The Ascendancy of Toronto

[CityPainter]

-Climate change works in our favour
-We have no geopolitical problems to worry about
-We have no border issues
-We have excess resources of food, power, raw materials, land, and water

While clarifying that I am in fact on the side of ascendancy for Toronto (again, so many arguments against Toronto I see in this thread are applicable worldwide, not Toronto-specific) these particular Canadian-wide factors you've pointed out actually worry me.

Sure, right now climate change works in our favour and we have no geopolitical problems or border issues, and an abundance of natural resources and water. However, the same does not apply to the United States. Part of me can imagine that after a couple decades of severe drought and devastating hurricanes leading to water shortages, crop failures, and economic decline, some in the US might start looking north towards their friendly and unarmed Canadian neighbours with lots of land, water, resources, and moderate climate with a new eye. It's easy to be friendly in good times. In bad times... all bets are off.

 

[Dan416]

Yes, we should be afraid, very afraid of Manifest Destiny. It is only a matter of time. If it weren't for our American Overlords, we'd already have films warning us about the Oncoming Storm and the inevitable Anschluss.

 

[Second_in_pie]

Well, the fear of Americans coming to take Canadian water is a real one; they already take most of our other resources. That's one of the big things that Canada has against NAFTA and things like the UN calling water to be a fundamental right is that the US can use it as leverage to take as much water as they want/need. Maybe they won't march in and instal big hoses from the Rockies, but it's very possible that they could economically and politically bully us for water, which I find much, much worse with Americans being the biggest water wasters on the planet.
Though there are some suggestions to depopulate the Western Midwest and naturalize it (which is actually gaining serious traction in some circles and even been looked at politically,) which would take pressure off of one of their most strained regions.
And still, even if the US does end up being able to bully us for water, Toronto'll still be on top. That'll have barely any affect on our city's booming services sector, and arguably would give us more potential as the financial capital of the country, having another valuable resource to manage in export.

Again, I put on my party hat for Toronto's Ascendancy in a purely social manner. Toronto's certainly not "on the right path" in my eyes, and it'd take a lot of work to get it back on the real right path.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

I want more plants too.

But then the dollar has to drop.

 

[Hipster Duck]

I don't think Toronto is declining, but I also think our ascendancy is grossly inflated.

There is more to a city's ascendancy than a strong banking sector and some indie rock bands. If that were the case, Charlotte would have been a world city in the former case (though maybe not anymore) and Austin would undoubtedly be a world city. Of course, neither is even a beta American city.

Having a favourable geopolitical situation and natural resources doesn't necessarily help cities become ascendant: Hong Kong - which may go down as one of the greatest urban ascendancies of the late 20th century - grew dramatically in influence under an uncertain political climate (pre-1997) with no resources to speak of except its people. Speaking about uncertain: how Canada will fare under climate change is a complete mystery, since it is guaranteed to be a little more complex than just the same conditions with a slightly elevated climate. We have to factor in everything from erratic weather patterns to the spread of invasive species to unwanted human migration, etc. all of which interact in strange ways that we have no way of predicting.

To be fair, if we don't become a global city we don't really have ourselves to blame. You could argue that an entrepot city state like Hong Kong, Singapore or Dubai has an easier go at it, because they are/were surrounded by vast emerging but still more unstable markets. Places like Hong Kong also have a vast diaspora, and it's easier to project a global status when your people disperse than when people come to you. I know that sounds counterintuitive, but you can buy Cantopop DVDs in Melbourne and New York and Markham, and Hong Kong's cultural influence has, through its emigrants, been exported to foreign lands that way. As a country of immigrants, Canada cannot really sear itself into the consciousness of foreign cultures in ways that even tiny emigrant countries like Jamaica can do so effortlessly.

Our geographical postition also puts us at a significant disadvantage. Many global cities have airports or harbours that serve as bridges to continents and cultures within their immediate proximity. The only thing within our backyard is the rest of Canada and the United States; the United States is, of course, the largest economy on earth and so nobody in their right mind would fly from Tokyo or Paris to anywhere in the US through Toronto the same way that people traveling to Norway, Tunisia or Latvia from Toronto would have to necessarily transfer through London, Paris or Frankfurt. It's not just flights; due to its size and linguistic similarity, the US drowns us out on the global cultural stage, and there's little that we, as a country with only one neighbour, can do about this. How many of us have been mistakenly believed to be Americans on trips abroad? If we emigrated to foreign countries in droves, I am fairly certain these mistaken identities would be pretty rare, but nobody expects Canadians to migrate away from Canada in droves, nor should we.

