Downtown Toronto .. sun and rain!
the bright side and dark side of the downtown
my experience in the downtown .
According to my observation during that entertaining field trip, the downtown was totally different from the suburbs, let me just begin with the sun, I mean the bright side. Downtown Toronto had all kinds of commercial examples : low-order goods: cheese store, convenient store, fruit and vegetable store , middle-order goods: shoe stores, clothing and department stores , and high- order goods and services: expensive jwellery stores, expensive restaurants, and bookstores . It had developed schools, universities, churches, and mosques etc. which are examples of institutional land use. It also had a variety of transportation examples: The go train, busses, taxis, cars, walking, and bikes. So everything is accessible and available in the Downtown .And a paragraph is definitely not enough for me to mention EVERYTHING .Lastly , I really loved how there were a lot of environmental friendly examples: recycling bins , bike rentals , green open space , and reusable containers in the food court .And that clearly states that government planners do their best to have clean air and somehow limit pollution which comes from cars and smoking of people . now for the dark part , I really disliked having lots of people that sometimes even prevent me from observing the buildings properly or taking pictures . The roads were a bit narrow which results in more traffic and car accidents. Everything was clustered and there were less parking spots . In addition, almost every place and everybody was busy… busy… busy; there were a lot of noises coming from all directions, which distracted me somehow. last but not least , life is very expensive there since everything is provided ; developed transportation, education, job opportunities, specialized stores etc. so that will definitely result in the most thing I hate in life ... homeless people who can not even get something to wear . In conclusion , each and every place in the world has advantages as well as disadvantages , so...If you found an area that is PERFECT, then it is either a dream or a dream .
A low-order goods example.
Who can’t live without cheese? Who doesn’t like cheese? The store shown in the image is a low-order goods store. It is important because cheese is a basic need that our community relies on in making infinitely many kinds of delicious food: pizza (which is my favorite), pasta, salads, cakes etc. In addition, it is cheap and accessible to people living in the surrounding area.
Another low-order goods example.
Of course you know how fruits and vegetables are important, even though you may hate them, anyways; this store is a low-order goods example. It is significant to our community due to all the vital vitamins and nutrients provided by those two friends (fruits and vegetables) and their major roles in our bodies’ growth and development. So its presence results in fewer diseases and more healthy working people, which improves Canada’s economy and increases productivity. It is also cheap and accessible to the people in the neighborhood.
A middle-order good example.
If you live in Canada, you must have heard about Canadian Tire, which is a large store of national chain. It is important since it provides almost everything: clothes, footwear, food, furniture etc .And is cheap and accessible to people in the surrounding areas. It is not a big box store because it is not specialized in selling particular stuff. I consider it a middle- order good example since it is visited by customers occasionally.
Another middle-order good example.
This image will surely be familiar to you if you live in Canada and some other countries such as the U.S. Imagine yourself shopping in Downtown Toronto for 3 hours, carrying overblown bags and stuff .You will urgently need a break. Tim Hourtons would be the PERFECT PLACE. It is cheap, accessible, and provides marvelous pastries and drinks .It is considered a middle-order good example since people visit it occasionally.
A high-order good example.
Another high-order good example.
Swaroviski is a store which sells expensive and beautiful kinds of jewellery. It is considered as a high-order good store since people visit it infrequently. It is important since it sells jewellery with high qualities to men and women. Lastly , it is located inside the mall (which is good when the weather is cold outside) and is accessible to people living in the high rise buildings near the mall.
A high-density residential example.
Do you see how high that building is? Imagine how many people live on each floor. Well, all those people live here because of all the facilities provided by the Downtown, everything is near them , there are a lot of transportation methods, and their job and education is close to them. Also , High rise buildings are important since all those people living on those expensive lands can afford the cost by dividing it among them .And if those buildings were for business, then it will be helpful and accessible to have different offices in one building.
A medium-density example.
This picture demonstrates an example of low-rise apartments. As you can see, there are several stores located in the same buildings. So people living in these apartments will have some stores right under them. And they won’t have to waste time, money, and effort by driving to further stores.
An Institutional Land-use example.
This image shows a university located in the middle of The Downtown . It is expensive due to its location. But at the same time important to all the students living in the high rise apartments. Since they won’t have to drive to further places in order to get good and developed education . their learning is right beside them!
Another institutional example.
