{"id":3733,"date":"2014-02-05T14:36:37","date_gmt":"2014-02-05T18:36:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/?p=3733"},"modified":"2014-02-05T14:36:37","modified_gmt":"2014-02-05T18:36:37","slug":"toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/","title":{"rendered":"Toronto: Caught Between Political Paralysis and Car-dependence"},"content":{"rendered":"

I do not live in Toronto, but it is a city I visit regularly, a city where I have many friends and colleagues.\u00a0 It is a city I love, from the Toronto Island waterfront, to the skyscrapers of downtown, to its multiculturalism and diversity.\u00a0 It is a dynamic city which is an emerging global hub.<\/p>\n

However, for all its success, Toronto is facing pressures from its rapid growth, as the city aspires to realize its full potential.\u00a0 The University of Toronto\u2019s Richard Florida has stated that there is a limit of 5.5 to 6 million people<\/a> which many cities find difficult to surpass, where they face serious infrastructure pressures that can inhibit further growth unless dealt with.<\/p>\n

Toronto is at such a crossroads with a metro population approaching this benchmark.\u00a0 Crucial decisions, that at times will be controversial, will have to be made, about density \u2013 more residential spaces to accommodate more people to avoid skyrocketing housing costs and unmanageable sprawl \u2013 and transit to open up more neighbourhoods, to provide alternatives to driving on congested multi-lane roads, a congestion that has serious economic costs in lost time and productivity.<\/p>\n

Two recent Toronto Star articles identified a resistance to change in the city<\/a>, with columnist Christopher Hume dubbing Toronto the city of \u201cno\u201d<\/a> stating that \u201cno is their [Torontonians\u2019] automatic answer to any question; their default position, fallback response and kneejerk reaction.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the city centre \u2013 pre-amalgamation Toronto \u2013 there is a pervasive NIMBYist (Not-In-My-Backyard) attitude, from resistance to the proposed Mirvish-Gehry towers due to their height, an unconditional refusal of proposals to expand Toronto Island airport, or knee-jerk resistance to any sort of change to venues such as Honest Ed\u2019s discount<\/a>, as if such places are meant to be stuck in time.\u00a0 Hume, in his column, cites instances of resistance to mid-rise developments in various neighbourhoods.<\/p>\n

The Mirvish-Gehry towers<\/a> \u2013 designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry \u2013 represent an architectural wonder for Toronto, something that would enhance its aspiring global status as well as provided needed residential spaces.<\/p>\n

The debate over the Toronto Island airport expansion has been characterised by hyperbolic claims of \u201cPearson on the Lake\u201d<\/a> by some on the no-expansion side, even though the proposed expansion is relatively modest.\u00a0 A report from the University of Toronto\u2019s Martin Prosperity Institute highlights the strong economic benefits from airports<\/a>, a report cited in Richard Florida\u2019s article in support of Island Airport expansion<\/a>.\u00a0 Such an expansion would more strongly connect Toronto\u2019s business and financial centre to other Canadian cities and to other hubs such as New York City.<\/p>\n

Full due diligence of course would be needed on the new proposed jets \u2013 something also emphasized in Florida\u2019s op-ed.\u00a0 It is worth noting that Washington DC and Boston have relatively large waterfront airports near their city centres (larger than the proposed expanded Toronto Island airport).<\/p>\n

Toronto\u2019s NIMBYism is by no means unique to the city \u2013 even if it is especially pronounced.\u00a0 Early 20th<\/sup> century New York saw resistance to Manhattan\u2019s new skyscrapers from residents of the mansions on Fifth Avenue, something cited in Edward Glaeser’s book Triumph of the City<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Until a few decades ago, Toronto was a medium-sized Great Lakes city, a second city to Montreal which, for much of Canadian history, was the country\u2019s preeminent city.\u00a0 However, Toronto has changed \u2013 rapidly \u2013 and is now an emerging global city, facing serious infrastructure pressures.\u00a0 For the city\u2019s continued growth and prosperity, new approaches are needed.<\/p>\n

Of course Toronto\u2019s older city centre is not the only source of resistance to change, there is also a pro-car\/pro-sprawl sentiment in much of Toronto\u2019s suburban areas, something which Rob Ford played on successfully in his 2010 mayoral race, with his \u201cwar on the car\u201d<\/a> rhetoric where bikes and bike-lanes were seen as the purview of the \u201cdowntown elite.\u201d<\/p>\n

Investment in mass transit is sorely needed in light of congested thoroughfares, in light of suburban tower blocks in places like North Etobicoke, North York, and Scarborough where many on low incomes live<\/a>, where lack of walkable streets or proper transit inhibits access to services and amenities \u2013 an especially serious problem as many low-income earners cannot afford a car.<\/p>\n

Rob Ford\u2019s playing politics with the Scarborough subway extension<\/a> \u2013 ripping up a planned LRT that would have been far cheaper and served more stops \u2013 is a further stumbling block to a proper transit strategy (as is the complicity on this by politicians across the political spectrum).<\/p>\n

Of course discussion of Toronto\u2019s future will feature debate \u2013 at times contentious debate \u2013 and this is a good thing.\u00a0 Toronto is a democratic city, and even if this means a more incremental mode of development \u2013 something highlighted in a twitter post<\/a> by the city\u2019s chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat \u2013 it is a clear plus for the city, ideas and proposals are debated and given full scrutiny.<\/p>\n

