The city of Toronto originally had more park space than New York's Central Park. But the need to generate revenue caused the city to sell off much of its parkspace over the years, leaving a city with comparably few open spaces.
"If you added it all up, in the early 1800s, Toronto had more foliage than New York's Central Park. But today, the GTA's most usable parks – Sunnybrook, Agincourt and Bluffer's to name a few – are only accessible by car or the TTC."
"Who in their right mind would plan a city without parks? No one. It was never supposed to be this way."
"'We had a cholera epidemic (around) 1830 and we needed to build a bigger hospital. But to pay for it, we had to sell off the land,' said Myers, who is the founder of Friends of Fort York and the Citizens for Old Town."
"Then in the 1850s, the Grand Trunk Railway arrived. City council soon realized it had this huge asset in the waterfront Walks and Gardens. The decision was made to sell off parts of the land and put the money into a trust to better improve city parks, Myers said."
"It wasn't until the mid-1950s that the city of Toronto put parks development on its priority list."
"Around the same time, in other parts of the GTA, city officials were working to make sure they didn't fall into the same trap."
FULL STORY: What happened to city's park plan?
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?
Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.
Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods
A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.
California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy
California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.
HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.
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