City Overhaul Proposed in Toronto

Experts are calling for a major revision to the city operations of Toronto, suggesting the creation of region-wide toll roads, increased taxes and

1 minute read

February 22, 2008, 11:00 AM PST

By Nate Berg


"A panel of independent experts is suggesting a revolutionary overhaul of the city of Toronto's operations, including higher residential property taxes, a parking lot tax, regional road tolls, selling of surplus city lands, improving city worker productivity and raises for some politicians.

The report released this morning by the six-member panel recommends:

* Trading the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway to the province in exchange for a share of regional road tolls;

* Getting the province to provide $200 million of annual funding and long-term, stable financing to Canada's most populous city;

* Selling off some of the city's estimated $18 billion in real estate assets to help slash its debt load;

* Giving pay hikes to members of city council's powerful executive committee."

Thursday, February 21, 2008 in The Toronto Star

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

People sit in a bus with blue trim

Voters choose public transit, approve $31 billion in funding

Approved projects include $101,000 for reduced-cost transit in a Michigan town and $14 billion for regional transit in the San Francisco Bay Area.

45 minutes ago - Smart Cities Dive

People walking and cycling on a street in Boston.

Study reveals best places in the U.S. for cycling, walking

New research from Streetlight Data examines bicycle and pedestrian miles per capita in the 100 largest U.S. cities by population.

1 hour ago - Smart Cities Dive

Nithya Ramen talks to an older man. She is smiling and wearing a yellow dress. They are both outside.

Los Angeles just elected an urban planner as its mayor

Transportation analysts are optimistic that Raman will be more aggressive in addressing transit issues than Bass.

November 7 - Los Angeles Times

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.