When I was young, my parents moved to the suburbs in North York. I hope I am not dating myself, but at the time, the area near Bathurst Street and Steeles Avenue in Thornhill was entirely farmland.
However, things have changed as growth pushed the boundaries of suburbia further and further north.
Over 30 years ago, my wife and I moved to the city of Vaughan. Change continued as our neighbourhood became more urbanized. High-rise buildings appeared along Steeles Avenue, Yonge Street and eventually around the Centre and Bathurst Street area. Subdivisions, malls, community centres and parks were built everywhere.
For those of us who grew up in Thornhill, things are much different than when we were kids. There is now traffic to the point of gridlock — a huge problem. We still have limited cultural resources, but urbanization has resulted in more positive changes than negative ones.
We are a relatively walkable community. We have a growing transit network to take us where we want to go. We have a large variety of shopping close at hand. We can access a sophisticated network of highways. We have great schools and libraries, and a university is just minutes away. Our fire and police services are first rate.
The suburbs are now in Aurora. The challenge in Vaughan now is to create the best urban environment possible. For more information on this issue and others, subscribe to the W5 Update on the City of Vaughan website — www.vaughan.ca.
I can be reached at 905-832-8585, ext. 8349, or by e-mail at alan.shefman@vaughan.ca.