|
Shared
Accountability - Improving Urban Planning &
Smart Growth
1. City of London
2. Local Community (Citizens
& Businesses)
3. Government
4. Non-Government Organizations
We Must All Be Accountable
1.
City of London
There are many
examples of Smart Growth initiatives in the City
of London many of which, if approved, would
further build on the City’s commitment to the
responsible management of growth and
development.
Growth Management
Policies
Urban Growth
Boundary
-
Introduced an urban
growth boundary in the Official Plan in 1996
inside which all urban growth is directed.
-
The urban growth
boundary was planned to accommodate forecasted
industrial and residential growth over the 20
year horizon of the Official Plan (with
additional contingencies included)
-
The urban growth
boundary was planned to contain urban growth,
and allow for such growth to occur in a logical,
pre-planned sequence on lands which are most
affordable and practical to service
-
The City has been
doing a good job of containing urban growth to
within the urban growth boundary; there are very
few examples of urban development which has been
permitted beyond this boundary
Rural Settlement
Designation
-
Outside of the urban
growth boundary very contained and specific
rural settlement areas have been identified
which recognize settlements that existed prior
to annexation. Where these established
settlement areas include infill opportunities,
the plan allows for development as this promotes
intensification, but prevents further extension
of the settlement areas.
Master Planning For
The Urban Growth Area
-
Prior to
establishing the urban growth area, the City
prepared master plans which focused on an
eco-systems approach to planning. Sub-watershed
studies were prepared, as were master
transportation, water, sewer, stormwater
studies. All of this study and analysis led to
the establishment of an optimal urban growth
area and gives a “big picture” for the community
and industrial area plans to “plug” into.
Lands Designated
Urban Reserve Until Planned
-
Within the urban
growth boundary the City has kept land in an
urban reserve designation until such time as a
detailed community plan is prepared. Ad-hoc,
individual development s are not allowed in this
urban reserve designation – detailed planning
for the larger community or industrial planning
area is required before development is allowed
to occur
Community Plans
-
Within the urban
growth boundary, lands have been re-designated
based on community and industrial area plans.
-
In 1996 Council
adopted a formal set of guidelines called the “Community
Planning Process Guidelines.”
-
These guidelines
were established to encourage a cooperative
approach involving the municipals, landowner
groups and citizens. They were established on
the basis of a “developer-led” process to meet
the timelines of the landowners. The community
plan process allows an excellent opportunity for
large planning areas to be planned in a way that
is coordinated with the larger scoping master
plans for the entire urban growth area (which
promotes coordinated growth – the antithesis of
sprawl).
-
Extensive studies
are prepared to protect natural heritage, plan
for public infrastructure, promote a sound mix
of land uses and design a community which is in
the public interest. These studies are
synthesized and result in the development of a
community plan.
-
As opposed to
sprawl, community plans allow for a
well-thought-out blue-print for growth in a
Greenfield setting. All infrastructure (roads,
sewers, stormwater, water, etc.) is well planned
in advance as is natural heritage preservation,
cultural heritage preservation, and the
provision of recreational and other public
facilities.
Seek A Good Mix Of
Residential Development In Community Plans
-
Community plans are
required to plan for a sound mix of residential
densities (not just sprawling low density
residential development). An initial evaluation
of community plans (tabled in June of 2003)
shows that the City has planned for a good mix
of low, medium and high density development
within our new communities – an improvement over
many communities planned prior to 1996.
Subdivision
Development Required To Follow Community Plans
-
Community plans have
status through Official Plan policy, as
guideline documents which provide direction for
future development. Official Plan amendments are
implemented at the completion of an area plan to
lay out, in Official Plan policy, where high,
medium, and low density residential uses,
commercial uses, office uses, institutional
uses, recreational uses, etc. will be located.
-
Plans of residential
subdivision are required to follow community
plans and the associated Official Plan
designations that were established through the
community plan process
Severance Policies
Official Plan
policies have been established that limit the
severance of agricultural lands – thus
maintaining the integrity of agricultural uses
and avoiding pressure for urban uses outside of
the urban growth boundary
Infill and
Intensification Policies
-
Official Plan
policies (3.2.3) allow for infill and
intensification projects – in certain
circumstances, these projects are allowed to
exceed the prescribed densities normally
permitted to be developed within the low density
residential designation.
