8 Ways Toronto Falls Short: A Local's Perspective

I grew up in Toronto and have always had a deep affection for the city. However, my experience living abroad has made me more aware of the city's shortcomings, particularly in areas like public spaces, the waterfront, subway accessibility, and walkability. This blog post shares eight ways I believe Toronto could improve, based on my observations from living outside the city.

One of the most striking examples is Toronto's public spaces. While the city has some great parks, it doesn't do as much to transform public spaces into places where people want to gather and linger. Cities like Montreal have pedestrianized many streets, making them more inviting for people to spend time in. In contrast, Toronto still feels designed more around moving cars through it.

The waterfront is another area where Toronto could improve. The city sits on an enormous lake, but much of the waterfront is cut off by highways, condo developments, and industrial land. This makes it feel underwhelming compared to cities like Sydney, Copenhagen, or Marseille, which have more accessible waterfronts.

Subway accessibility is another issue. According to the TTC's spring newsletter, 64 of Toronto's 70 subway stations are accessible. While this is progress, there are still six stations without full step-free access. The remaining upgrades are finally on the way, but it's still a significant gap for a subway system that opened in 1954.

Finally, Toronto's pedestrian infrastructure is inconsistent. Almost 800 kilometers of local roads, nearly one-quarter of them, don't have sidewalks. This, combined with construction detours, massive intersections, and six-lane suburban arterials, means that Toronto doesn't feel as pedestrian-friendly as it likes to think it is. Cities like Paris and Barcelona have more pedestrian-focused areas, which makes them more inviting for people to walk around.