tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45937392545022690602012-02-16T23:23:48.211-05:00My perspective on Toronto...MKnoreply@blogger.comBlogger221100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-4822330760912670942011-09-02T11:19:00.013-05:002011-09-02T12:36:38.453-05:00

A long time ago Feb 2007 I suggested that one way to save capital costs funding transit would be for cities to pool their capital and buy bulk where possible. I cannot believe this has actually happened through the participation of Toronto in a combined diesel locomotive purchase earlier this year. Metrolinx, an agency of the Ontario Government and tasked with improving coordination and

MKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-53821486700321980552011-09-02T09:10:00.004-05:002011-09-02T09:15:32.485-05:00

I can't believe I started this blog in 2007! Also, can't believe I haven't posted a post since 2009! We'll have to do something about that now...!

MKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-31682113961886511942008-02-29T04:20:00.008-05:002008-03-01T09:21:41.723-05:00

Finally, the idea of a provincial transit authority is out in the open. Premier McQuinty of Ontario recently floated the idea of creating a regional transit authority, even suggesting that such a body might take over Toronto's bus and subway service, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). With transit issues just too big for local governments to deal with alone, it only seems logical that the

MKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-7156560405485783382007-06-16T17:13:00.000-05:002007-06-16T17:17:04.308-05:00

Recently I wrote “as Toronto’s prosperity goes so too does the province’s prosperity go” commenting that “…their fates are so completely entwined with each other that policy coordination between them on the matter of cities” is “a matter of competitive necessity.” I should have added politically expedient too!Ontario’s Premier McGintty’s recent announcement of a pre-election pledge of $17.

MKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-58067566266643861642007-06-16T15:43:00.000-05:002007-06-16T16:35:19.303-05:00

In my previous post “Toronto’s Roundhouse Madness” I commented on the sad fact that a low-end furniture store was moving into our last surviving roundhouse from the 1920’s and how this was a really inappropriate use of an important heritage civic asset.Since the news broke the story gets worse. We now learn that the city’s mission with respect to the roundhouse was two fold; one, create a railway

MKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-60832125321139707512007-06-14T15:17:00.000-05:002007-06-16T15:45:23.873-05:00

I was astonished to read recently (the Star June 11, 2007) that Toronto's barley surviving 1929 CPR John Street Roundhouse was to be turned into of all things a gaudy Leon's furniture store.One could only have hoped that an important historical asset like the roundhouse would have been brought back to life in a more historical context, but no, valuable tourist dollars were traded for “buy now pay

MKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-66591289480997010852007-05-31T20:33:00.000-05:002007-06-15T10:21:49.935-05:00

Recent articles in the Globe & Mail (Margaret Wente, May 29th) and the Toronto Star (editorial, May 28th) comment on the perception that “Toronto the good” has somehow now lost its civic leadership, hope and optimism to places like New York and Chicago and they speculate how this could have happened.Forgotten is Ontario’s election in 1995 of Premier Mike Harris who claimed he was going to run

MKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-67305537757153867082007-05-27T09:49:00.000-05:002007-05-30T14:27:07.093-05:00

In a previous post I said that eventually our low density 905 residential sprawl developments will have to be torn down and replaced with higher density housing (not to be confused with overcrowding conditions) because eventually service delivery to these neighborhoods would become so costly to both municipality and homeowner that re-development would likely be the only way out. Not so drastic

MKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-28311144626368278502007-04-26T21:52:00.000-05:002007-05-19T10:04:01.148-05:00

Well folks, I've learnt during the first rendition of the this blog (some 26 posts in total), but the fact of the matter is I'd like to re-think and re-focus Toronto perspectives. This process has already started with "About this site."So while I'm doing this I'll leave some of my first edition posts up for you to read...Regards, Mark

MKnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-30140049966996000532007-04-24T07:04:00.000-05:002007-05-19T11:05:29.481-05:00

In my previous post under "Being an armchair strategist" I talked about how hard it was to write about the issues facing Toronto without sounding like just another critic of city hall. It's not that I'm afraid of offering constructive criticism, it's just that city problems are complex and it will take time to learn all the in's and out's of each of the issues.When I started this blog it was to

MKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-8532282063707587022007-04-15T12:35:00.000-05:002007-05-28T09:05:32.334-05:00

Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti said recently “…he won’t tolerate any NIMBY arguments from residents…” when referring to Toronto’s largest affordable housing package (of 1500 people) in years. Well done Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti!NIMBY-ism (or not in my back yard) is one of the biggest obstacles facing Toronto urban planners and city strategists. Whether it is affordable housing, dedicated transit

MKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-54397730143430735542007-04-15T11:24:00.000-05:002007-06-16T16:31:56.382-05:00

Now that I have a few posts under my belt being an armchair strategist is tougher then I thought! For one, you have to constantly guard against falling into the trap of being just critical. Regardless of whether you agree my views or not, I hope overall that my comments are at least constructive, my perspective interesting and that I'm focused on solutions and vision without appearing to be

MKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-33586138097155465922007-04-15T11:20:00.001-05:002007-05-18T08:48:05.672-05:00

An amazing 25% of all waste going into city park trash bins is pet waste, or about 2,500 tons per year, which the city doesn’t know what to do with over the long term according to a recent report by Jim Byers (the Star April 11th, 2007).With 300,000 dogs in Toronto (the Star) the problem is defined as far too many people using parks as their back yards, in places where children want to play, and

MKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-71882735567831079822007-04-06T08:07:00.000-05:002007-05-18T08:56:15.869-05:00

Toronto’s looming imposition of garbage user fees or charging different rates for different sized garbage bins is now big news. However, when ever you start charging for one essential service you usually end up transferring the savings (or in this case extra revenue) elsewhere to deal with the knock-on problem that you have inadvertently created. For example, cut transit funding and you get more

MKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-42997278884046688342007-04-03T09:44:00.000-05:002007-05-18T08:28:55.545-05:00

I've just got back from Tunisia (great place), but have some new ideas for posts coming soon...

MKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-22738460530014374972007-03-07T10:40:00.000-05:002007-05-18T08:29:28.257-05:00

In Caroline Mallan’s recent article entitled “Waterfront”(the Star March 4, 2007) she describes how despite many disadvantages Liverpool, England has successfully embarked on city centre regeneration and concludes that Toronto could lean a lot from their experience. Indeed, Liverpool has crafted a vision for their city's future that holds real lessons for Toronto!In Liverpool’s vision document

MKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-11275967501577679912007-02-27T20:30:00.000-05:002007-05-28T09:01:14.082-05:00

Mayor Miller’s 1¢ of the GST NOW campaign (or $5 billion in total with $400-$500 million in Toronto) is certainly a good strategy to address Toronto’s fiscal problems, although inherently risky. Indeed, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty quickly “shot down” the Mayor’s plan.Cities can feel justifiably aggrieved by the damage done to their budgets through service down-loading, but any calls for

MKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-47835112370651871642007-02-22T23:05:00.000-05:002007-05-18T08:17:00.949-05:00

What will the 905’s low density subdivisions look like in fifteen to twenty years from now? My prediction is that factors such as vehicle running costs, poor public transit, growing tax and utility costs, decreased funding for social services, local education limitations, long job commute times, living preferences, environmental issues and simply being located on the edge of the city will make

MKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-37061764576887483332007-02-16T14:03:00.000-05:002007-05-18T08:16:30.742-05:00

Real estate’s “article of faith” claim is that newly designated heritage properties immediately lose their market value. However, U.S. and Canadian studies suggest that properties values actually increase, or at worst remain the same. So why do some homeowners fight heritage listing and designation from being placed on their properties?After observing recent heritage proceedings at Toronto city,

MKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-40776058031955468692007-02-11T17:09:00.000-05:002007-05-18T09:08:46.136-05:00

Later this month Canadian mayors hope to announce a new “national transit strategy” to repair the nation's aging transit systems and reduce environmental damage (the Star Feb 10-07). Most likely there will be a call for new government funding to help keep transit systems across the country rolling. However, if new funding does arrive it may not be enough. Therefore, transit authorities will

MKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-90051493430992470062007-02-09T17:51:00.000-05:002007-05-19T11:20:19.110-05:00

Most people would agree that a new GTA wide transportation plan is badly needed. Driving across the GTA at peak periods easily underlines this point. The job of creating a new transportation strategy has now fallen to former Burlington mayor Rob MacIsaac and the newly formed Greater Toronto Transportation Authority (GTTA).One the GTTA’s first challenges will be to articulate a transportation

MKnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4593739254502269060.post-37832437303747091932007-02-08T09:20:00.000-05:002007-05-30T08:28:35.464-05:00

The climate is changing and I don't mean the weather! I’m talking about a growing recognition that the city is the most important engine of our national economy.As a result city government now impacts our daily lives far greater then our senior levels. Gridlock and urban sprawl highlight our federal and provincial government’s need to keep pace up with competitive “city thinking” as found

MKnoreply@blogger.com0