Changing approach to growth in Burlington intensification only

NRU
Feb. 3, 2016
Geordie Gordon

Facing a need to change the way it accommodates growth, Burlington is looking to strengthen its focus on intensification in order to maintain the city’s existing rural-urban balance. To engage the public and facilitate a conversation on intensification, the city is hosting a talk by TODERIAN UrbanWORKS principal Brent Toderian next week.

The conversation comes as Burlington begins to shift its growth pattern to one that is focused only on intensification within the urban boundary. Burlington mayor Rick Goldring told NRU that the city must intensify.

“The fact is we are out of traditional greenfield, suburban-type development, meaning that in order to grow we have to grow internally, and we have to do that very well... We want to maintain the 50 per cent of Burlington that’s rural and agricultural and [part of the] Greenbelt... Brent has a lot of experience in advising municipalities,” he said.

Toderian told NRU that the intensification-only approach that Burlington is taking about is not typically done. When growth is accommodated exclusively through intensification it is particularly important that it be done well, to a high quality.

“It’s not all that common for a city to be planning for intensification only. Many cities are still struggling with the essential question of how much growth should be up versus how much should be out. Burlington has already answered that tough question, that all the growth is going to be through intensification,” he said.

Even if municipalities are not facing a natural physical boundary or geopolitical boundary to their growth, Toderian said many are facing a fiscal boundary. He pointed to new data that is coming out of Canadian cities that illustrate the fiscally unsustainable nature of status-quo growth.

“Continuing to grow out the way that we have been is just not economically feasible. And that new math [coming out of Canadian cities] is I think the most powerful reasons to have a conversation about intensification,” he said.

While not necessarily an advocate of intensification-only growth, Toderian said each municipality needs to have a conversation about how much growth is going to be up versus out, and find ways to do both better.

Goldring said that accommodating growth through intensification is not going to be without its challenges, especially when contrasted with suburban greenfield development. It is important to ensure that the city works with the region to provide the necessary infrastructure, and that investments in transit are made.

“There are so many challenges with it, we’ve got to make sure we put the right policies in place to encourage and foster the development we want to see,” he said.

Toderian said the February 11 talk will be the culmination of a week-long engagement with the City of Burlington when he will be working with staff, councillors and other stakeholders.