Finally, within Canada itself we have to fight for our legitimacy with very ambitious second tier cities like Montreal, Vancouver and even scrappy little Calgary. Friends of mine from the Western US would routinely mistake Vancouver to be Canada's most important city. It projected itself a lot more, particularly for people living in the west, and it is Canada's de facto gateway to Asia. I think being the only city of any size on the West coast kind of helps them and it puts a psychological demand on that city to reach out to foreign countries more than is asked of Toronto.

I don't think this city is a provincial town or that it lacks the talent or infrastructure or even political will to make it onto the global stage. I am beginning to realize that the cards are just stacked against us, and that these shortcomings are simply beyond our control.

 

[CN Tower]

Context

Look, they are auctioning off trophy towers in Manhattan, talking about leveling downtown Detroit for urban farming and London/UK is perennially on the verge of being downgraded to 'junk' bond status, California is bankrupt and Japan is entering it's 3rd decade of recession/stagflation.

And Toronto?

20,000 new condos under construction at all-time high sales prices, new subway and rapid transit routes planned (funded?) and scheduled for late-decade completion, new Class 'A' office properties opening every year, U of T and Ryerson gobbling up land like the Cookie Monster and 1,000 5-Star hotel rooms to be completed in <18 months.

On top of that hopefully we'll get a new mayor in the fall that can shake things up a bit a City Hall and improve upon DM's shortcomings.

It ain't all bad news here folks!

 

[old boy]

One thing about Toronto, a statement like, " Our geographical position also puts us at a significant disadvantage " ( Hipster Duck ), invites the equally valid observation that the location affords a distinct advantage. And, Toronto, like the country itself, is not a sort of ersatz US entity at all, notwithstanding the recent efforts of Ottawa's ruling elite. Trying to pigeonhole this city is like trying to grab a slippery fish with greasy hands. I sympathize with Hipster Duck's last sentiment, " I don't think this city is a provincial town or that it lacks the talent or infrastructure or even political will to make it onto the global stage. I am beginning to realize that the cards are just stacked against us , and that these shortcomings are simply beyond our control ". Well, if this is the case, Toronto has done remarkably well considering it's been playing against the house. I wonder if there's a psychological term for the condition whereby certain of us agonize over the status of our favourite cities, who speak of these entities as if they were beings who may or may not achieve their rightful status. It reminds me a little of parents who push their little ones in the direction of stardom, be it on the golf course, in the hockey arena, or in the professions. Toronto generates it's own heat, and will continue to do so with, or without, the best wishes of those even aware of it.

 

[Hipster Duck]

Thanks for the comments, Frank. To continue this discussion, some of your points still need to be clarified to me:

One thing about Toronto, a statement like, " Our geographical position also puts us at a significant disadvantage " ( Hipster Duck ), invites the equally valid observation that the location affords a distinct advantage.

To turn my argument on its head, what kind of advantage does our geography confer us? More specifically: how does that advantage contribute to shaping Toronto as a global city? Our proximity to the United States gives us certain business and cultural advantages, to be sure: everything from standing in for US cities in movie shoots to conducting business within a familiar though not identical culture. These attributes, as strategic and useful as they have been to us, do not put us on the world map. It clearly puts us in second place to the Americans and demonstrates that our specialty is accommodating them much like a waiter, chauffeur or maid (or maybe a lawyer or broker, but you get the drift). A city like Hong Kong once served as a useful bridge to China, and still does, but it possessed a distinct language and eventually projected a distinct culture that [English] Canada cannot. Couple that with a large diaspora of Cantonese speaking immigrants, and Hong Kong became a proper global culture in its own right.

This is how a city becomes global: it projects itself.

