Toronto's Neighbourhoods: The Good and The Bad

There's an interesting article in the Toronto Star about Torontonians defining themselves by their neighbourhoods.
Penned by Christopher Hume, it contains these tidbits:
"... the fact is that it was the neighbourhoods that kept Toronto from the fate doled out in so many North American cities in the 1950s, '60s and '70s when suburban sprawl began in earnest."
And I agree. It's kept our core vital and our neighbourhoods vibrant.
But the lack of thinking of the city as a whole frustrates me sometimes and I think that the city is stymied, in many ways, by entrenched NIMBYism and a lack of a broader vision among its inhabitants.
Without it, I think Toronto might because much less liveable. Hume has this to say:
"But in the end the most important thing about any of these neighbourhoods is that they are part of something much larger – Toronto. Ultimately, it is the city that gives them life, meaning and relevance, and that makes them places we choose (or not) to live. It is the city that makes them possible."
How true.
If only we could put that thought into action.
Cheers,
Vanessa