Structural changes in commuting in the Toronto region 1971

Structural changes in commuting in the Toronto region 1971–1981

Hutchinson, B. G.

Changes in the commuting structure of the Toronto CMA are examined using 1971 and 1981 census journey to work data. There have been important changes in household structure, the employment base and the associated location decisions which in turn have created significant changes in commuting structure. The proportions of one‐ and two‐person households increased sharply over the decade and many of these smaller‐sized, high occupational status households were located in the older inner residential areas. The bulk of the larger‐sized households continued to be located on the developing fringe where housing prices are much lower. The structure of the employment base shifted over the decade with a reduction in the proportion of manufacturing jobs and growths in the proportions of jobs in finance and services, with the bulk of these office‐based jobs located in the Yonge Street transit corridor. Job growth in the suburbs was dominated by employment in manufacturing, transportation, trade and services. The addition of some 100000 jobs in the Yonge Street corridor resulted in strong commuting growth from the inner suburbs as well as from the newly developing outer suburbs. About half of the labour force living in the outer suburbs in the decade found local jobs, with the remainder of the labour force commuting to jobs in Metropolitan Toronto, principally along the high‐mobility transit and freeway corridors.