[memph]

Originally Posted by suburbanite

It is very unique from a North American perspective (Vancouver as well). Sure there are a lot of factors, but one thing to remember is that demographics are a lot different than Chicago. Multi-generational Canadians, especially wealthy ones, remained a lot closer to the Downtown than many American cities. As immigration picked up rapidly, the massive amount of Chinese and South Asians that migrated settled in the next ring of available land, being Mississauga, Brampton, Markham, etc. So the burbs end up being dominated by demographics who are more accustomed to high-rises and density than perhaps a comparable neighbourhood in Chicago that arose out of white flight. The staunchest NIMBY neighbourhoods in Toronto are those inner-city "yellow-belt" areas like the Danforth, St. Clair, The Annex, etc. that are comprised of long-term, probably third-generation plus Canadians who like the character of a SFH neighbourhood with the proximity to downtown.

The biggest administrative difference in Toronto is the presence of the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) which is effectively a tribunal for local planning disputes. It allows the province to balance something like implementing the green belt, with pro-development decisions that force density on local municipalities, willing or not. You'll find many criticism of the OMB, but they are effective in pushing along these monster proposals.

Lastly, highway connectivity is abysmal in Toronto compared to Chicago. The major highways have a complete East-West focus along the 401 Corridor. All that greenfield you see to the North of the city might as well be in Narnia when it comes to driving into Downtown. Pull up Google Maps and compare Toronto's setup to the amount of yellow freeway that snakes out in all directions from Chicago. We may not like freeways but it helps for housing affordability to open up those far-flung areas. I wouldn't be surprised if an equidistant exurban location in the two cities took 30 minutes longer in Toronto.

This again puts greater emphasis on being around the terminus of the subway lines, like North York's large skyline, and Vaughan's rapidly growing one. GO stations are some of the hottest commodities. I personally would consider a larger suburban condo near a GO station compared to a SFH in Caledon or something.

I think the root of the difference pre-dates large scale Asian immigration a bit. Toronto already had a lot of suburban highrises getting built in the 60s and 70s while Chicago didn't. That probably helped normalize the idea of having highrises along transit (mainly bus routes along arterials) within an otherwise typical suburban neighbourhood.