Is Toronto more similar to (and more linked to) Montreal or Vancouver?

[narduch]

Have to agree with the comments against the 'beauty' of Montreal.

To me, Montreal is similar to Toronto, just the signs are in French and there is way more graffiti. Plus the bridges all look like they are ready to collapse.

I've always considered Vancouver an ugly/boring city with beautiful mountains in the background.

 

[King of Kensington]

The bulk of Montreal is not "more beautiful" than Toronto.

Montreal has its charm but in some ways it's New Jersey with poutine.

 

[King of Kensington]

It seems to be partly by design -- to avoid the rich and poor being concentrated in any one area, there was more conscious planning towards mixed income housing or towards the placement of housing projects etc. though I don't know to what extent other cities in Canada have also done this.

Or perhaps just by being the largest city in Canada with a more diverse economy, where jobs are located in a variety of areas and where people from all walks of life have moved and settled there, you naturally start to get localized pockets of both rich and poor throughout each and every borough as well as the downtown itself too (kind of like New York City and its metro) rather than simple concentrations of rich and poor all in one side/area.

Planning definitely played a role in Toronto's mix of incomes geographically, but then again Toronto never had a more simplistic east/west split.

 

[Adjei]

Montreal looks way better than Toronto, it's not even a comparison. They know how to take care of their public spaces and have better public squares, parks, and public realm. Does Toronto have anything comparable to Dorchester Square or Place d'armes. They know to bury hydro wires on their main streets. It's only now that Toronto has begun to even show that we care about public spaces but we are still far off from getting to the level Montreal is on. Montreal feels a little bit stuck in time but on many aspects there are many things Toronto can learn from Montreal.

 

[junctionist]

People are remarking on different sides of Montreal. Some may know the city for the beautiful parts of downtown like Place d'Armes or Victoria Square, as well as the dense old neighbourhoods with walk-up apartments. The city has more picturesque squares and parks, buried overhead wires, ornamental street lights and all the investments that go into a high-quality public realm in many areas. The old town has been beautifully maintained. On the other hand, the city has plenty of mundane areas without any charm, lots of graffiti and expressway and bridge infrastructure that's badly decayed.