And, Toronto, like the country itself, is not a sort of ersatz US entity at all, notwithstanding the recent efforts of Ottawa's ruling elite. Trying to pigeonhole this city is like trying to grab a slippery fish with greasy hands.

To you or I it probably isn't. True enough. However, one has to be keenly aware of the cultural nuances that exist between the two countries and, for that to happen, one is most likely already a Canadian for which Toronto is the centre anyway. Actually, scratch that: in Alberta and west, Vancouver was their metropolis par excellence; the city they considered to be the place to go and the heart of their country. This is not to say that Vancouver is a more interesting or dynamic city than Toronto - it isn't - but if we can't even cement our reputation for alpha status within our own country, what hope do we have with the rest of the world?

I sympathize with Hipster Duck's last sentiment, " I don't think this city is a provincial town or that it lacks the talent or infrastructure or even political will to make it onto the global stage. I am beginning to realize that the cards are just stacked against us , and that these shortcomings are simply beyond our control ". Well, if this is the case, Toronto has done remarkably well considering it's been playing against the house. I wonder if there's a psychological term for the condition whereby certain of us agonize over the status of our favourite cities, who speak of these entities as if they were beings who may or may not achieve their rightful status. It reminds me a little of parents who push their little ones in the direction of stardom, be it on the golf course, in the hockey arena, or in the professions. Toronto generates it's own heat, and will continue to do so with, or without, the best wishes of those even aware of it.

I think it is unfair to say that I wish Toronto attained its "rightful" status. There is no hidden future awaiting Toronto that I secretly wish the city to fulfill; the city goes in whatever direction it wants, and, as long as it doesn't decline and quality of life does not erode, I am happy with that. However, it would also be a little unfair to cast off global importance as just a fancy, superficial bragging point. Global cities - cities that are able to generate interest beyond their shores - invite people from foreign countries to visit, study and scrutinize it. A non-global city can only turn to its own locals for guidance, or maybe people from within the country who may not really provide all that fresh a perspective. This makes global cities grow in importance and is probably the reason why, year after year, they seem to become more important phenomena, widening the gap between us and them.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Hipster

Global cities - cities that are able to generate interest beyond their shores - invite people from foreign countries to visit, study and scrutinize it. A non-global city can only turn to its own locals for guidance, or maybe people from within the country who may not really provide all that fresh a perspective. This makes global cities grow in importance and is probably the reason why, year after year, they seem to become more important phenomena, widening the gap between us and them.

I think one has to be careful when defining "global cities" as those that generate interest from a tourist/pop culture perspective. Toronto certainly don't belong to that category, but in terms of linkages to people abroad, it is certainly right up there; it might not attract tourists - but that's different from linkages from say, business travellers, educators or artists. It doesn't matter if other Canadians don't admit to Toronto being the metropolis par excellence - the undeniable reality is that it stands at the top by a multitide of indicators. Just like those in the US who would claim their city is the alpha, the reality of NYC notwithstanding.

AoD

 

[Hipster Duck]

Hipster



I think one has to be careful when defining "global cities" as those that generate interest from a tourist/pop culture perspective. Toronto certainly don't belong to that category, but in terms of linkages to people abroad, it is certainly right up there; it might not attract tourists - but that's different from linkages from say, business travellers, educators or artists. It doesn't matter if other Canadians don't admit to Toronto being the metropolis par excellence - the undeniable reality is that it stands at the top by a multitide of indicators. Just like those in the US who would claim their city is the alpha, the reality of NYC notwithstanding.

AoD

Alvin, I don't think anyone in the US thinks that anything other than New York is the dominant city in the US.

As for business travellers, educators and artists, I think one has to be cognizant of their role in the cities they visit. The sheer number of educators/researchers coming to Toronto does not necessarily make the city global. We could argue that the scores of researchers that visit or teach at powerhouses like Carnegie Mellon University or Johns Hopkins don't make Pittsburgh or Baltimore worldly places, so why would visitors to U of T be any different? I know quite a few scholars who are studying Chinese cities like Beijing or Shanghai at a North American university. In that case, the object of interest - the worldly place - is the Chinese city, not Toronto or Chapel Hill, NC, or wherever.

As for business travellers, I would think that as many people fly to Dallas or Atlanta or Houston as they do to Toronto to conduct global business. Again, this doesn't suggest that any of those places is more worldly than Toronto.