-
These policies and
other policies in the Official Plan which allow
for higher densities in the core area have
supported an extensive amount of urban
intensification over the past 5 years
(everything from apartment buildings to
relatively high density cluster single family
detached housing projects).
Investment in the
Downtown
-
Keeping Greenfield
development in check relies upon the
re-development and intensification of the
existing urban area. As noted above, the City’s
infill and intensification policies do this. The
City’s strong investment in the Core also has
this effect.
-
With over $100
million of public investment in the Core, the
private sector has become willing to invest in
residential projects themselves. The core has
recently attracted an abundance of new
residential units through new apartment
buildings, large converted commercial buildings,
and small-scale convert-to-rent projects.
-
The Downtown
environment has been transformed to one which is
now attracting residents. Continued
intensification in the core will help moderate
the demand for Greenfield development.
Natural Heritage
Policies – Ecosystem Approach To Planning
-
Based on the
sub-watershed studies prepared prior to 1996,
the City’s Official Plan plans on an eco-system
basis. This means that the natural heritage
system has been placed at the forefront of
master planning, and all community plans are
developed within this context. The intent of
this approach is to consider the entire natural
heritage system in all of our planning and avoid
fragmenting this system by planning in an ad-hoc
or overly focused way.
Clustering Of
Activity Nodes – High/Medium Density Housing;
Commercial Development; etc.
-
Based on Official
Plan policy (locational requirements), high and
medium density housing is clustered at primary
intersections of arterial roads or arterial and
secondary collector roads. This allows for easy
transit serviceability and also can encourage
practical pedestrian linkages between high
resident populations and commercial uses which
are also located at such intersections.
New Format Retailing
Policies
-
Policies prepared in
1994/95 allow for, and encourage, the
re-development of existing commercial centres
for new format retail uses rather than the
development of an entirely new stock of
commercial development within a new format on
greenfield sites. We have seen some success with
these policies, including development of The
Real Canadian SuperstoreOakridge Mall and Wolseley Barracks,
reformatting of Northland Mall and Sherwood
Forests Mall, and redevelopments along
Wellington Road near White Oaks Mall.
Small Lot
Subdivision Policies, Zones and Design
Guidelines
-
The City recently
introduced a new zoning category to allow for
very narrow lots (9 m) (small lot development).
This allows for very compact single family
detached housing. At the same time, the City
introduced design guidelines for this form of
development recognizing that the design of such
uses is an important element in determining
whether it will be functional and successful.
Official Plan policy 3.6.12 supports this type
of small-lot development.
Rural/Urban
Interface Policies
-
New rural/urban
interface policies are on the leading edge of
planning in Ontario. These policies coordinate
urban growth at the City’s urban boundary, with
agricultural land uses, to minimize conflict.
This is another example of coordinated, rather
than sprawling, growth that values and works to
protect agriculture.
Bicycle Master Plan
-
Encouraging smart
growth means managing the way people use the
urban environment. Planned new development and
established development alike is being linked by
a new bike network plan which staff developed.
Together with other transportation demand
management measures, it is hoped that the plan
is one step towards getting Londoner’s out of
their cars and using other modes of
transportation.
Transportation
Demand Management Employee
-
The City has hired a
Transportation Demand Management Coordinator who is looking at
innovative ways of saving energy, reducing air
emissions and taking traffic off the roads by
encouraging ride sharing, transit usage,
bicycling, etc.
Re-development and
Revitalization of Old East London
Brownfield
Incentives
Beyond the strategic
policies and implementation initiatives listed
above, there are many more detailed and specific
policies in the Official Plan which promote
growth management and prevent urban sprawl (too
many to list here). Below is a sample of the
many ways in which London’s Official Plan works
to prevent urban sprawl, with an emphasis on
examples that relate to growth management:
-
Conversion of
non-residential buildings to residential uses
(3.2.4)
-
Higher residential
densities in Downtown and Central London (3.4.3)
-
Opportunity for
proposals for higher densities (3.4.3)
-
Policies for
specific residential areas which provide for
additional increases in densities and a broader
mix of housing types within specific areas of
the City (3.5)
-
Small lot
subdivision policies (3.6.12)
-
Downtown
revitalization and intensification policies
(4.2)
-
Office/residential
policies allowing for mixed use development
(5.3)
-
Urban design
policies relating to pedestrian traffic,
streetscape, density bonusing, etc. (11.1.1)
-
Housing supply
policies relating to housing mix and density
(12.2.1)
-
Pedestrian and
bicycle circulation system policies (16.4.1)
-
Multi-use community
centres (16.4.3)
-
Transportation
objectives (18.1)
-
Bicycle parking
facilities, bicycle routes and pedestrian paths
(18.1(ix) and (xi))
-
Modal split targets
(18.1(xv))
-
Energy conservation
and air quality policies (18.2.10)
-
Public transit
policies (18.2.11)
-
Cash-in-lieu of
parking policies (18.2.12)
-
Bicycle policies
(18.2.13)
-
Pedestrian policies
(18.2.14)
-
Bonus zoning
(19.4.4)
Back
to Top of Page
2. Local Community
(Citizens & Businesses)
Landmarks London, Heritage and Museum
Network
Mission statement is
to strengthen the community’s heritage assets
and establish the City of London as a heritage
and culture tourism destination.
