Calling it a "downtown" is still something of a stretch. Markham could have pursued centralization and development intensification 20 years ago and didn't. It's notable that plans for significant employment in the "downtowns" of both North York and Scarborough still have yet to materialize.
No suburb in North America was seriously pursuing centralization 20 years ago and Markham has been at the forefront of changing it. Scarborough has been a total loss whereas NYC has been, I would say, a partial success. Obviously the jobs have not materialized as hoped but clearly the residential is taking off.
As for Pacific Mall, it's true that it's been around "only" for 17 years rather than 20. Most of Markham is still comprised to single family
detached housing in a typical low-density suburban pattern.
Most of
Toronto is also the same pattern but it's older and had different governance so it's got more of a mix built in to that pattern. No reason "newer" suburbs can't build similar nodes over time.
There is no intensification at Yorkdale because the subway station is surrounded by single-family detached housing.
Have you been to Yorkdale? How close to that station is the nearest house? 1 km? No, it's surrounded by highways and a mall and that's why there's no intensification at Yorkdale. Putting that line in the middle of the road is why there's no intensification there. (And, ironically, Yorkdale is such a succesful mall, I bet they never even considered adding any residential during their re-development. Who wants to live at the corner of Allen Road and 401?) Downsview is probably a better example of what you're talking about except they are, bit by bit, getting some nice mid-rise going along there.
Anyway, we agree about Lawrence Heights but you can't really compare that rather unique subway plan (itself a compromise, since the Expressway was killed) with a true subway like Sheppard or (without going on another tangent) the potential Yonge extension. And, FWIW, not every Yonge stop has substantial development either. York Mills and Rosedale aren't exactly intensification hotspots but, of course, there are reasons for that.
Or they'd be living in condos in Thornhill along Bathurst or almost anywhere else.
But that's the whole point. There haven't been many condos built in the suburbs to date. Sheppard is helping provide them and, more to the point, that's what's changing over the past 20 years (to go back to the top of this post!); more mixed development in areas that, as you correctly note, are almost entirely single-family homes.
Anyway, to conclude back on thread (I always try!), NO ONE will be remotely as bad as the Fords and I don't think Chow or Tory is perfect. I think Tory is more-less-perfect (or...less-more-perfect?) than Chow and I think he'll be a good mayor and some people (not you, just generally) have been hysterical about the prospect. He'll do some things I won't like but then so would have Chow...that's democracy.
