isaidso
Senior Member
Agreed. Things like better sidewalk materials and buried utilities aren't "fancy schmancy" things meant for rich neighbourhoods as Parkdalian suggests. They're basic infrastructure standards that most of the developed world has. Yet somehow Torontonians have linked better infrastructure with sterility and the poor being driven out, and actually fight improvements because of it. It's bizarre and their fears couldn't be further from the truth.
I remember seeing a photo thread on SSP a couple years ago of a working class neighbourhood in London (I forget which one - haven't been to that part of the city personally). People were commenting on how gritty it was and how it almost looked third world. What I noticed was that even there, the streetscaping standards were much better than most of Toronto. It kind of looked like what Kensington Market would look like if the wires were buried and the street were made of something better than poured concrete and asphalt. We can have interesting, working class, hipster friendly neighbourhoods with nice streetscaping. The two don't oppose each other.
Agree 100%. A quality public realm shouldn't be limited to the Mink Mile or in front of the Royal York. We should demand it everywhere. It's just astonishing how little regard for it a 'rich' country like Canada has for things like this. It's pretty standard stuff in Europe.
Btw, that neighbourhood in London that you're describing sounds like Camden Town.