The maps are from late 2006 using Google Earth data which probably lags by 1-3 years. I'm aware of the omissions and I'll probably eventually update them.
And here's Vancouver. It's up to date since there haven't been any new highway additions in the last few years. Once the new port Mann...
I made some maps of expressway networks a while ago but never uploaded them. They're to scale so putting them side by side gives a good comparison of the Toronto and Montreal highway networks.
Each red line represents one lane and urbanized areas are shaded in gray.
More maps here...
Exactly. It's very bureaucratic and inefficient to fund transit with new forms of municipal taxation.
The correct way to fund this is for the feds to match any dollars spent by the municipality on infrastructure. This was an immensely effective method used in the US in the late 70's to get...
Toronto Aerial by cfloryan, on Flickr
Toronto from the 34th floor by cfloryan, on Flickr
Toronto during Takeoff by cfloryan, on Flickr
Toronto Yorkville by cfloryan, on Flickr
I wrote farms and forests.
Ontario = 1,076,000 km^2
Urban GTA = 3000km^2 from your figures above?
So then we're replaced 0.3% of Ontario's forests and farms with an urban area.
And I don't see why Vancouver's such a bad example? Eve nwithout the bubble it's had high housing prices since...
That's a lot to retort so I'll just make two points:
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AFFORDABILITY ISSUES
You will agree that capping suburbanization leads to higher housing prices? (All empirical evidence does suggest so)
If we cap suburbanization in the GTA and prices go up, can you personally afford a, say $700,000...
But if you double the size of the GTA's built-up area you're still left with 99% of Ontario as forest and farmland. We really don't have a shortage of land.
YES let's stop them! Let's eliminate all new land for development! But do you know what happens when you do this? Housing prices go up. Look at Vancouver: They ran out of development land and the average house price is what? $700,000?
Do you want to pay $700,000 for a house? (or...
You misunderstand: It's not about choice or preference, it's about increasing quality of life. Supposedly "suburbanites" decrease your quality of life. But wouldn't forcing others to live in a more cramped neighbourhoods be decreasing their quality of life?
And new suburbs are already...
Of course, agreed, HSR would be very viable in Southern Ontario. It just becomes pointless if the train stops at every small city along the way, thereby reducing its speed.
Then define it. Good luck.
Canada identity in fact really only came to its own under Trudeau. Until then it was largely seen as a mishmash of French and Anglo Quebec certainly has had an identity dating back much further... but the Quebec identity is not Canadian identity.
Right, anyone can always find a counterexample to anything.
But Manhattan (and now Brooklyn too!) is still predominantly 21-35 year olds (I had to change the age bracket after a bit of thought), and yes they are willing to pay half their incomes on housing to be "in the center of it all,"...
Sure but those are still towers.. be it 9-11 story towers rather than the 50 floors that usually pop into our minds when we hear "tower." My point really is that not everyone wants to live in multi-unit buildings. Most people (Yes, I know, it's hard to believe to the Urban Toronto crowd, but...
My current thinking is that it's because our immigrants aren't of any one predominant ethnicity or religion or ideology otherwise. Let's consider countries that have become anti-immigrant:
1) France: The French are against Arab and North-African immigrants. This one coherent ethnic/religious...
Um exactly how many passengers a day do you think belleville or smith falls would get? 5? 10? I really don't see how the economics of that are justified, even if you were to run express and local services. The bus is better for serving small cities like this.
This brings me to another pet...