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And when it comes to development, the fear grows even more intense. A relatively straightforward proposal to build a simple seven-storey condo in the north end of the city turns into a three-year marathon, complete with armies of lawyers arguing before the Ontario Municipal Board.

And who could forget the screams of protest occasioned by the Minto towers at Yonge and Eglinton and One Bedford Place at Bloor at Bedford? Both textbook examples of smart urban growth, but both able to turn locals into snarling beasts.

NIMBYism is one thing, but we have hit new levels of fear and loathing. Prevailing attitudes toward change dictate that it be avoided at all costs. As awful as the present may be, it's preferable to what might follow.

Fear of change is nothing new, of course, but how did we become so fearful?

In part it may be because so much of the growth that occurred after World War II, however well-intentioned, was misguided and destructive.

During the 1950s, '60s and '70s, bad things did happen to cities. The dominant narrative was one of urban decay and the way out was through the kind of mega-projects that now make us shake our heads in disbelief.

Just look at Regent Park, the housing project that won awards at the time but is now being razed and rebuilt. Experts travelled to Toronto from around the world to gaze at the marvel that was Regent Park. Now we can't wait to tear it down.

Back then, however, it made sense to sacrifice whole districts, even cities, in the name of progress. It was an ideology, almost a religion, that took everything into account but the people it was meant to benefit. Neighbourhoods were torn apart, residents displaced and history destroyed.

The Spadina Expressway established a new normal, a new attitude, a new Toronto. Although it was right to say no to the Spadina Expressway, it's not right to say no to everything.

"Toronto doesn't know how to say yes."

And Toronto isn't alone. "Fear of change is palpable everywhere in New York," reports Hilary Ballon, who co-edited the recently published, Robert Moses and the Modern City, a revisionist history of the controversial builder.

Residents complain when a new building is constructed, then when it's torn down.