Book Description

For the last 50 years, development patterns in Canada have emphasized building out onto greenfield lands at the urban edge at a rate that has outstripped the rate of population growth. This development pattern has resulted in the loss of farmland and natural areas, rising car dependency and traffic congestion. Moreover, many municipalities lack the resources to pay for the infrastructure needed to support expansion into greenfield areas. One of the ways municipalities have sought to address these issues is through residential intensification, i.e., encouraging housing development in existing urban areas where infrastructure and transit services are already in place. Infill development, adaptive reuse, brownfield development, lot splitting and secondary suites are examples of intensification that can result in the following: Ÿ Reduce infrastructure costs; Ÿ Use land more efficiently; Ÿ Preserve rural and natural areas outside existing urban boundaries; Ÿ Revitalize urban areas in decline; and Ÿ Create more transportation choice through easier access to daily destinations like work, shopping and entertainment (e.g., mixed-use, pedestrian- and transit-oriented neighbourhoods). Despite the considerable potential benefits, intensification faces a series of practical challenges: Ÿ Higher development costs; Ÿ Neighbourhood opposition; Ÿ Regulatory issues. This study aims to profile successful examples of municipal initiatives that have helped to overcome obstacles such as these, either by removing barriers or providing positive incentives. Most importantly, they have resulted in concrete results "on the ground, " in that they have helped trigger or facilitate projects that may not have otherwise gone ahead. The report profiles 12 case studies of local initiatives that support intensification. This document is intended to be of use to municipal officials and other stakeholders across the country who may be looking for mechanisms with which to encourage intensification.