HOW TRANSIT WILL SHAPE NEIGHBOURHOODS
When transit comes to a neighbourhood, it inevitably transforms it. Some changes are predictable, such as higher housing prices in areas with best transit access, and a change in driving patterns. But some alterations are unique to the type of transit and the neighbourhood. The Star asked urban planning experts what effects they anticipate from four GTA transit projects: the Scarborough subway, Eglinton Crosstown LRT, GO electrification and York Viva BRT.
Scarborough subway
This project will replace the Scarborough Rapid Transit system with a three-station subway extension. Myer Siemiatycki, a professor of politics at Ryerson University, said the project will create a flurry of development, especially residential midand highrise buildings, close to the line. But that impact will drop off quickly farther out, he said. Some important landmarks, such as Centennial College, that could benefit from being more accessible won’t get higher-order connections to the rest of the city and will remain at risk of falling behind as they miss out on the cash and development being pumped into areas closer to the line.
Eglinton Crosstown LRT
The Eglinton Crosstown could drastically expand how far north downtown Torontonians are willing to travel, said Matti Siemiatycki, an associate professor of geography at the University of Toronto and son of Myer. Downtown dwellers tend not to venture into midtown very much, but that will change once Eglinton is built out, especially because the LRT plan accompanies a land-use strategy that includes lining Eglinton with midrise residential buildings, he said. Once the project is done, Siemiatycki said he could envision a midtown similar to New York City’s. GO electrification The impact of electrifying the GO train network will really depend on secondary transit, said Gil Penalosa, founder of 8-80 Cities. Faster, more frequent trains would prompt more people to choose transit. But Penalosa said municipalities along the GO lines will need to beef up local transit and encourage development close to stations if they want people to leave their cars at home. If people still live far away or don’t have reliable bus access to stations, they’ll keep driving. York Viva BRT Compared with the Scarborough subway, Myer Siemiatycki said, the York Bus Rapid Transit program will have a more subtle, spread-out effect on the region. Most importantly, he said, it could help keep more of York’s population in York. “It could be a factor in making more and more people feel like living in that part of the GTA makes sense,” he said.