Transit Equity Planning in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area Major Portfolio Michael Collens Date: September 1, 2016 Supervisor: Prof. Roger Keil A Major Portfolio submitted to the Faculty of Environmental Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Environmental Studies. York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Student: Supervisor: This page is intentionally left blank. pg. i Contents List of Figures _____________________________________________________________________________ iv List of Tables ______________________________________________________________________________ v List of Acronyms ___________________________________________________________________________ v Abstract ____________________________________________________________________ vi Acknowledgements __________________________________________________________ viii Foreword _____________________________________________________________________x Introduction _________________________________________________________________ 1 How to Define Transit Equity _________________________________________________________________ 2 Transit Equity and Governance _______________________________________________________________ 7 Transit Equity in the GTHA __________________________________________________________ 11 The Post-Suburban Present _________________________________________________________________ 12 Regional Inequality ________________________________________________________________________ 17 Transit Inequity __________________________________________________________________________ 19 Organization of the Portfolio ________________________________________________________ 22 Section 1 ___________________________________________________________________ 25 Switching Tracks: Towards Transit Equity in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area ___________ 25 Introduction _____________________________________________________________________________ 25 Report Contribution _______________________________________________________________________ 29 Section 2 ___________________________________________________________________ 51 Global Suburban Infrastructure Conference ____________________________________________ 51 Introduction _____________________________________________________________________________ 51 Long Abstract ____________________________________________________________________________ 55 Section 3 ___________________________________________________________________ 59 “You Can’t Get There From Here”: Neighbourhood Narratives of Transit Inequity _____________ 59 Introduction _____________________________________________________________________________ 59 Report Contribution _______________________________________________________________________ 73 Section 4 __________________________________________________________________ 121 Public Transit and the Public Good: Why and How Planners Can Deliver More Equity _________ 121 Introduction ____________________________________________________________________________ 121 Article _________________________________________________________________________________ 125 Conclusion _________________________________________________________________ 131 UPX and Transit Equity ____________________________________________________________________ 132 Transit Equity is Political __________________________________________________________________ 136 The Portfolio and the Route Ahead __________________________________________________________ 138 pg. ii Appendices ________________________________________________________________ 145 Appendix A: Links to Full Reports ___________________________________________________ 145 Switching Tracks: Towards Transit Equity in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area __________________ 145 Next Stop: Equity: Routes to Fairer Transit Access in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area ___________ 145 Appendix B: Presentations _________________________________________________________ 147 Global Suburban Infrastructure Conference ___________________________________________________ 147 Next Stop: Equity Report __________________________________________________________________ 156 Appendix C: News Releases ________________________________________________________ 169 Switching Tracks _________________________________________________________________________ 169 Next Stop: Equity ________________________________________________________________________ 170 Appendix D: List of Media Coverage _________________________________________________ 173 Switching Tracks _________________________________________________________________________ 173 Next Stop: Equity ________________________________________________________________________ 173 StudentMoveTO _________________________________________________________________________ 174 Appendix E: Human Participants Review Sub-Committee Forms __________________________ 175 Protocol Form ___________________________________________________________________________ 175 Informed Consent Form ___________________________________________________________________ 184 Approval _______________________________________________________________________________ 186 Appendix F: References ___________________________________________________________ 189 Data Sources ____________________________________________________________________________ 202 GIS Data _______________________________________________________________________________ 205 pg. iii List of Figures Figure 1. Dixie Road, looking south from Springtown Trail, Brampton, Ontario. _____________________________ 4 Figure 2. Map of the political boundaries of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. _______________________ 10 Figure 3. Map of the Areas of Social Need from TBM. ________________________________________________ 27 Figure 4. St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto, Ontario. ___________________________________________________ 60 Figure 5. Sobeys Corporate Office, Mississauga, Ontario ______________________________________________ 64 Figure 6. Key map of the five case study sites._______________________________________________________ 66 Figure 7. Scarborough Village, Scarborough (Toronto), Ontario. ________________________________________ 67 Figure 8. Applewood – Rathwood [Applewood], Mississauga, Ontario. ___________________________________ 68 Figure 9. Springdale, Brampton, Ontario. __________________________________________________________ 69 Figure 10. Mount Dennis, York (Toronto), Ontario. ___________________________________________________ 70 Figure 11. Mount Olive – Silverstone – Jamestown [Mount Olive], Etobicoke (Toronto), Ontario. _____________ 71 Figure 12. Key map of the five case study sites. _____________________________________________________ 74 Figure 13. Scarborough Village case study map. _____________________________________________________ 79 Figure 14. Canadian Red Cross community hub on Markham Road north of Eglinton Avenue East, Scarborough Village, Scarborough, Ontario. ___________________________________________________________________ 83 Figure 15. Eglinton Avenue East looking east from Markham Road, Scarborough Village, Scarborough, Ontario. _ 83 Figure 16. Eglinton Avenue East, looking west at Cedar Drive, Scarborough Village, Scarborough, Ontario. ______ 84 Figure 17. Applewood case study map. ____________________________________________________________ 87 Figure 18. Burnhamthorpe Road East, looking west towards Mississauga City Centre at Dixie Road, Applewood, Mississauga, Ontario. __________________________________________________________________________ 91 Figure 19. Behind Rockwood Mall on Bough Beeches Boulevard, Applewood, Mississauga, Ontario. ___________ 92 Figure 20. Bloor Street, east of Dixie Road, Applewood, Mississauga, Ontario. _____________________________ 93 Figure 21. Springdale case study map. _____________________________________________________________ 95 Figure 22. Sandalwood Parkway East, looking east towards Dixie Road, Springdale, Brampton, Ontario. ________ 99 Figure 23. Looking west from Great Lakes Drive north of Bovaird Drive. Springdale, Brampton, Ontario. _______ 99 Figure 24. Trinity Common Bus Terminal, Springdale, Brampton, Ontario. _______________________________ 100 Figure 25. Sandalwood Parkway East, looking west towards Dixie Road. Springdale, Brampton, Ontario. ______ 100 Figure 26. Mount Dennis case study map. _________________________________________________________ 102 Figure 27. Jane Street looking south towards Eglinton Avenue West, Mount Dennis, York, Ontario. __________ 105 Figure 28. Metrolinx rail overpass (Kitchener Line) at Eglinton Avenue West, looking west, Mount Dennis, York, Ontario _____________________________________________________________________________________ 106 Figure 29. Future Mount Dennis Station, Eglinton Avenue West and Photography Drive, Mount Dennis, York, Ontario. ____________________________________________________________________________________ 108 Figure 30. Weston Road and Eglinton Avenue West, Mount Dennis, York, Ontario. ________________________ 109 Figure 31. Mount Olive case study map. __________________________________________________________ 111 Figure 32. Albion Road looking southeast, south of Finch Avenue West, Mount Olive, Etobicoke, Ontario. _____ 112 Figure 33. Finch Avenue West, looking west towards Kipling Avenue, Mount Olive, Etobicoke, Ontario. _______ 115 Figure 34. Rexdale Community Hub, Mount Olive, Etobicoke, Ontario. __________________________________ 118 Figure 35. Finch Avenue West, looking