Even before it arrives, the future has started to look a lot like the past. That much is obvious at every turn; but when Toronto Mayor John Tory posed for photographs behind the wheel of a new UPS cargo bike last week, it was hard to tell whether it was history come to life or life turned into history.

The three-wheeler, which looks like a horseless-buggy, is already in use in cities around the world including Rome, Vienna and Frankfurt. UPS is now road-testing the vehicle in Toronto. Christopher Atz, president of the Canadian branch of the U.S. delivery giant, called it “another step toward a more sustainable city.”

Funny how sustainability can give things an unexpected though understandable resemblance to the past. Cycling is a good example. Despite motorized Toronto's aversion to bike lanes, the increase in pedal power has been enormous. As William Humber, author of Freewheeling: The Story of Bicycling in Canada, has written, “There are more bikes on Toronto's roads today than there have ever been.” The 1880s and '90s were boom years for bike-riding in Ontario and Quebec, but as Humber points out, “people in pre-auto days lived closer to work and could walk.” Either that or they rode a trolley or streetcar.

Then the car came to town. Bikes were abandoned to kids and weekend warriors. Though the penny-farthing has disappeared, the two-wheeler has become a viable alternative to four-wheeled transit.

Of course, in “old” Toronto, the 1800s are never far away. Whole swaths of the 19th-century city remain intact. Neighbourhoods such as Cabbagetown, Rosedale and the Annex remain some of the most expensive and sought-after in Toronto.

When Sidewalk Labs recently released images of what its 12-acre planned community at Quayside might look like, the results appeared futuristic but strangely familiar. The revolutionary scheme, which will be built “from the internet up,” bears an uncanny resemblance to earlier forms of urbanism. The details differ but with its narrow streets, boxy midrise buildings, small shops and diverse mix of uses, Quayside seems uncannily informed by the past.





As cities like Toronto struggle to make themselves more sustainable, they are rediscovering the utility of old techniques and technologies. Don't be surprised to find that new buildings at Quayside and elsewhere, whether residential, commercial or corporate, have an awning over every window and a canopy above every storefront. And why not? They're cheap, decorative and efficient ways to lower the temperatures in the places we live, work and play. Given that in this age of global warming we use more energy staying cool in summer than keeping warm in winter, it's no surprise such simple methods have new-found value.

The old assumption that humanity's destiny is to control natural processes has been rejected; softer ways of accommodating the environment are being reintroduced. Think of the windmill, now morphed into the wind turbine and more ubiquitous than ever. Then there are trains, now being reborn in the image of the electrical “radials” that ran throughout southern Ontario between the 1880s and the 1920s.

And as we reinvent our cities to better incorporate these advanced slow-tech interventions, there is a renewed focus on the public realm. Getting around by car reduces the city to mere space, a generic and anonymous blur. By contrast, walking or pedalling humanizes our connection to the city and increases the need for qualities such as proximity and accessibility as well as amenities such as safe, comfortable, usable sidewalks, seating areas, benches, shade, drinking fountains and so on. It leads to a whole new appreciation for the finer points of the urban landscape.

That might be another reason Sidewalk Labs is thinking of putting garbage collection in Quayside underground where it would be out of the way and change the way streets are used. Simply removing the fleets of battleship-sized garbage trucks would cut congestion and improve city life immeasurably. The narrow streets and short blocks of the experimental neighbourhood will also give it a more human scale than usual in the vertical village. When complete, 10 or 15 years from now, many believe cars and buses will drive themselves. Streets will be as safe for pedestrians and cyclists as those in their vehicles. The carnage that unfolds on city roads would be reduce if not eliminated.

Until then, we'll just have to wait for the future to catch up with the past.

Christopher Hume’s column appears weekly. He can be reached at jcwhume4@gmail.com

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