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yes, all those neighbourhoods are not far from retail - i totally agree, which is why I say they are not suburban by nature just because they are single family homes. What I am suggesting, and I think the OP would agree, is that these streets should be allowed to have retail - not because the people living right there don't have access to cafes and restaurants, but to provide more option to Toronto residents in general and to make downtown a more vibrant place. The kind of retail on Dundas before hitting Chinatown is lacking, do does College st - yes, a few small restaurants here and there, but I would hardly call it vibrant, especially considering there is a massive student body.
In general I want more Toronto downtown side streets to function like Baldwin and Elm, or like Yorkville and St Lawrence Market, with all sorts of small stores, such as patisseries, bookshops, antique stores, eateries. That's what a highly urban and vibrant city should be like - not a limited number of main streets zoned as "retail" and all the rest in between as pure residential. Downtown is not that bad, north of Bloor you cease to see any retail except on Yonge st and a few avenues such as Eglinton and St Clair, section of Mount Pleseant. Excruciatingly boring I would say. The entire East York functions like a suburb where not having a car sounds inpractical to me, and on the west side Bathurst and Spadina road etc have absolutely nothing going on.
Anyway, I don't think we have much disagreement here and I think at least in downtown, the city is moving toward the right directly, although not as fast as we want it to.
As I said I agree to a degree I just don't think walking 5 to 10 minutes Is a big deal.. Certainly its not a bad urban model but sure - im always of the view more choice is better - as long as communities can sustain it.. Im also open to more liberal zoning.. The biggest inhibitor to Toronto - a city that is growing very impressively in the Canamerican context anyway is some outdated thinking when it comes to our governance. Id like to shed some of the nanny state state and small mindedness for sure so yes - you are right we don't have much disagreement here.
If anything some dilapidated old residential housing might get a fresh infusion of beautification with more relaxed zoning and that is only a good thing..
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