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Walkable neighbourhoods a waste in “car culture?”

Aerial views of Edmonton (left) and Toronto (right)

Canadian Driver, Canada’s Online Auto Magazine, recently featured an article entitled, “Walkable” neighbourhoods still want cars: study. The “study” comes from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, which recently reported their findings that 77 percent of people in Alberta’s capital make all their trips with their personal vehicles.

Marianne Clark, a researcher at the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, interviewed stakeholders in neighbourhood development, questioning city councilors, food retailers, land developers, public health, and municipal employees about healthy neighbourhoods and food security. The response? Skepticism as to whether the building of walkable neighbourhoods would actually encourage Edmontonians to walk rather than use their vehicles.

Is this also true of Toronto? Is the building of “walkable neighbourhoods” a waste of the City’s money? Some things to keep in mind are the vast differences between Toronto and Edmonton. According to the Weather Network, the average temperature in January in Edmonton is -18 degrees Celsius. Toronto’s average January temperature is -7 degrees Celsius. With the wind chill, Edmonton’s winter temperatures can reach well below the -40 degrees Celsius range.

Further, according to Canada By Map, as of 2006 Edmonton had a population density of 1067.2 persons/square kilometre. Toronto’s population density in the same year was well over triple that of Edmonton’s, at 3972.3 persons/square kilometre. The difference is apparent in the above photo; Edmonton (and its inhabitants) is much more spread out across its land mass; you may simply have to drive to the grocery store or to school or to work. Toronto, on the other hand, is much more densely populated, and is far more compact. Most neighbourhoods contain everything that the average person needs in a day, and walking to the grocery store, school, or work is a reality of many Torontonians‘ lives.

Edmonton may be entrenched in “car culture,” (with good reason – who wants to walk to the grocery store in -40 degree Celsius weather?) but creating a more walkable city makes sense in Toronto’s culture, climate and neighbourhoods.