Toronto Star makes real estate and numbers fun with an illustrated feature on city condo living
In a flurry of pie charts, bar graphs and cartoons this past weekend, the Toronto Star published its first instalment of Vertical Toronto, a visual series about condo life in the city. And, yes, we learned a thing or two. Turns out 60 per cent of Toronto households live in apartments—379,055 in high-rises, 205,825 closer to the ground. Remember when we reported that Toronto’s condo-building blitz is crushing New York City and Mexico City? The Star reveals the numbers behind completed condos: while T.O. (1,879) is far, far behind NYC (5,967), Hogtown is still ahead of every other city in North America. But the most interesting factoid comes from a sidebar about the sculptures outside city apartment towers: it seems developers aren’t actually enthused patrons of the arts. Section 37 of the Planning Act allows them to petition for a higher or denser build if they make a generous donation to a “community benefit,” like parks, community centres, heritage sites or public art installations. Since 1998, 130 works have been funded this way. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »
