Regional Growth Management Strategy Response Summary
DATE: March 24, 2003
PREPARED BY: Waterloo Region Healthy Communities Coalition
Download the full position paper. (42K PDF file)
Summary
Our Coalition would like to express our position with regard to the draft Regional Growth Management Strategy (RGMS) and to thank staff of the Planning, Housing, and Community Services Department for their generous commitment of time in meeting with us.
The Waterloo Region Healthy Communities Coalition is a group of individuals and organizations with a common interest in seeing Healthy Communities principles implemented in this Region. We believe that, to be healthy, a community requires a balance among its environment, economy, and society. Many principles of the Healthy Communities movement are consistent with the Smart Growth philosophy (e.g. curbing sprawl, preserving greenspaces and the natural environment, encouraging a diversity of housing options in every neighbourhood) upon which the RGMS seems to be based.
Support for Concept of Intensification
We support the concept of intensification of development in our Region. We affirm strong support for the idea of a firm countryside line and for minimizing the amount of land currently zoned agricultural being converted to urban. We support plans to concentrate development along the Central Transit Corridor (CTC), since this would greatly increase access to services and the opportunities to use multiple modes of transportation, and reduce air pollution and traffic congestion. We agree with the argument in the Draft Strategy that the Intensive option would greatly enhance the viability of a Light Rapid Transit system, and look forward to the possibility of such a system.
However, several concerns prevent us from a clear endorsement of the intensive re- urbanization option. First, the process of developing a growth management strategy has been rushed, and opportunities to consult more widely with the public have been missed as a result. Second, without key information that is within the jurisdiction of area municipalities – like the height and setback of buildings, amount of greenspace, walkways, etc. – it is difficult to assess how livable it will feel to have an additional 150,000 residents and 100,000 employment spaces in the CTC. Third, and perhaps most importantly, we continue to question what population level our ecosystem can handle and whether the assumptions behind the Region’s economic strategy are consistent with Healthy Communities and Smart Growth principles.
A fuller explanation of our position is attached. We offer the following recommendations:
- Keeping a firm countryside line and minimizing the amount of land currently designated agricultural being converted to urban;
- Continuing to pursue everything possible to establish a Light Rapid Transit system along the Central Transit Corridor;
- Asking staff, the Ecological and Environmental Advisory Committee, and consultants if necessary to determine what level of population the Region’s ecosystem can sustain;
- Intensifying along the Central Transit Corridor to the degree attainable at the liveable level of intensity portrayed in the images accompanying the RGMS colour brochure;
- Giving the RGMS process more time to incorporate more detailed input from planning departments of area municipalities, and more substantive input from citizens;
- Asking staff to develop an action plan to promote diversity of housing stock, price, income, and demographics in order to mitigate effects such as gentrification in the cores as land prices rise;
- Asking public health staff, and consultants if necessary, to estimate the air quality impact of projected population and economic activity increases;
- Asking citizens, once reports on #3 and #7 have been publicised, what population level they would choose to grow to;
- Developing a proactive economic strategy for the Region that would seek to spread the benefits of employment and remuneration most equitably among citizens and be consistent with environmental sustainability;
- Consulting the public actively and routinely throughout the further development – and implementation – of the Regional Growth Management Strategy.
Download the full position paper. (42K PDF file)