The image below shows Toronto’s mosque, which you know is very significant to Muslims. Especially the ones who spent all their day shopping in the Downtown, and forgot to pray .It is easy and accessible to those people since it is located somehow in the middle of The Downtown.
A transportation example.
This image shows a very vital example of transportation, which is a van that carries goods. It is important because it transports goods between ports, warehouses, consumers, provinces, and even countries. So as a result, that will definitely make Canada a developed export country and improve its economy.
Another transportation example.
Imagine yourself driving in a day which is very busy and full of traffic. You are going to be late for work! And you are now turning very mad. But suddenly , you start relaxing as you turn on the radio and listen to your favorite song. You sure know I am referring to cars , which are the most common transportation examples in the world . Even though they can carry limited amount of people and things. But still, they always play major roles in driving people to different places.
A tiring transformation example.
If you want to save your car’s fuel , or your amazing clean environment. One of the most common and exhausting methods of transportation is walking. Since all the shops are near each other in The Downtown, then it is most likely to walk from shop to shop. In addition, there were a lot of sidewalks in The Downtown. Last but not least, walking increases the bodies health and cardiovascular fitness. so by walking , you can have a healthy environment and healthy population.
Another transportation example.
Assume that your car disappointed you one day. And it wasn’t a good time at all , since you had a very important business to do. A Taxi is the most likely thing to stand for you during your hard time. I know it annoys your POCKET a bit. But it can drive you to where you want to go. In addition, It is always accessible and ready to hold you!
An open space and recreational example.
See how beautiful that small green space looks. In my perspective, it is very important to have a little bit of open green space in that crowded, busy downtown . Because people who spend all day shopping , will want to take a break and relax between those lovely trees. In addition, this open space will somehow limit all the pollution coming from those cars, trucks, and smoking people.
What I learned from this great field trip
There were countless places that attracted me in the downtown. And the most one is Chinatown. And I would be pleased to share with you a little of what I learned about that little town. Chinatown is an ethnic enclave in Downtown Toronto, with a high concentration of ethnic Chinese residents and businesses. I think it is a great place that represents China. It contains a lot of shops that sell Chinese food, traditional clothes, and souvenirs you can take which reminds you of that great, developed country. There are a lot of clean, affordable hotels in the downtown. So if you really couldn’t leave that marvelous town, you have the opportunity to stay in safe hands and relax. In addition, Chinatown has a lot of stores that sell unique kinds of herbs, which may not be present in countries other than China. Some of these herbs make great medicine for different kinds of illnesses. And lastly, seeing Chinatown made me really proud living in a multicultural country such as Canada. I saw Chinese residents wandering around, with big smiles on their faces. As if they were in their own country. And I understood why Canada is a home for a considerable amount of Chinese residents.
Sustainability
Metros are great examples of sustainability. Because they can carry more people, relying on clean electricity most of the time (by using re-newable energy resources) And saving space on roads. In addition, people who take metros won’t have to suffer and look for parking spots, and can reach their destination on time. So if we kept developing metros and using them as major transportation ways, that will impact our generation and the next generations positively.
Sustainability.
Recycle bins are very common in the downtown. They are a good example of sustainability since using them will have a positive impact on our generation and the next generations. They will make our environment green and healthy, and if we keep using them, our environment will stay green and full of trees in the next generations.
Sustainability.
Bikes play major roles in keeping our environment clean. Because the more we use them as transportation methods, the less pollution we will have. Bikes also result in saving the little amount of non-renewable energy resources left in the world. Since people who use them do not rely on fossil fuel. In addition, people who use them often will be always healthy and will less likely be affected by diseases. And all those things will influence the next generations in a positive way.
Population density
As you can see , there is a common connection between these three pictures. They all demonstrate the high population density in the downtown. There are lots of high rise buildings, lots of cars in the narrow roads, and the last image shows a thing I never saw before, which is that high parking building. Having such buildings shows how high the population density is in the downtown.
Can you guess how many people live in each building??
I feel an accident is going to happen!
Parking building.
The most thing which pleased me
The picture below displays one of the highlights or most appreciated things in the downtown. As my classmates and I were walking, my eyes fell on a lot of graffitis and marvelous paintings on walls. Which mostly attract our generations due to their interesting themes. I also loved the museum present in the downtown, even though I didn’t enter, but I always like places that focus on arts and creativity.