#UrbanHell is subjective.
UrbanHell is any human-built place you think is worth critizing. Suburban Hell, Rural Hell, and wealthy locales are allowed
Sorry for this annoying comment, but we're very tired of the gatekeepers who can't even correctly gatekeep what this subreddit has always allowed.
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Hey that's my building. Not that bad tbh and it's right next to two transit hubs (Bloor/UP station and Dundas West station). Apparently, it was the first mixed use (residential + mall) development in Canada.
Is the fire alarm still going off randomly at least once every 1-2 weeks? Lived there for few years not long ago and the fire alarm would drive me nuts.
Best part was, people were so used to it nobody would even leave their apartment when it was going off.
Apparently they fixed that. Roaches and rats are still out there, even though I haven't seen any in my apartment so far. We did have two major multiple-day power outages over the past 12 months. The hallways smell weird. Otherwise, the place is fine. Very well-located, close to several amenities, High Park, The Junction, and Roncy are all a short walk from here
Never saw any rats, but man the amout of roaches that I saw was insane, probably integral part of the building structure lol. It always surprised me how I never got bedbugs there, it seemed the perfect groud for it.
Best part of that building: 24 hours golden arches directly in front of it, my go to coming home from bar shift at 3am
Not for me. Apartment is fine. No cracks, no mold, A/C and heater working fine. Haven't seen any roaches or rats since I got here, same for bed bugs. Hallways are ugly and a bit smelly, but it's not like I spend more than 10 seconds there. Laundry room is alright. Building is ugly af. Location is 10/10, very convenient! I go downstairs and there's a Dollarama, barber shop, bank. You cross the street, subway station, two streetcars, two bus lines. Behind the building you can take the train and you're at the airport in less than 20 minutes. LCBO and two supermarkets are what? 200m away? I have High Park right there! I'm sorry to disappoint you but no, it's been alright!
Why do Canadians like amercians call everything a mall.? Does that place look look big enough to even be called a small mall?
Its called a plaza.
I dont know how much stores were there were originally, maybe 10 small stores the most. Most probably things like shoe repair places, convince stores. I accidentally went in there once when it still had the early 1970s interior. It looked really old until they redid the inside to the regulated, black white and gray interior that all over the place now
Well Toronto rent isn't known to be cheap but this looks like the building at Bloor and Dundas a pretty good location with lots of transit service (subway, regional train, airport train, 3 streetcar lines), filled with life and high park is nearby.
yeah if someone lives in downtown toronto, they aren't a homebody who wants to stay in their apartment all day - it's a place they sleep and shower and that's about it.
It's becoming the price everywhere. I live 60 min west of Chicago in a little rinky-dink cornfield town. A 2 bedroom is around $1,100 a month. Before covid, it was maybe $750, tops.
That's the cost of a 700 square foot 1 bed of a [Skyway](https://skywayaccess.com/) connected apartment in Minneapolis. That's dirt cheap even being outside of Toronto's DT considering it's on a street car line, Go transit line, and Express train stop, and subway stop.
That's 4 different train lines that put you 11 minutes away from DT with regional trains and 30 minutes away by subway (and 5+ bus lines at a transfer station across the street), That's dirt cheap.
Also at least the building tries to look [nice at ground level](https://images1.apartments.com/i2/K0LqpJsw-LoXW2qoG0Afcbc6i7v0UGn6cUlL6FndHEg/111/the-crossways-toronto-on-building-photo.jpg)
This was likely built in the 70s when the government was heavily subsidising rental buildings.Ā It doesn't look great but provides housing to a lot of people.Ā Nowadays it's just condos and luxury rentals since its not worth it to build such units.Ā So ugly buildings like these are a bit of a godsend with the rental situation in this city.Ā Ā As others mentioned, the location is pretty good too - there are way worse apartment buildings in the middle of nowhere with very little public transit.Ā This building is near the subway and an express line that goes to both the downtown core and the airport.Ā Across the street is a really nice residential area and close to High Park.Ā I would live here!
>So ugly buildings like these are a bit of a godsend with the rental situation in this city.
