ruined by those ugly condos" or at least back then you could park".While some of these people do not live here anymore, there are still people for whom any progress is "destroying the city".

@m.tayyab3290 2 жыл бұрын

I would love to see more of similar videos.

@s.j.5850 2 жыл бұрын

Great video. Looks like the density level in Toronto is going through the roof! I hope it doesn't begin to suffer from the downsides of having so many people in a relatively small area. From your video it seems that they have avoided some of the pitfalls of many large cities such as homelessness. Will definitely have to visit one day.

@RMTransit 2 жыл бұрын

The plentiful transit and other amenities in this area help a lot!

@andrewweitzman4006 2 жыл бұрын

They're there. A month ago, I was in Toronto for a week to see family. I had a free day by myself and decided to do the super touristy "go up the CN Tower" thing. I walked through an underpass rather than using the Skywalk from the Union Station. There were at least one or two dozen people using the sides of the underpass sidewalk as bedrooms.