Quote:
Originally Posted by Crawford
Canada could be different, but I don't think it's a given that Toronto has significant urban infill because it has significant metropolitan growth. In the U.S. context, there appears to be no such correlation.
Dallas probably has the greatest numeric growth of any major U.S. metro, and its urban core is very weak, with little construction. Chicago probably has the weakest numeric growth of any major U.S. metro, and its urban core is quite strong with lots of newer construction.
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I have a theory that I can't really test, but based on my experiences even multi-generational WASPy Canadians don't really have an appetite for the commuting times that have become normalized in some larger American metros. The greenbelt has been talked about before and the idea that they don't curb sprawl because development just leapfrogs the greenbelt, but you just don't see many examples of that here. This type of sprawl that I associate with places like D.C. or Atlanta just doesn't really exist.
I think if you were to poll people working in the core, the vast majority would place location above having a large private lot with an hour drive to match. Maybe cultural differences are in play here, as central neighbourhoods never experienced true white flight and built up a stigma.
The biggest thing I think is that highway connectivity moving away from the lake and not parallel to it is pretty terrible. The few examples you do have with the 400 and 404, you actually do see significant development in places like Newmarket, Aurora, and now even Barrie where people have moved beyond the greenbelt and may commute into Toronto. You just can't do the same thing from Orangeville, Uxbridge, etc. because you'd be driving into town on two lane country highways for hours and want to blow your brains out. I think in the U.S. the comprehensive interstate system provides more of these locales to build low-density around, and Americans in general seem to be more apt to move to what is currently a forest and the connectivity maybe comes later. Here, I don't think there's much desire to be that pioneering spirit and demand is focused around existing centres almost to a breaking point.