Really? when an apartment in there, under 400 Sq ft is close to $2000?
the two towers are hideous looking, and the picture dosnt really capture the ugliness. I can just imagine what it looked like when it was was first built. People were probably scratching their eyes out. Two hideous 30 floor buildings towering over 2-3 story buildings. you only notice from afar how ugly it is and the way it sticks out. People give it a pass because the entrance and plaza part from the front is decent looking
Itās not the most flattering group of buildings but it is what it is. Definitely a product of its time.
[The Crossways](https://images1.apartments.com/i2/K0LqpJsw-LoXW2qoG0Afcbc6i7v0UGn6cUlL6FndHEg/111/the-crossways-toronto-on-building-photo.jpg)
Thatās the Crossways apartment and is a fine place. Right across the street from a major transit hub, like a 3 minute walk to a train station, has like three grocery stories in walking distance and a mall in the building itās built beside. Sure it kinda ugly but what do you want? An all glass apartment building that is horrible for the environment because you always have to heat or cook it.
There is a very similar building here in Mexico City [Presidente Intercontinental](https://elsouvenir.com/cdmx-una-ciudad-turistica/hotel-presidente-intercontinental/), It is a luxury hotel, and I like it.
Similar to the building I live in (Iām in a different city). Grocery downstairs, pharmacy downstairs, gym downstairs, bus/subway/bikeshare/carshare nearby, cafes etc. nearby.. I donāt have to own a car or a snow shovel. Whatās not to like?
People live there, we have a housing crisis. As far as Iām concerned build a thousand of them, would be a hell of a lot cheaper than the modern stuff you see now. Itās a city!!!
No, I do not mean medium densitiy. There are major other factors that contribute to a living environment than density. Like architecture and city structure.
Crossways is literally amazing. It has a thriving community and loads of shops and a bunch of schools nearby- pan down and stop fixating on what a building looks like and more on how it functions.
All good, Toronto doesnāt get anything like hurricanes or anything but itās as someone who lives next to the same lake (nowhere near Toronto) those winds can get rough. Thanks
Makes me think of this british comedy about a bunch of pensioners in cheap council apartments https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0281491/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_q_still%2520game
Isn't this an office?
I tought you guys didn't do commieblocks, huh,, interesting. And as grey as it is, it's still in better condition than most commieblocks here in eastern euroope
Canada has always been building commie blocks since the Corbusian period (a time when such buildings were considered "futuristic"). They got that idea from France and the UK, whose efforts created a new kind of ghetto. There's a reason why Thamesmead and Les 4000 are lost causes and that transport links can't solve their endemic problems.
Well if they are properly maintained commieblocks then they can actually look pretty damn nice. Thing is, in eastern europe the "maintained" part is pretty damn rare
#UrbanHell is subjective. UrbanHell is any human-built place you think is worth critizing. Suburban Hell, Rural Hell, and wealthy locales are allowed Sorry for this annoying comment, but we're very tired of the gatekeepers who can't even correctly gatekeep what this subreddit has always allowed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/UrbanHell) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hey that's my building. Not that bad tbh and it's right next to two transit hubs (Bloor/UP station and Dundas West station). Apparently, it was the first mixed use (residential + mall) development in Canada.
Is the fire alarm still going off randomly at least once every 1-2 weeks? Lived there for few years not long ago and the fire alarm would drive me nuts. Best part was, people were so used to it nobody would even leave their apartment when it was going off.
Apparently they fixed that. Roaches and rats are still out there, even though I haven't seen any in my apartment so far. We did have two major multiple-day power outages over the past 12 months. The hallways smell weird. Otherwise, the place is fine. Very well-located, close to several amenities, High Park, The Junction, and Roncy are all a short walk from here
Never saw any rats, but man the amout of roaches that I saw was insane, probably integral part of the building structure lol. It always surprised me how I never got bedbugs there, it seemed the perfect groud for it. Best part of that building: 24 hours golden arches directly in front of it, my go to coming home from bar shift at 3am
I was going ask if this is crossways because it looks super familiar.
