A Region of Regions: Transportation Planning in the Greater Golden Horseshoe
While completing the course readings on regional outlooks on urban policy, I was reminded of a frequent question that came to mind while I was working with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation during my summer internship. During my time working there, I was able to assist with engagement and consultation in support of the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) Transportation Plan. This ambitious plan sets out a vision for transportation planning and policy in the GGH until 2051, and includes a variety of modes of transportation like trucks and cars, public transit, rail, active transportation, air, and marine to support the movement of both people and freight.
During meetings with representations from some of the different municipalities and regions within the GGH, the question of how such an ambitious plan could be implemented on a region that is in fact a conglomeration of various distinct regional municipalities was immediately apparent. The GGH is an increasingly interconnected economic hub that may have outgrown the political boundaries that currently exist between the regions within it. The GGH Transportation Plan puts forth a vision for a more interconnected region, most notably a shift from a radial commuter rail network centered on Union Station to a grid network distributed across the region. I think it is quite likely that the current segregation and existence of artificial boundaries within the GGH region will make coordinating transportation investments more difficult and drawn out.
Considering how investments into transportation infrastructure are allocated is very important as the GGH region continues to grow in population and economic complexity. Much of the region is suburban rather than urban, especially the “905” communities surrounding the City of Toronto. These suburban developments were brought into existence as a result of investment into highways like the 400-series highways during the post-war period. The legacy of these transportation investments, and their distinct focus on the personal vehicle are pronounced when looking at the nature of growth in the region, and in other cities in Canada.
The visualization of population growth from this article included in our course readings by David L.A. Gordon succinctly shows this legacy. Areas like the “416” area of Toronto, the Island of Montreal, and the City of Vancouver have seen high percentages of growth occur in active core and transit suburbs. The persistence of growth in these areas reflects how pre-war transportation investments still shape land use. Neighbourhoods first constructed before the widespread adoption of the personal vehicle remain denser today despite the 20th century’s shift to car-oriented development. This fact is especially pronounced in Toronto’s very walkable “streetcar suburbs” (like the neighbourhood I live in, the Annex). These transit suburbs grew out of investments in Toronto’s streetcar system before the Second World War, and they continue to exist as transit suburbs to this day thanks to the continuation of streetcar services and investments in the subway system. The growth of secondary suites in many of these neighbourhoods has made them deceivingly densely populated, especially in contrast to their car-oriented post-war cousins that dominate the “905.” In a similar vein, cities that experienced the majority of their growth during the latter half of the 20th century lead in rates of growth in auto and exurban areas (Calgary and Edmonton).
The GGH transportation plan reflects an opportunity to take the transportation planning principle that led to the creation of denser, more walkable transit suburbs and apply it to a modern urban mega-region. Connecting the various municipalities and regions of the GGH through a grid-like rail system could facilitate a transition away from urban sprawl and towards a network of interlinked transit-oriented, mixed-used communities where active transportation infrastructure makes walking and cycling safe and efficient. Perhaps a return to the spirit of reform of the 1970s that had many thinking single-tier separated cities would fade into history will help facilitate this important transition in the GGH region, except regional municipalities may need to fade away as well.
