For the past couple of years, there have been some serious concerns around Toronto’s vertically growing skyline. I’m really 50/50 on the whole thing, but if I had to choose, I’d lean to the negative on this one, too. But I have no idea why. What’s wrong with expansion, right?
Only, try living in rapid expansion. The city is a monster-sized construction site with bad traffic diversions and once 20-minute commutes to work turning into 60- minute commutes almost overnight. The traffic was such a point of stress for me that I did the (finally) smart thing and sold my car last year. My stress has reduced dramatically, truthfully, just from eliminating driving on Toronto’s roads every day. Call me crazy (really, go ahead) but I’m just sharing a useful stress-reduction tip here: sell your fucking car.
Traffic makes for bad attitudes, no matter how you slice it. Mix that in with cold weather, a late spring, soaring housing prices, expensive food, astronomical childcare fees, spiking tuition, and an overall reduced number of jobs for new grads, and ya, you bet Torontonians get rude and pissed off once in a while. You bet.
But then there are the good things about Toronto’s rapid expansion, too. I guess. But don’t you dare compare us to Chicago.
I’m not sure if Torontonians are ‘for’ or ‘against’ growth of the city’s infrastructure and high rises overall, but I do know that a recent rendition of what the cityscape will look like by 2020 made me wonder if all this growing would be okay if it wasn’t happening in one, big spurt.
I personally don’t like the spurt we’re in, but I live here. So I choose to go with the flow rather than against it and embrace the things that are available to me anyway: good restaurants, good theater, good libraries and did I mention the restaurants?
“Toronto: Come eat here!”
That should be our next city bumper sticker.
-sandy.
(image)
She Works Alone. 