Why does it seem like a difficult task for us to have parks and roads like they do?
Every time I come home from a trip to Europe, I feel a little ashamed. Ashamed and perplexed. Why is everything so much better over there? The parks, the public transit, the highways, the squares, the museums – even the garbage bins are better than ours.
Arriving in Toronto, where I live, feels like crossing into the East Bloc from the West during the Cold War. Everything looks so shabby. The main route into downtown from the airport is in scandalous shape. Rusting guardrails. Garbage and weeds on the shoulders. Potholes and bumps. The inbound drive along the Gardiner Expressway is like a ride on a decrepit roller coaster…
Europe’s urban advantage leaves in the shade – Marcus Gee, The Globe and Mail, May 11, 2024
Photo: Canmenwalker, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