Finally, when it comes to artists, I haven't met many artists in Toronto that weren't born in Canada. That's particularly poignant when you consider the percentage of Torontonians who were born overseas. In order to come here to create art, this city has to successfully market itself as possessing unique characteristics. There are great characteristics in Toronto, but nothing so fantastic and otherworldly that people from far away flock here to produce art.

 

[old boy]

OK. The focus of this thread is the ascendency of Toronto. It seems to me there are a lot of intuitions out there that Toronto is this or it is that, that Toronto is knocking on the door of global status, or conversely, Toronto is just being Toronto in forever deluding itself. Geographically, it's proximity makes Niagara Falls quite possibly Toronto's most famous touristy attraction, globally speaking. Striving for or pining for or worrying for global status strikes me as an attribute of provincialism. I think a lot of people who engage in these kind of forums simply project their own impressions as if the place has a personality and defined life of it's own. There's no objective way of knowing, but there seems to be a class of Torontophiles intellectualizing on the topic all the time. The city evolves, oblivious. Should the city achieve some kind of global identity, I agree with AlvinofDiaspar, it will be through linkeages other than postcard images,thankfully.

 

[junctionist]

Alvin, I don't think anyone in the US thinks that anything other than New York is the dominant city in the US.

As for business travellers, educators and artists, I think one has to be cognizant of their role in the cities they visit. The sheer number of educators/researchers coming to Toronto does not necessarily make the city global. We could argue that the scores of researchers that visit or teach at powerhouses like Carnegie Mellon University or Johns Hopkins don't make Pittsburgh or Baltimore worldly places, so why would visitors to U of T be any different? I know quite a few scholars who are studying Chinese cities like Beijing or Shanghai at a North American university. In that case, the object of interest - the worldly place - is the Chinese city, not Toronto or Chapel Hill, NC, or wherever.

As for business travellers, I would think that as many people fly to Dallas or Atlanta or Houston as they do to Toronto to conduct global business. Again, this doesn't suggest that any of those places is more worldly than Toronto.

Finally, when it comes to artists, I haven't met many artists in Toronto that weren't born in Canada. That's particularly poignant when you consider the percentage of Torontonians who were born overseas. In order to come here to create art, this city has to successfully market itself as possessing unique characteristics. There are great characteristics in Toronto, but nothing so fantastic and otherworldly that people from far away flock here to produce art.

The artists I've encountered have been from quite diverse backgrounds. Many come from Quebec and BC and there are Americans too. Toronto has attracted plenty of artists from different cultures too that don't that much attention in the mainstream press but are well-known in their countries of origin. There must be something fantastic and otherworldly to explain all the people who come here.

The problem with you comparisons is that they tend to be singular. "Toronto attracts a lot of business people. But so does Houston, which is not a global city. Toronto attracts a lot of educators, but so does Chapel Hill". Global cities are the most diverse places. That's diversity not just in culture, but in other aspects. Global cities attract artists, intellectuals, business people, and immigrants from different backgrounds. They do all those things quite well. Toronto isn't quite there at the top but one can identify a lot of strengths in terms of the diversity of who it attracts. We're not just about business, culture, or education; we're about all of the above.

 

[old boy]

We imagine and hope our Toronto is more than the sum of it's parts; however, what that " more " really means is a parochial issue, and is anybody's guess. The chronic allure of " global status " is like coveting fool's gold and a little embarrassing, and tossing around terms like " world class " willy nilly, very well invites the opposite impression. Maybe this ungainly urban thingey we fixate upon is morphing along the lines it's admirers crave. Dropping the banalities can only help.

