Public Infrastructure
Introduction
Infrastructures are essential facilities, services, and organizational structures for communal use and a key requirement for the public in any state, city and even municipality; therefore, Toronto, Canada being a city is not an exception of this to its residents. Infrastructure include roads, bridges, harbors and airports. In Toronto, most of the infrastructure is old and getting older as time goes by. It is no longer the heroic mission of a proud city but instead a burden no one wants to own. Many low to moderate income residents of Toronto experience challenges in accessing safe and sound public infrastructure (Sorensen, 2011). A lot need to be done by the government by investing heavily in construction of new infrastructures so as to improve the lives of the residents and reclaim the lost glory of the city.
Background
Despite Toronto being a great city in Canada, its leadership has never taken a collective responsibility of coming up with long lasting measures to the menace of poor public infrastructure (Powers, 2015). In 1912, a local plebiscite turned down a subway which till today haunts the condition of these infrastructures. It is in 1946 that Torontonians came to conquer the subway though it was somehow late for them since it could cost them billions of dollars to rectify the state of the infrastructures. By the end of the ’60s, infrastructure was the last thing on anyone’s mind. The big projects had been started and the new priority was to keep one step ahead of suburbia as it spread across the hinterland.
Current status
Academic Caren Levy argues that the ability to access transport shows the “right to participate” in a city’s life span and partake fully to what it offers such as work, education and entertainment (Levy, 2009). Toronto’s public transport system has struggled to keep up with the growth of the city, and the demands that places on its infrastructure. An Environmental Assessment Study was completed and it recommended replacing the existing bridge though a detailed assessment was done and a proposal of rehabilitating the bridge was passed instead of building new structures. This is being conducted by the municipal council of Toronto.
A municipal class Environmental Assessment is being conducted by the municipal council to come up with ways of improving the condition of the aging sewer that serves the Baby point Water Pumping Station. Toronto’s Basement Flooding Protection Program (BFPP) is coming up with measures to reduce possible future occurrence of flooding by making improvements to the City’s overland drainage routes and Sewer System (Toronto, n.d). Due to a rise of growth of events taking place in Casa Loma neighborhood, Transportation Management and Mitigation Plan (TMMP) is coming up with possible transport management to scheme and improvements that will also meet parking demands.
Key consideration
Below is a number of key factors to be considered in improving the public infrastructure in Toronto, Canada. First, empower the state and the local government. By state it means empowering Canada infrastructure organ as well as the Municipal Organ at a local level (Steytler, 2005). State and the municipal organs need to be more flexible on how they spend incomes and allow the municipal government to leverage the limited funds. Second, make Toronto to think big. By this, new deals are created within the state creating more jobs that in turn gives back a lot of finances that are then pumped into infrastructure projects hence becoming critical in the city’s economy backbone (White, 2003). This will result into construction of roads, dams, sewerage systems and bridges within the city. Third, get the Canadian government taking the issue of coming with proper infrastructure seriously so as to enhance proper productivity from its residence considering the fact that a human being rate of productivity is largely influenced by his/her working conditions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, public infrastructure is a key aspect having the fact that Toronto is the biggest city in Canada and hence it calls for quality infrastructure and long-lasting ones starting from roads, dams, bridges and sewerage systems to avoid delay in its delivery to its residents. History of infrastructure in Toronto tells that the leaders in Toronto before the ‘50s had a lot of opportunities to develop quality infrastructure and rectify the spoilt ones but instead they did not give it much attention as needed. Later long after the ‘50s Toronto leadership realized the need to do new infrastructure which were initiated and till date initiation of new projects is underway to restore the lost glory of the great city of Toronto and meet the standards of cities of its class such as New York city in the United States. Key measures that need to be put in place to enhance improving infrastructure in Toronto include; empowering the state and the local government, making Toronto to think big and getting the Canadian government taking the issue of coming with proper infrastructure seriously.
References.
Levy, C., (2009), “Gender justice in a diversity approach to development? The challenges for development planning”, (Viewpoint), International Development Planning Review Vol 31, No 4, December, pages i−xi.
Powers, L., (2015). Why Canada has fallen so far behind on public transit. Retrieved from; https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/why-canada-has-fallen-so-far-behind-on-public-transit- 1.3137415
Sorensen, A. (2011). Toronto megacity: growth, planning institutions, sustainability. In Megacities (pp. 245-271). Springer, Tokyo.
Steytler, N. (2005). The place and role of local government in federal systems.
Toronto (n.d). Basement Flooding Protection Program. Retrieved from; https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/water-environment/managing-rain-melted- snow/basement-flooding/basement-flooding-protection-program/
White, R. (2003). Urban Infrastructure and Urban Growth in the Toronto Region, 1950's to the 1990's (p. 11). Toronto: Neptis Foundation.
