How can a long-term vision endure in a society driven by instant gratification and short-term political cycles? David Miller, during his tenure as mayor of Toronto, grappled with this question while leading the ambitious Transit City project. This initiative aimed to build a network of rapid transit lines that connected underserved, low-income neighborhoods, addressing pressing social, environmental, and economic challenges in Canada’s largest and most diverse city.
In this video, David Miller highlights that the long-term success of an urban project depends on active citizen participation and engagement.
Toronto, known for its wealth and diversity, faced significant obstacles when Miller took office. The city’s transit system had not expanded to keep pace with decades of growth, leaving large areas underserved. Meanwhile, suburban sprawl driven by car dependence was consuming farmland and creating inefficient development. Adding to this were generational pockets of poverty that needed targeted investment. Transit City was designed to tackle these interconnected problems by offering affordable, sustainable transit options, reducing car dependency, and promoting social equity.
Miller’s leadership highlighted the importance of long-term planning, but his experience also revealed the challenges of sustaining such a vision. Securing funding for Transit City required overcoming significant structural barriers. In Canada, cities are responsible for planning, but the majority of tax revenue goes to provincial and federal governments. Miller worked tirelessly to forge a national coalition of cities and towns, advocating for what became known as the «New Deal for Cities.» This movement, along with grassroots support in Toronto, persuaded the provincial government to fund Transit City.
The project’s vision resonated with the public. It promised solutions to real problems: creating a transit system that was accessible, environmentally friendly, and capable of driving economic growth back into the city rather than encouraging sprawl. Miller demonstrated that successful visions must be tangible. They need to progress quickly enough for people to see, feel, and experience the changes, even if the full plan takes years to complete.
However, Miller’s experience also highlighted a critical pitfall. While the initial phase of Transit City gained widespread public support, he shifted focus toward technical details during implementation. This shift limited broader public engagement, and the vision stopped being seen as a collective mission. Instead, it became associated primarily with Miller himself. After his term ended, his successor halted key parts of the project, reflecting how political changes can derail even the most promising initiatives if they lack continued public ownership.
Despite these setbacks, Transit City’s vision proved resilient. Toronto residents, having been engaged early on, understood the transformative potential of rapid transit and demanded its return. Years later, the most critical elements of the plan were revived and are now nearing completion—though delayed by a decade.
David Miller’s work underscores a powerful lesson: lasting visions must be embraced by the people. When a vision is collectively owned, shaped, and supported by the community, it can endure leadership transitions and political opposition. Transit City demonstrates that real solutions to real problems, when paired with meaningful public engagement, have the power to create enduring change.