Toronto is often cited as one of the most diverse cities in the world.
Toronto's most racialised region however, is Scarborough, a region on the East end of the city that is, compared to the rest of the city, relatively more low-income, less connected by public transit, and more prone to food insecurity. In short, much of Scarborough is marginalised, othered, and isolated.
By culling Scarborough from the East end and superimposing it on to the financial and cultural core of the city we can examine the sheer volume of Toronto that is actually made up of Scarborough, and the 'diversity' that it gleefully claims as its own. We can also see the hydro line that cuts through Scarborough to provide power to the city.
This hydro line does not cut through Toronto proper. Now disconnected and floating over central Toronto, casting a shadow, Scarborough withholds its light from the core of the city.
If the city wants light, it must now implant the hydro corridor into itself. How does the city function if it is dependent on itself and not a marginalised community to provide an essential utility? How must it be re-imagined?
In this same vein, how must the City be re-imagined if it is to integrate the diversity it touts into itself? As opposed to simply sweeping it to the edges of the city, disconnected, isolated, and only acknowledged in moments smug self-congratulations.