The Shadow Factor

This article discusses the outcry of homeowners to the plethora of condos that are being erected in the city. In addition, it also comments on the possible benefits of them as "shade-providers" to people who want the mid-day shade. It then leads in to what homeowners and property owners are doing in trying to keep their "entitled" sunlight intact. These condos that are surrounding the city now are beautiful looking landmarks in our huge city but there are many things that make large buildings like those unattractive. Case in point, the shadow factor. This article goes on to discuss the ways in which people are fighting to keep condo heights to a minimum in attempts to keep their sunlight around for as long as possible. This is a very real debate in that there is no clear winner in the argument. Landowners are forced to think of what they are really entitled to buy buying land on earth. In the grand scheme of things the small section of earth they buy, disregard what's on it right now (house, etc.), is very limited in what it offers. When you purchase a part of the earth you are not able to purchase other parts of space, such as the atmosphere and rights to sunlight so you are, in effect, merely buying a piece of earth, period. What are we entitled to as humans? Are we entitled to a certain amount of sunlight each day? Do restrictions on building heights need to be implemented before hours of sunlight will be lost and taken away by condos being erected all around us 1 or 2 storey homeowners? These are the questions we need to ask ourselves as we are the next generation of home buyers/ renters in Toronto. We shape the future in our decisions and values. We must look at the big picture and see if we are really adiment about keeping the earth as natural and open as possible or if we will buy a condo and further the reduction in sun expose and envoke skyline changes over and over in Toronto until there is hardly any hours of sunlight left for mere residential housing owners. Are we willing to sacrifice money and convenience or are we willing to let the city expand and expand until it is one mass of concrete stretching as far as the eye can see.
These questions are ones that are on my mind as a co-owner of a bungalow in Scarborough, right near the Scarborough Town Centre. There are currently 2 or 3 new condos being built surrounding the Town Centre and the shadow effects at night are really noticeable. It almost makes the parts, that are drawn to darkness earlier, seem of lesser significance and spatially less important. If the developers continue to erect condo after condo near my house we will see many residential homeowners cast into shadows at around 4pm in the afternoon. The shadows make those places of residence seem less and less appealing and worthwhile purchases. I firmly believe that this shadow problem will also help escalate the move of more and more people from residential housing (in Toronto) to condo living as a means of escalating their "status" in society, as they are spatially higher up reflecting their superiority spatially, and taking back what they lost earlier. Their rights to sunlight. Is it acceptable for condo owners to be able to invoke such a pivotal change in a city? I don't believe so. But in a world where money equals change what can we do to change this neverending development of huge skyscraper condos as we are but mere middle-income families or less.


'The shadow factor', February 2008
http://www.thestar.com/article/298644