MainStreet
An organization funded by the L.D.B.A and the
City of London spearheading the revitalization
of downtown London through sponsoring and
encouraging façade improvements, recruitment of
new quality retail and business tenants,
promoting safety and cleanliness, facilitating
retail peer support and promoting downtown
events and festivals.
The
Urban League of London
A non-profit registered charity established in
1969, which acts as an umbrella organization for
community groups in London. It is composed of
representatives from neighbourhood associations
and city-wide organizations. The objective of
the Urban League is to enhance the quality of
life in London by encouraging citizen
participation in community and civic affairs and
by promoting, facilitating and initiating
innovative projects that contribute to the
community's well-being. The Urban League also
serves as a support network for its member
associations, offering information and resources
so that they can effectively implement their own
local initiatives.
Back
to Top of Page
3.
Government
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)
has been the national voice of municipal
government since 1901. FCM is dedicated to
improving the quality of life in all communities
by promoting strong, effective and accountable
municipal government.
Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal
The Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal
was established in 2003 to coordinate a
long-term, strategic approach to planning for
growth and managing the massive investments
required to renew and rebuild Ontario’s public
infrastructure.
Ministry of Natural Resources
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
-
Provincial Policy Statement
The Provincial Policy Statement is the
complimentary policy document to the Planning
Act. It provides policy direction to decision
makers on matters of provincial interest related
to land use planning and development. The
Planning Act requires that the Provincial Policy
Statement be reviewed periodically to make sure
its policies are still effective. The new
Provincial Policy Statement (2005) took effect
on March 1, 2005.
-
Brownfields Ontario
-
Community Planning and Development
-
Land Use Planning
Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Rural Affairs
Ministry of Finance
Brownfields Financial Tax Incentive Program
Ontario Municipal Board
Environment Canada
Statistics Canada maintains statistics on
land use.
Back
to Top of Page
4.
Non-Government Organizations
Canadian Institute of Planners
The Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) is a
collaborative national federation that advances
professional planning excellence through the
delivery of membership and public services in
Canada and abroad.
Canadian Urban Institute
The Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) is a
non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing
the quality of urban life. CUI has organized a
series of conferences on Smart Growth. The site
has relevant publications for sale.
David Suzuki Foundation
Understanding Sprawl: A Citizen’s Guide
Driven to Action: A Citizen’s Toolkit (a
community organizer’s tookit aimed at empowering
local residents)
Getting the Facts: The Cost of Sprawl
Getting Started
Neptis Foundation
The Neptis Foundation is a privately-funded,
non-partisan organization, based in Toronto,
that supports interdisciplinary research on the
past, present and future of urban regions.
Ontario
College of Family Physicians
Report on Public Health and Urban Sprawl in
Ontario: A review of pertinent literature
Ontario Environment Network has a Land Use
Caucus that assists local and provincial groups
in working together on land use issues.
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is a
farmer-lead dynamic provincial lobby which works
to represent the interests of its farm members
to government.
Ontario Home Builders’ Association
Ontario Professional Planners Institute
Ontario Smart Growth Network
The Ontario Smart Growth Network brings together
organizations that are working to stop urban
sprawl and promote sustainable, compact and
healthy communities across Ontario. The network
is part of a broader North American smart growth
movement involving national, provincial and
state-wide organizations as well as local
community organizations. Their goals are to stop
urban sprawl, foster healthy communities and
support community involvement in planning.
Urban Development Institute
Back
to Top of Page
|
