My neighbourhood: Church-Yonge Corridor

Amber Liu

June 18, 2020

Introduction

My neighbourhood, Church-Yonge Corridor, is in Downtown Toronto. Its borders are Young Street, Bloor Street East, Jarvis Street, and Front Street.

Church-Yonge Corridor is one of the most populated areas in the city. There are many residential buildings, with easy access to recreational facilities, such as parks, churches, or shopping malls.

It is a good place for work and education as well. There are many schools in my neighbourhood, including the Ryerson University. It is also close to Toronto's Financial District.

My neighbourhood is comfortable to live in. There are always trees to provide shade in the summer, and the streets are often shovelled in the winter.

It is also very convenient to live here. Because of the dense roads and busy public transportations, it is easy to get around. There are also services like stores or restaurants dotted in every corner.

Land Use

Hover mouse over bottom right corner to see the legend.

Church-Yonge Corridor consists mostly of residential buildings in the northern part, and institutional and commercial buildings in the southern part.

Impacts of Physical Geography

Image from Google Maps .
Church-Yonge Corridor is close to Lake Ontario. All its roads, like the rest of Toronto, are built to be either perpendicular or parallel to the lake border, instead of directly following a compass direction.

The landscape of my neighbourhood is relatively flat, with a gentle slope down towards Lake Ontario. Most of the streets are straight, dividing the area into evenly sized blocks, as there is no need to avoid hills or valleys.
- The southern part of my neighbourhood consists of mostly commercial buildings. The southern part is closer to the waterfront, where it would historically be easier to have trades and transport goods.

Social Aspects

As of 2016, Church-Yonge Corridor has a population of around 31, 000 people, which makes up around 1% of Toronto’s total population.

The income of individuals in my neighbourhood are mostly medium to high. My neighbourhood is relatively diverse, with around 40% of people being visible minorities, and identifying with many different ethnic backgrounds.

Image from Toronto Neighbourhood Profiles

My neighbourhood is relatively diverse, with around 40% of people being visible minorities, and identifying with many different ethnic backgrounds.

Between 2001 and 2016, the total population of Church-Yonge Corridor increased by 10.6%, while the rest of Toronto grew by only 4.5%. There has been more construction of residential buildings over the past few years, which led to this growth.

Between 2001 and 2016, most of the population growth was between ages 15 and 34. As the economical capital of Canada, the city of Toronto attracts young people who are looking for jobs. Because of my neighbourhood’s proximity to the economic district, it also experiences a large increase in its population of working age. My neighbourhood has a very low dependency ratio. As of 2016, 71% of the population in my neighbourhood is of working age (25-64 years old).

Urban Issues

One urban issue that my neighbourhood faces is congestion.

My neighbourhood includes some of Toronto’s busiest streets, such as Bloor and Yonge. Many people travel along these streets, especially during rush hours. Travel time during those time periods is usually longer.

Public transportation during that time is crowded as well. You can often see a crowd of people waiting at bus stops, especially since the buses don’t always come on time.

The congestion during these times of the day makes it harder for people to get to work and get home after work, and they often need to plan extra time just for travelling.

Redevelopment Plan

My neighbourhood has a high population, so its roads often get very crowded, causing congestions. Some rules are already enforced, such as no left-turns during rush hours, but that also makes travelling less convenient. I suggest encouraging the use of public transportation. This will help the roads become clearer, as public transportation is often more space efficient. To achieve this, I suggest the following:

During rush hours, TTC fare should be made cheaper. This will encourage the use of public transportation more, and the increased traffic should make up for the money lost because of the reduction.

During rush hours, a lane should be reserved for the use of busses and streetcars on larger roads. This will help improve the efficiency and reliability of public transportation, making more people willing to ride it.