Second_in_pie
Senior Member
Greetings Torontonians, Toronto lovers and column C. I'm assuming that if you're on this forum, Toronto means something to you.
I have one question that's been bothering me for a while. What makes Toronto special?
We're a pretty average city on a bunch of levels. Our population isn't substantial and our density is pretty similar to that of any other North American city. The city layout isn't quite unique enough to set it apart from other American cities either.
Then, you can put on top of that the fact that we're actually doing pretty poorly. The government of the City itself can be described in a one word as incompetent. Our metro system isn't majorly noteworthy, and our government is trying it's best to ensure it doesn't become any more noteworthy. I guess we have streetcars, but I don't think that's enough to absolutely love the city.
That's just a couple of the reasons Toronto is insubstantial. So what makes it good? What's different about Toronto that makes it such a better place to live? I know I appreciate the diversity, and there are a couple times that I really appreciate the ravines, valleys, rivers and all the greenspace they give. But sometimes I think that the way the region's going, it's going to turn into a painfully average city (edited because mention of the City on the other side of Windsor as an example of a disaster is causing some anger,) or is just going to be left behind. I've looked at a crapload of other cities. New York, San Francisco, London, Paris, Barcelona, Tokyo, even Mecca (it's 5 pilgrim metro systems will be nice, a shame my love isn't Muslim) all have something that sets them apart from others, and they all get a lot of love.
Now part two to this thread, what makes Toronto eligible as a big world player? The Golden Horseshoe's population is supposed to increase a bit in the next decade or two, but I don't really know what could make it a big global city.
This is really a conundrum for me. I wouldn't say I'm planning for any moving, but I'm intrigued as to what makes Toronto special, both in an emotional/social and a political/economical sense. I'd like to hear what some of the people here think
I have one question that's been bothering me for a while. What makes Toronto special?
We're a pretty average city on a bunch of levels. Our population isn't substantial and our density is pretty similar to that of any other North American city. The city layout isn't quite unique enough to set it apart from other American cities either.
Then, you can put on top of that the fact that we're actually doing pretty poorly. The government of the City itself can be described in a one word as incompetent. Our metro system isn't majorly noteworthy, and our government is trying it's best to ensure it doesn't become any more noteworthy. I guess we have streetcars, but I don't think that's enough to absolutely love the city.
That's just a couple of the reasons Toronto is insubstantial. So what makes it good? What's different about Toronto that makes it such a better place to live? I know I appreciate the diversity, and there are a couple times that I really appreciate the ravines, valleys, rivers and all the greenspace they give. But sometimes I think that the way the region's going, it's going to turn into a painfully average city (edited because mention of the City on the other side of Windsor as an example of a disaster is causing some anger,) or is just going to be left behind. I've looked at a crapload of other cities. New York, San Francisco, London, Paris, Barcelona, Tokyo, even Mecca (it's 5 pilgrim metro systems will be nice, a shame my love isn't Muslim) all have something that sets them apart from others, and they all get a lot of love.
Now part two to this thread, what makes Toronto eligible as a big world player? The Golden Horseshoe's population is supposed to increase a bit in the next decade or two, but I don't really know what could make it a big global city.
This is really a conundrum for me. I wouldn't say I'm planning for any moving, but I'm intrigued as to what makes Toronto special, both in an emotional/social and a political/economical sense. I'd like to hear what some of the people here think
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