Absolutely.
The condos being built by Skydome are all being built by Hong Kong Developers lead by Robert Fung (who at one time was running the Toronto Waterfront Redevelopment Corporation - the pseudo City of Toronto gov't body put together to manage the redevelopment of the Portlands).
Robert and his Hong Kong buddies only know one thing....
Money.
And how to make lots of it and walk (no run) away. If you look at the shit that they are building down at Skydome and look at the shit they have in Hong Kong you will see that they are one in the same.
I agree with you 100% that in 30 years, Spadina by the Dome will be a slum. (Just like St. Jamestown.) The buildings are cheap, maximum density and are simply boxes with glass walls. There is NO architectural merit to them whatsoever. They are also laid out much like one would find in the suburbs in that they are not built on a traditional grid.
Robert Fung and the Hong Kong crew are actively trying to shift Toronto's downtown core to the west to Spadina. They commissioned a report that recommended tearing down the Gardiner Expressway and building a "Great Road" (a 12 lane wide monstrousity), but WAIT, they recommended that the elevated portion should stop at SPADINA. The At Grade portion would start at Spadina and go east to the DVP.
The effect of this would be to create huge traffic jam leading up to the current city core.
Of course, it would be so much easier to just exit at Spadina wouldn't it.
Now guess what happens to Spadina and Kensington, and Queen Streets?
That's right, here come more boxes in the guise of "improving the neighbourhood" The blight you see now at the foot of Spadina begins to creep northward until you hit Bloor Street.
The problem with the City of Toronto is that we lack politicians with any sense of vision whatsoever. David Miller has to be one of the prime examples. I firmly believe he is one of the worst mayors we have ever had. They tend to fall over themselves (always have) to accomodate the developers (and take their money).
A few years ago I was listening to the CBC when they were talking about the waterfront redevelopment and how different egg heads had their ideas on how that land could be transformed. I was naturally skeptical of each and every one of them.
But one egg head made a lot of sense. He said the worst thing that the City of Toronto could ever do at the Waterfront was to engage its planning department or any of the numerous architectural and planning firms in the City of Toronto because they tend to build areas like Harbourfont and the future SkyDome slums. He said (and I agree) that the most popular areas in Toronto (Queen West, College Street, Bloor Street, Riverdale, Beaches, Bloor West) are successful because they were never planned by planners as a huge redevelopment. They grew and evolved on their own.
If the City of Toronto is so intent on redevelopment of huge tracts of land, I suggest that they take a drive to Quebec City and see what that City built in the 80's in the "Petite Champlain" / Lowertown area of Quebec City. Now, that's a winner. There isn't one box in there and it's a testiment to someone somewhere having a vision as to a successful streetscape.
http://www.quartierpetitchamplain.com/eng/
http://www.hickerphoto.com/quartier-...7-pictures.htm
People think that it's part of the old city, but it's not. It was built in the 80's but built in keeping with the architecture and heritage of the old city.
They hit a home run. Well Done Quebec City, Toronto could learn a thing or ten from you.