Quote:
Originally Posted by whatnext
Shaughnessy had all the might of its developer, the CPR, behind it. It was established in 1907 when streetcars had recently liberated people from living near the office and the motorcar was just being taken up by the well to do. Hemmed in on the downtown peninsula the West End was getting more crowded and Shaughnessy offered a chance to escape that.
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The railways had a lot of influence over development in Western Canadian cities (I included that in my quote too). It turns out the West End would have been a better long term investment for profit, seeing how it is now the residential heart of the city. It's also more geographically advantaged than Shaughnessy, being adjacent to the beaches, Stanley Park, and downtown. Shaughnessy afforded more gentrified and auto-friendly living given it's large lots and beautifully designed street layout, and was comfortably far enough away from the more industrial downtown area. It's probably the best bastion of elite Nimbyism in the city.
The East End is older than the West End, but has suffered a different fate.
I am not familiar enough with Toronto to make any further comparisons.