TRANSPORTATION & MOBILITY
EVOLUTION OF TRANSIT
Toronto has experienced an interesting evolution of its public transportation system throughout its recent history. The maps here illustrate this evolution during the period between 1959 and 2016. They include both existing and proposed transit routes of the Toronto Transit Commission. What is particularly interesting about this evolution is how the city’s public transportation infrastructure developed in addition to the city’s highway development, primarily Route 404. Although not all of the city’s proposed infrastructural improvements have been implemented, Toronto has made significant progress with its subway, light rail, and bus-rapid transit (BRT) routes. This has enabled the region’s urban growth, as well as has established primary commercial corridors within the region.
Source: gettorontomoving.ca
TRANSIT V. ZONING
As is apparent from the comparison of the city’s transit routes and zoning maps, Toronto has seemingly been successful in implementing transit-oriented development (TOD) efforts along its primary public transportation corridors. This is true both within the core of the city, where transit is densest, but also along the peripheries of the city, where transit remains present, yet more widespread. Thus, higher concentrations of commercial zoning are present along the city’s existing transportation corridors, which are surrounded by both single and multi-family residential zones. By successfully implementing TOD strategies within the Greater Toronto Metropolitan area, residents and tourists are able and encouraged to use public transit to move around the city. This helps alleviate the congestion that is ever present within the city’s core.
Source: toronto.ca
TRANSIT V. URBAN GROWTH
As is true of most urbanized regions, Toronto’s development of its transportation infrastructure has yielded its seemingly concentric urban growth pattern. The map here demonstrates how the city and metropolitan region have expanded between 1850 and 2002. Moreover, the map shows this growth in relation to the area’s existing subway and bus-rapid transit (BRT) routes. This map reinforces the assumption that as transportation became more readily available and accessible, the region experienced significant expansion toward the suburbs. What is interesting, however, is that the socio-economic class of those who live within Toronto’s suburbs tends to be relatively low. This could be due to the availability of public transportation beyond the city’s core, which, thereby, provides access to the city’s low-income population. Moreover, residents may locate in these suburban regions due to their closer proximity to the region’s industrial cores, with which they might seek work.
Source: torontotransforms.com