An active citizenry holding public officials – and public plans – to account is important. It can halt bad ideas – such as Doug Ford’s proposal to scrap a carefully considered waterfront plan in favour of a mega-mall, ferris wheel, and monorail. It is a check on authority that is too top down and neglects neighbourhoods, such as successful opposition to a proposed freeway through Greenwich Village in New York City, and to the Spadina Expressway in Toronto. Full due diligence and an active citizenry is important to ensuring that Porter airlines are good corporate citizens,\u00a0that the concerns of those living near the waterfront are heard.<\/p>\n

However, in all this debate, the message should be clear about the pressures Toronto is facing with its rapid population growth, with the need for more residential space, for transit, and for Toronto to more assertively make its mark as a global city.\u00a0 It is a challenging time, but also an exciting one, one that offers new opportunities to think \u2013 and think big \u2013 about the city\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

Hassan Arif (@hassannb<\/a>) is a PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton where he is specializing in urban sociology and local government. He is also a columnist, having published for the Telegraph Journal in Saint John, the Daily Gleaner in Fredericton, as well as the Huffington Post, and Sustainable Cities Collective. He has also contributed to Insight articles for the University of Toronto\u2019s Martin Prosperity Institute and has published a paper on economic development in smaller jurisdictions for the Canadian-American Center at the University of Maine.<\/em><\/p>\n

Photo by Hassan Arif <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I do not live in Toronto, but it is a city I visit regularly, a city where I have many friends and colleagues.\u00a0 It is a city I love, from the Toronto Island waterfront, to the skyscrapers of downtown, to its multiculturalism and diversity.\u00a0 It is a dynamic city which is an emerging global hub.Continue reading “Toronto: Caught Between Political Paralysis and Car-dependence”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8096,"featured_media":3734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,18,411,408,418,419,422,423,425,427,4,23,430],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-architecture","category-bikes","category-civic-engagement","category-community","category-housing","category-infrastructure","category-neighbourhoods","category-politics","category-spacing","category-traffic","category-transit","category-urban-design","category-waterfront"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nToronto: Caught Between Political Paralysis and Car-dependence - Spacing National<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Toronto: Caught Between Political Paralysis and Car-dependence - Spacing National\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I do not live in Toronto, but it is a city I visit regularly, a city where I have many friends and colleagues.\u00a0 It is a city I love, from the Toronto Island waterfront, to the skyscrapers of downtown, to its multiculturalism and diversity.\u00a0 It is a dynamic city which is an emerging global hub.Continue reading "Toronto: Caught Between Political Paralysis and Car-dependence"\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Spacing National\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/arif.h9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-02-05T18:36:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Toronto-CN-Tower.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1536\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hassan Arif\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@HassanNB\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Spacing\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hassan Arif\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/\",\"name\":\"Toronto: Caught Between Political Paralysis and Car-dependence - Spacing National\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Toronto-CN-Tower.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-02-05T18:36:37+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/#\/schema\/person\/2d686ea17c103b08f156ba0f70a72fcd\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Toronto-CN-Tower.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Toronto-CN-Tower.jpg\",\"width\":1536,\"height\":2048},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Toronto: Caught Between Political Paralysis and Car-dependence\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/\",\"name\":\"Spacing National\",\"description\":\"Canadian Urbanism Uncovered | Architecture, Urban Deisgn, Public Transit, City Hall, Parks, Walking, Bikes, Streetscape, History, Waterfront, Maps, Public Spaces\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/#\/schema\/person\/2d686ea17c103b08f156ba0f70a72fcd\",\"name\":\"Hassan Arif\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7a0f3269927611277ba843b74d358593?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7a0f3269927611277ba843b74d358593?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Hassan Arif\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/arif.h9\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/HassanNB\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/author\/hassanarif\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Toronto: Caught Between Political Paralysis and Car-dependence - Spacing National","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Toronto: Caught Between Political Paralysis and Car-dependence - Spacing National","og_description":"I do not live in Toronto, but it is a city I visit regularly, a city where I have many friends and colleagues.\u00a0 It is a city I love, from the Toronto Island waterfront, to the skyscrapers of downtown, to its multiculturalism and diversity.\u00a0 It is a dynamic city which is an emerging global hub.Continue reading \"Toronto: Caught Between Political Paralysis and Car-dependence\"","og_url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/","og_site_name":"Spacing National","article_author":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/arif.h9","article_published_time":"2014-02-05T18:36:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1536,"height":2048,"url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Toronto-CN-Tower.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Hassan Arif","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@HassanNB","twitter_site":"@Spacing","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Hassan Arif","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/","url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/","name":"Toronto: Caught Between Political Paralysis and Car-dependence - Spacing National","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Toronto-CN-Tower.jpg","datePublished":"2014-02-05T18:36:37+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/#\/schema\/person\/2d686ea17c103b08f156ba0f70a72fcd"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Toronto-CN-Tower.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Toronto-CN-Tower.jpg","width":1536,"height":2048},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/02\/05\/toronto-caught-political-paralysis-car-dependence\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Toronto: Caught Between Political Paralysis and Car-dependence"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/#website","url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/","name":"Spacing National","description":"Canadian Urbanism Uncovered | Architecture, Urban Deisgn, Public Transit, City Hall, Parks, Walking, Bikes, Streetscape, History, Waterfront, Maps, Public Spaces","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/#\/schema\/person\/2d686ea17c103b08f156ba0f70a72fcd","name":"Hassan Arif","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7a0f3269927611277ba843b74d358593?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7a0f3269927611277ba843b74d358593?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Hassan Arif"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/arif.h9","https:\/\/x.com\/HassanNB"],"url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/author\/hassanarif\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8096"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3733"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3756,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3733\/revisions\/3756"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}