I think most people who aren't around retirement age seem to understand very clearly the importance of density as a more sustainable method of growth in the city, as well as the environmental wastes of sprawl from SFD housing. Then again, I am generalizing, and may have an echo chamber, as most of my friends are from the city and grew up here rather than suburban or rural areas.
 
Urban-Affair said:
I think most people who aren't around retirement age seem to understand very clearly the importance of density as a more sustainable method of growth in the city, as well as the environmental wastes of sprawl from SFD housing. Then again, I am generalizing, and may have an echo chamber, as most of my friends are from the city and grew up here rather than suburban or rural areas.
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I think that perspective is definitely validated if one attends nearly any Toronto development consultation.
 
The "battle of the generations" vibe at many downtown public consultations is starting to feel palpable.

It's also apparent who has the ear of most councillors (hint: not young people or renters). We certainly have a municipal democratic deficit when no one speaks for those in this city who are not wealthy, middle aged white homeowners.
 
torontologist said:
The "battle of the generations" vibe at many downtown public consultations is starting to feel palpable.

It's also apparent who has the ear of most councillors (hint: not young people or renters). We certainly have a municipal democratic deficit when no one speaks for those in this city who are not wealthy, middle aged white homeowners.
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If no one pays attention to young people, they'll start to express themselves in greater numbers at the ballot box. The more politically adept councillors do take young people's views seriously if they're actively engaged in local issues and have something thoughtful to say. I recall that when I was in university, my councillor Frances Nunziata did take my concerns seriously at local meetings. When I spoke out about making commercial developments more pedestrian and community friendly and preserving heritage, she was supportive and reiterated those views to developers. And they listened, making local development better for the community and city. Success comes from listening to your constituents and making the effort to address their concerns effectively.
 
Not all are older or old.

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/04/24/parkdale-residents-worry-about-condo-developments.html

Feliks is concerned about transit and driving through the area, which, he says, as a TTC operator, is already “a nightmare.” While Perks is hopeful a future pilot transit project on King St. will alleviate those concerns, Feliks still struggles to see a way forward for his beloved neighbourhood.

“They are going to destroy Parkdale,” he said.

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Urban-Affair said:
I think most people who aren't around retirement age seem to understand very clearly the importance of density as a more sustainable method of growth in the city, as well as the environmental wastes of sprawl from SFD housing. Then again, I am generalizing, and may have an echo chamber, as most of my friends are from the city and grew up here rather than suburban or rural areas.
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I think it is/was the generation before the baby boomers that went 'suburban' in their masses. I'm a baby boomer and am all for densification and have lived all of my life in an urban environment as with most of my friends and most of my neighbours (I'm in Riverdale) It was some of our parents who thought that old was bad and new was good. 'Read' just got home from the war and want a new home in a new area. Of course there is much more to this demographically etc. Look at all the beautiful old buildings destroyed n the name of progress downtown...that was the generation before the boomers hit the scene.
 
As UrbanToronto has recently covered, we really need to do a better job building the "missing middle" in the city. Protecting single family within neighbourhoods is fine, but allowing for 5-6 or up to 10 along some wide avenues on the outside of those leafy single family home neighbourhoods would provide housing for younger families, and prevent the local schools from closing because more people having kids could live in those districts. For example, I live near Honest Eds, and most of the single family homes lining Bathurst both north and south of Bloor are inefficiently subdivided into apartments. The city should actively encourage owners of these homes to assemble 4 or 5 adjacent homes into a single parcel, sell to a developer, and streamline the building of modest size 5-7 story condo or rentals with lots of 2 and 3 bedroom units. This would relieve housing shortages in some of the most desirable hoods and revitalize those neighbourhoods and school districts with young life!
 
Yup, Toronto is in dire need of some Barcelona style density around the core and along the main avenues. Even Vancouver is managing to do this along some of its major corridors. The fact that consistent midrise is unattainable on a major thoroughfare like Bloor Street--which even has a subway--suggests that some new land use policies need to be introduced. (Not being a politician or urban planner I don't know offhand what these policies would consist of, but they gotta try something. Having a 1 story laundromat across the street from a 4o story condo is kind of nuts.)
 
Yup, quite a bit of substance to those speeches, and a good lesson for the activists who want everything that they want and nothing that they don't want.

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