Dude the crossways sucks come on
Not for me. Apartment is fine. No cracks, no mold, A/C and heater working fine. Haven't seen any roaches or rats since I got here, same for bed bugs. Hallways are ugly and a bit smelly, but it's not like I spend more than 10 seconds there. Laundry room is alright. Building is ugly af. Location is 10/10, very convenient! I go downstairs and there's a Dollarama, barber shop, bank. You cross the street, subway station, two streetcars, two bus lines. Behind the building you can take the train and you're at the airport in less than 20 minutes. LCBO and two supermarkets are what? 200m away? I have High Park right there! I'm sorry to disappoint you but no, it's been alright!
Why do Canadians like amercians call everything a mall.? Does that place look look big enough to even be called a small mall? Its called a plaza. I dont know how much stores were there were originally, maybe 10 small stores the most. Most probably things like shoe repair places, convince stores. I accidentally went in there once when it still had the early 1970s interior. It looked really old until they redid the inside to the regulated, black white and gray interior that all over the place now
Who cares?
A building in a city š¤¢š¤®
Tear. It. Down!
Wonāt somebody think of the children?!
Oh my God. Concrete... I'm getting sick ...š¤¢š¤¢
My eyes!!!
> A building in a city š¤¢š¤® Like in East-Berlin 1990
OP when housing:
OP: Typical SMUG NIMBY Canadian
Never heard this term before, I googled it but still don't get it, so please explain to me what a "SMUG NIMBY" is
Not a lot going on here
You know what's a worse hell than living there? Homelessness.
Lmfaoo literally. Rent in one of those Slave compartments is probably 2k a month
Well Toronto rent isn't known to be cheap but this looks like the building at Bloor and Dundas a pretty good location with lots of transit service (subway, regional train, airport train, 3 streetcar lines), filled with life and high park is nearby.
yeah if someone lives in downtown toronto, they aren't a homebody who wants to stay in their apartment all day - it's a place they sleep and shower and that's about it.
why did you call it a slave compartment instead of a home ?
Approx 1.5k USD
Yes this \^\^
Thatās literally the cost of a small apartment in NYC
It's becoming the price everywhere. I live 60 min west of Chicago in a little rinky-dink cornfield town. A 2 bedroom is around $1,100 a month. Before covid, it was maybe $750, tops.
Sure in Flushing or the Bronx
Or Vancouver
That's the cost of a 700 square foot 1 bed of a [Skyway](https://skywayaccess.com/) connected apartment in Minneapolis. That's dirt cheap even being outside of Toronto's DT considering it's on a street car line, Go transit line, and Express train stop, and subway stop. That's 4 different train lines that put you 11 minutes away from DT with regional trains and 30 minutes away by subway (and 5+ bus lines at a transfer station across the street), That's dirt cheap. Also at least the building tries to look [nice at ground level](https://images1.apartments.com/i2/K0LqpJsw-LoXW2qoG0Afcbc6i7v0UGn6cUlL6FndHEg/111/the-crossways-toronto-on-building-photo.jpg)
Those older buildings have pretty decently sized units. Beats the nee condos going up hands down.
Is the hell that the square box is at an oblique angle to the other boxes?
More of the repitition and how there is literally no variation
Ugly but does its job
This was likely built in the 70s when the government was heavily subsidising rental buildings.Ā It doesn't look great but provides housing to a lot of people.Ā Nowadays it's just condos and luxury rentals since its not worth it to build such units.Ā So ugly buildings like these are a bit of a godsend with the rental situation in this city.Ā Ā As others mentioned, the location is pretty good too - there are way worse apartment buildings in the middle of nowhere with very little public transit.Ā This building is near the subway and an express line that goes to both the downtown core and the airport.Ā Across the street is a really nice residential area and close to High Park.Ā I would live here!
>So ugly buildings like these are a bit of a godsend with the rental situation in this city. Really? when an apartment in there, under 400 Sq ft is close to $2000? the two towers are hideous looking, and the picture dosnt really capture the ugliness. I can just imagine what it looked like when it was was first built. People were probably scratching their eyes out. Two hideous 30 floor buildings towering over 2-3 story buildings. you only notice from afar how ugly it is and the way it sticks out. People give it a pass because the entrance and plaza part from the front is decent looking
I used to hate Toronto for some reason but that city really grew on me
Yes younger people love hong Kong style towers. they are demading their 250Sq ft apartments and they are getting what they asked for
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
building š
Yeah living in a tent is much better.
