Toronto/Boston comparisons

[neubilder]

In what universe is Boston similar to Toronto? It has more in common with Halifax.

I might as well make a thread about Toronto/Honolulu comparisons.

Compact downtown, but multiple "clusters" of tall buildings and satellite centers; main shopping arteries in small-scale buildings often converted from domestic use; quiet, leafy neighborhoods directly adjacent to or within blocks of major avenues; schools and universities as a fundamental part of the urban core and its fabric overall; an initial impression of suburban sobriety and quiet conservatism that yields distinctly subversive elements upon closer inspection; a much-used and iconic subway system that frankly could use a bit of work; a notion of somehow being "British" or European" in flavor compared with most other American cities, yet is actually fairly unique.

For starters.

I agree with 'the Architect' - Boston and Toronto have very little in common. Except for the historic core (which is being eroded daily), Toronto is a relentless megacity with 60km's of suburban wasteland in every direction. Boston by contrast is surrounded by pre-19th century burroughs that are still basically villages. The historic city centre is also largely intact. Bostonians have an appreciation for their history. Many regard Toronto's history as a lefty indulgence and a waste of time (kind of ironic). One can leave Boston's downtown core on bicycle and be in the rolling New England countryside virtually in minutes. Try doing that in Toronto.

The two cities histories, economies, geographies, demographies... are all very different.

Toronto and Chicago is a better comparison, except that Chicago also has a much better sense of it's history.

 

[Hipster Duck]

One can leave Boston's downtown core on bicycle and be in the rolling New England countryside virtually in minutes. Try doing that in Toronto.

Are you kidding me? Boston is surrounded by about a 40 mile thick perimeter of exurban sprawl. Where is this "rolling New England countryside" that is just "minutes" away from downtown Boston by bicycle? Frankly, you can probably reach genuine countryside easier from Toronto than from Boston.

 

[Tewder]

Ogunquit/Kennebunk Maine are less than an hour north of the city, Cape Ann/Marblehead/Gloucester are similarly close and in good traffic it takes less than 40 minutes south towards Duxbury/Plymouth and eventually the Cape. There is lovely cottage country around Carver too. I think 'minutes' by bike is an exaggeration but Neubilder may be referring to Lexington/Concord-type villages on the periphery?

 

[Ladies Mile]

Ogunquit/Kennebunk Maine are less than an hour north of the city, Cape Ann/Marblehead/Gloucester are similarly close and in good traffic it takes less than 40 minutes south towards Duxbury/Plymouth and eventually the Cape. There is lovely cottage country around Carver too. I think 'minutes' by bike is an exaggeration but Neubilder may be referring to Lexington/Concord-type villages on the periphery?

Yes, less "countryside" per se than preserved colonial centers.

 

[k10ery]

Absolutely, these things are ranked all the time and schools care enormously about the status of their faculty, the successes of their alumni, and the achievements of their departments, all of which contributing to their overall reputations or standing... It's the same within a local context where all things being equal does it carry the same weight to graduate from Brock or Lakehead as it does UofT or Queen's?

You were making a lot of sense until you implied Queens was in the same league as U of T. Not even close.

 

[neubilder]

Are you kidding me? Boston is surrounded by about a 40 mile thick perimeter of exurban sprawl. Where is this "rolling New England countryside" that is just "minutes" away from downtown Boston by bicycle? Frankly, you can probably reach genuine countryside easier from Toronto than from Boston.

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I gather you have never lived in or spent time in Boston. (Surfing google earth from your chair doesn't count)
From downtown Boston to Belmont is 7 miles. From Cambridge, which is where I lived, it's about 5 miles. Somerville, where I lived before that, is even closer. Arlington, Medford, Concord, Belmont, Brookline, Milton etc are all historic boroughs, not exurban sprawl. From any of these places, which are essentially rural in character in themselves, you can be in the countryside in minutes.

But even immediately outside of the old core of downtown Boston you can follow greenbelts like the Charles River or Jamaica way, (thanks to Wilfred Olmstead) and be surrounded by green the entire time. Most of the boroughs surrounding Boston are green and lush and in the midst of lakes and rolling hills and at virtually no risk of suburban, Toronto-style redevelopment. The exurban sprawl that characterizes Toronto's periphery is almost non-existant except when you head south along the turnpike, but even this is relatively attractive compared to the 401 and the QEW.

By contrast, the two greenbelts leaving Toronto's core are the Don Valley and the Humber River. As gorgeous as they are to cycle along, both eventually terminate in the middle of heavily trafficked sprawl and it's another 15km's before you are in anything that resembles the countryside.

Go to google earth and click some of the Panoramio photos in the areas that you call exurban sprawl and I'm sure you will find they are not.

 

[Ladies Mile]

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From this statement I gather you have never lived in or spent time in Boston. (Surfing google earth from your chair doesn't count)
From downtown Boston to Belmont is 7 miles. From Cambridge, which is where I lived, it's about 5 miles. Somerville, where I lived before that, is even closer. Arlington, Medford, Concord, Belmont, Brookline, Milton etc are all historic boroughs, not exurban sprawl. From any of these places, which are essentially rural in character in themselves, you can be in the countryside in minutes.

But even immediately outside of the old core of downtown Boston you can follow greenbelts like the Charles River or Jamaica way, (thanks to Wilfred Olmstead) and be surrounded by green the entire time. Most of the boroughs surrounding Boston are green and lush and in the midst of lakes and rolling hills and at virtually no risk of suburban, Toronto-style redevelopment. The exurban sprawl that characterizes Toronto's periphery is almost non-existant except when you head south along the turnpike, but even this is relatively attractive compared to the 401 and the QEW.

By contrast, the two greenbelts leaving Toronto's core are the Don Valley and the Humber River. Both gorgeous as they are to cycle along, eventually you get dumped off in the middle of heavily trafficked sprawl, and it's another 15km's before you are in anything that resembles the countryside.

Go to google earth and click some of the Panoramio photos in the areas that you call exurban sprawl and I'm sure you will find they are not.

I agree with the above...what is technically "sprawl" around Boston has a lot more history and zoning involved than anything in Toronto.