Get the bully out of the sandbox
Credit HH Photo
In the current so-called housing "crisis" that is hitting many major cities around the world, it often seems that capitalism is to blame for all those ills. I think this is a short-sighted view that fails to address a few issues:
There are major cities around the world where this is not nearly as much of an issue. Tokyo has found a solution to its housing problem by adopting much-relaxed zoning regulations for housing, that allows for it to go up quickly without red tape.
We have an incentive problem: politicians are elected by city residents. When in a country like Canada, nearly 70% of households own their homes, they have every incentive to fight tooth and nail against increased density, most of the time based on unfounded fears about the negative impact of such developments. Since politicians are cowardly re-election plotting rent-seekers, they tend to not go against the majority in their constituencies, when it comes to make courageous urban planning decisions and allow future residents (who have no say because they don't yet live in the city) a shot at having decent life opportunities. Margaret A., I thought you'd be smarter than that.
We have an urban planning problem: in a city like Toronto, it is absolutely mind-blowing that it is considered normal to have entire neighbourhoods of single-family houses in the downtown core, which were suburban 100+ years ago when they were built, yet do no correspond to the needs of the city anymore.
It's a bit ironic that Canada is founded on the values of acceptance, openness and multi-culturalism and yet, it seems that these principles don't apply at the scale of the block, where it's more like a sandbox to which the local bully won't give you access and cry to his parents that it's unfair he can't play alone anymore when all you want to do is jump him and help him make a sandcastle.
The problem is not the lack of solutions, as we've demonstrated, it's that the culture needs to shift. Maybe if we adopted the "you can't say you can't play" mantra, we might just change that culture.
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{Insert flight pun here} Let your projects soar with aerial photography.
When I hear the words aerial photography, it evokes a different perspective, looking at the world through a bird’s eyes. Since we humans, are so accustomed to looking at things from the ground level, which means looking up at the city; having access to this view from above, gives us the ability to appreciate the urban environment from an unusual perspective. A different point of view which makes us appreciate the amazing setting we’re a part of. I personally marvel at the level of human achievement every time I get a chance to look down at the city, as it suddenly comes into focus.
With the advent of consumer-level drones, aerial visualization & photography has become a bit of an ubiquitous commodity, but it has not completely superseded traditional aerial shots from aircrafts, if only for regulatory reasons that make flying a drone in the city both complex and a huge liability (drones also have the bad habit of being very prone to randomly crashing, speaking from experience). That means that to shoot anything from the air in the city, there is not yet a good substitute for planes and choppers.
This is why rvltr partnering with our dear friend and veteran aerial photographer Brett Price(linkedin) to offer you his expertise and knowledge of shooting from the air, combined with our knowledge of the city and its surroundings. Over the course of the first 2 weeks of September, Brett and rvltr will be available to shoot all over the GTA and beyond.
If you had projects under consideration for some yummy aerial photography, now is the time to act and book Brett + rvltr here. Spots are limited and going fast!
Instagram @brettprice / @revelateur_to
The fine print: Each location is shot to your specifications (Close ups, or to show property in relation to amenities etc). If you are interested, book us here, or have any questions please contact us, with the address of the property you wish to have photographed along with roof colour, and size of property. We will get back to you promptly to discuss the details of your project and come up with an appropriate scope of work and budget, based on your needs.
Stafford Development projects
We have been working with Stafford Developments to shoot some of their completed projects to showcase on their new upcoming website. Below are some shots that we did for them:
The Rushton Residences, 743 St. Clair W.
530 St. Clair W.
500 St. Clair W.
Film District Towns
Stay tuned for more cool shots to come...