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Originally Posted by chris08876
But for those who live in Toronto.... would you say that the Manhattanization of Toronto has been a good thing for the city culture or is it pushing it towards a side that discourages immigration and might deter those who want to move there (prices I'm leading up too), along with changing the "feel" of the city.
Sometimes in my area, you'll hear people say that NY is not the same NY that it was in the 80's or 90's. I wonder if that same feeling with regards to the "city culture" will apply to Toronto as it has been booming, becoming increasingly expensive, and in essence, a Manhattanization effect on various neighborhoods. Do you feel that way or do you see the general perception apply to others? Just curious about it. As I don't live in Toronto, wanted to get a query about this topic.
I'm really curious about the perception that this boom has instilled in residents.
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Like NYC, Toronto is not the same place that it was in the 80s and 90s; one could say the same for every city in Canada. Culture shifts, especially in immigrant nations. With each new wave of migrants a new layer is added to the city fabric, the culture changes, then it happens all over again. This process has been happening in the New World for centuries. There are always people who resist change and deem the culture they grew up in the 'real' culture and any attempt to change it as an attack on it/themselves.
I'm a firm believer that the most interesting culture occurs in places with mass immigration, a cross pollination of culture, and a critical mass in one place. Drake, The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes, Alessia Cara, TIFF, even the rise of Canada in basketball are related to these key ingredients being present in Toronto. I also believe it's just the tip of the iceberg. Toronto's cultural production is exploding and the city's influence beyond Ontario/Canada will grow much stronger still.
The Manhattanization of Toronto is making the city more unaffordable but I don't see that stalling cultural production or Toronto's rise as a place of cultural influence. It's preferable to have a city where artists aren't forced out but I don't see the number of people wanting to come to Toronto slowing down. What high prices are doing is keeping migration at ~100,000/year. If Toronto was as cheap as Montreal or Chicago we might see that number go far higher.
Much depends on the federal government's immigration policy. Demographers and the tech industry are pleading for more immigration and the Trudeau government are listening. Immigration to Canada bumped up to 300,000 last year and they've hinted that it's going to head substantially higher. Toronto will surely get a good share of that number. Personally I'd like to see Canada's immigration intake at around 1.5% of national population or about 550,000 annually. It bears repeating that some Torontonians long for the Toronto of 1980.