Raise the Hammer

I attended the city's LRT meeting last week and they had a great brochure available on residential intensification. The used the example of the two following buildings.

Hellenic house on Strathcona - http://www.cianfronearchitect.com/R-HR.s...

And this high rise condo on Queen North - http://www.homefinder.ca/listing/details...

The brochure states that the 5 storey building on Strathcona is 243 units/hectare The 22 storey condo on Queen is 213 units/hectare.

It's a great example of how urban intensification can be more human scaled and not necessarily made up of mega-towers (even though our skyline could use a few. LOL)

Have you ever wondered how Brooklyn, NY is more dense than Toronto?

Brooklyn - http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-co... Toronto - http://www.travelblissful.com/wp-content...

Brooklyn - 13,500 sq/km Toronto - 4,000 sq/km

I personally see no problem with taking a somewhat rundown house, or in the Strathcona case, an old boarding house and converting it into high end condos. We always say we want downtown Hamilton to turn around and more people with better income to move here and help create a better mix of social classes and demographics. Well, let's not act like a 90 storey tower was just proposed next to your house when in fact it's really 2, 3-storey triplexes. But instead of charging $450 a month and having an absentee landlord, you're going to have neighbours with money paying condo fees for great property maintenance. It will enhance the entire neighbourhood. I'm not kidding when I say I'd love one of these projects next to my house. I've suggested to Mr Cerello that he look at purchasing one of the homes next to me that need some serious TLC - one has no hydro, water or anything running anymore. It's been virtually abandoned for a few years (although the owner does sleep there many nights). Another on our street is an illegal triplex that until last week was rented out to known criminals, drug dealers, pimps etc..... on a block with 14 children. Mr. Cerello is more than welcome to move up to my end of Strathcona anytime he likes.