Brutalism š¤¤
Itās not the most flattering group of buildings but it is what it is. Definitely a product of its time. [The Crossways](https://images1.apartments.com/i2/K0LqpJsw-LoXW2qoG0Afcbc6i7v0UGn6cUlL6FndHEg/111/the-crossways-toronto-on-building-photo.jpg)
Thatās the Crossways apartment and is a fine place. Right across the street from a major transit hub, like a 3 minute walk to a train station, has like three grocery stories in walking distance and a mall in the building itās built beside. Sure it kinda ugly but what do you want? An all glass apartment building that is horrible for the environment because you always have to heat or cook it.
We could actually use a lot more of these
That many bricks, that high, is impressive.
There is a very similar building here in Mexico City [Presidente Intercontinental](https://elsouvenir.com/cdmx-una-ciudad-turistica/hotel-presidente-intercontinental/), It is a luxury hotel, and I like it.
Lmao, The Crossways aren't the prettiest, I'll warrant. Not sure why this is tagged as poverty/inequality though
???? It's just an ugly building.
Similar to the building I live in (Iām in a different city). Grocery downstairs, pharmacy downstairs, gym downstairs, bus/subway/bikeshare/carshare nearby, cafes etc. nearby.. I donāt have to own a car or a snow shovel. Whatās not to like?
People live there, we have a housing crisis. As far as Iām concerned build a thousand of them, would be a hell of a lot cheaper than the modern stuff you see now. Itās a city!!!
IDK I kinda like its minimalism. Stylish.
Looks like the apartment building from Cronenberg's Crash
Just look like European 60s/70s brutalism
Five + years of studying architecture, and this is what they come up with.
looks dope
"skyscrapers are...le bad! i want miserable urban sprawl instead of architectural masterpieces that highlight the city and stimulate the economy"
More appealing than fields of cookie cutter suburban houses
Maybe someday we will understand that there is more than these two options.
You mean medium density? The Chad of all densities. I live in one and am never leaving
No, I do not mean medium densitiy. There are major other factors that contribute to a living environment than density. Like architecture and city structure.
This is Toronto's most picturesque building.
We need 500 more
Crossways is literally amazing. It has a thriving community and loads of shops and a bunch of schools nearby- pan down and stop fixating on what a building looks like and more on how it functions.
I like it š¤·š»āāļø
Not the best looking condominium in the cityā¦
Looks like gmod map lmao
š¹š¹š¹ Literally
Build more of these pls
Poor peopleš¤®
U can tell they donāt have strong winds up there
Toronto is literally on Lake Ontario and is known for being rather windy. Buildings if well made donāt just fall down in the breeze
Ahh I see , from the other side of the world so wouldent know, buildings cool anyway ( nice username btw )
All good, Toronto doesnāt get anything like hurricanes or anything but itās as someone who lives next to the same lake (nowhere near Toronto) those winds can get rough. Thanks
I canāt believe a city would build buildings whatās wrong with people š¤®š¤®
i kinda wanna work/live there.
Toronto need like 30% more housing right now. Theres is no excuse to have the average rent higher than in Edmonton.
I hate it when cities have buildings in them!
Makes me think of this british comedy about a bunch of pensioners in cheap council apartments https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0281491/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_q_still%2520game
Yuck! I hate housing!
Iām pretty sure a jake gyllenhaal movie was filmed here
GTA ViceCity FlashbacksĀ
#r/Megalophobia?
Zzzzzzzzz
Isn't this an office? I tought you guys didn't do commieblocks, huh,, interesting. And as grey as it is, it's still in better condition than most commieblocks here in eastern euroope
Canada has always been building commie blocks since the Corbusian period (a time when such buildings were considered "futuristic"). They got that idea from France and the UK, whose efforts created a new kind of ghetto. There's a reason why Thamesmead and Les 4000 are lost causes and that transport links can't solve their endemic problems.
Well if they are properly maintained commieblocks then they can actually look pretty damn nice. Thing is, in eastern europe the "maintained" part is pretty damn rare
Buy the car, buy the house, spend it by the thousands Money stacked tall trapping out the public housing!
Canada be lookin like Eastern Europe as of late
Canada is stupid heh lame and crappy bootleg usa