 

[dahusbandofbath]

I dunno; I think that if "global status" is what we desire, we should own it; never mind how it makes us look. Striving for global city status while trying to look like we're not for fear of appearing... well, "striving" risks making us look equally foolish -- like someone who tries to conceal his need to run by simply walking with really straight legs! To my mind, the greatest indicator of Toronto's asendency is the fact that so many Torontonions strive for it and just kind of expect it! Like a great athlete, you gotta visualise winning and tell yourself you're a winner before you actually bring home the Gold. Are we at the top of the heap of global cities yet? Certainly not; but just as Rome once looked longingly to Athens for all things sophisticated, so once did London to Paris and later New York to London. We'll strive, and fail, and looked quite provincial and second rate at lots of things. However, with all the really exciting things happening in Toronto (the stated goal of the Toronto Financial Services Alliance to make Toronto a top 10 world financial centre, the aggressive plans to expand the film and TV industry here [Pinewood & Cinespace], TIFF, MaRS's plan to make Toronto a world hub for medical research and marketisation, the comptetitive growth of our universities and (especially) business schools & finally the explosive growth in our population and attractiveness to educated job sekers from around the world) at least a few initiatives have got to lead to something that makes Toronto a "best-in-show". I once knew a woman from Pittsburg who told me - with a perfectly straight face - that her city was the greatest city on Earth! If she wasn't embarrased, neither should we be when we extol ( and sometimes even exaggerate) Toronto's worldly status.

 

[TO City of Light]

Yey another most livable city survey

Another one of those incessant surveys on "most liveable city." These results are a bit more interesting in that they are reported by one of the British newspapers, The Independent. Toronto does quite well although with a bit of slagging in the last para of the article.

I did live in Port Moresby for a few years and it wasn't that bad - then. Actually, if push came to shove, I would prefer a weekend in Lagos or Abidjan to a weekend in Calgary




INDEPENDENT - London? Paris? New York? No, Vancouver is the best place in the world to live, says new survey
By Karla Adam

The university has a nudist beach. Whistler mountain ski resort is a quick drive from downtown. The climate is mild in winter and sunny in summer. Just some of the reasons why Vancouver has been nominated as the world's most liveable city, beating Melbourne into second place and leaving London far behind at 47th.

Vancouver eclipsed 127 other cities in a new survey which looked at a wide range of criteria, including personal risk, healthcare, the availability of goods and services, and climate. But this is not the first time the City of Glass, so-called because of its mirror-fronted skyscrappers, has received outside recognition. Vancouver has topped the United Nations quality of life survey for nearly a decade.

Condé Nast Traveller, which describes the Canadian metropolis as a "perfect Pacific city, shimmering on the edge of a beautiful harbour" last year ranked Vancouver the "Best City in the Americas".

"There are hardly any problems in Canada, and even less in Vancouver," said Jon Copestake, editor of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EUI) which commissioned the research. "Hardly any factors in Vancouver present challenges - crime no, transportation, not really."

It wasn't always so. When the city put in its bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee complained about the long journey to the ski resort of Whistler. The road that connects Vancouver to Whistler - Highway 99 or the "Sea to Sky" highway - is notorious for its white-knuckle turns that twist alongside steep river gorges. Rocks from the Coast Mountain range tumble onto the road. Traffic backlogs are common. The city's Olympic committee promised to revamp the road, showcased photos of the glistening harbour (set to the music of Vancouver-bred Bryan Adams), and won the Olympic bid.

Though the residents of Vancouver like to boast they can happily cycle in Stanley Park in the morning, ski in the afternoon and stroll naked on Wreck Beach in the evening, there is a dark side, primarily in the Downtown Eastside area. This was the setting for Canada's largest serial murder case, which involved the disappearance of 63 prostitutes.

But despite its problems, it's still a great city to live in, says Will Ferguson, the Canadian writer and author of Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw. "Vancouver is the envy of all Canadian cities," he said. "There are five steps in Canadian life. First, you hate Toronto, second, you move to Toronto. Third, you wish you moved to Vancouver, and fourth, you stay in Toronto. Then you hate Vancouver." Toronto was ranked number nine in the survey.

The best and worst cities

THE TOP 10 CITIES

Vancouver, Canada

Melbourne, Australia

Vienna, Austria

Geneva, Switzerland

Perth, Australia

Adelaide, Australia

Sydney, Australia

Zurich, Switzerland

Toronto, Canada

Calgary, Canada

THE BOTTOM 10 CITIES

Tehran, Iran

Douala, Cameroon

Harare, Zimbabwe

Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Lagos, Nigeria

Karachi, Pakistan

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Algiers, Algeria

Port Moresby PNG