The proposed changes to the…

The proposed changes to the Planning Act may lead to increased profits or faster construction - though that is still speculative and yet to be demonstrated through evidence. What it will not do is contribute to a livable urban areas. I live, work, and conduct research on urban history in Toronto. One of the primary lessons that I've learned through my research into urban history is that the development of long-term, livable cities is dependent on paying due attention to environmental factors such as sun/shadow, wind and light; and more importantly coherent urban design.

A city is so much more than a space in which to live. To be sustainable, it must be a livable space, a space that contributes to the well-being of its residents. In removing the parameters of effective urban design for the sake of expediency and profit, the proposed legislation diminishes the possibility of creating sustainable, livable cities and treating urban space as a residential warehouse. I will result in a space in which people do not find social satisfaction or economic viability. The lessons of building for expediency are all around us in North America. Invariably they result in economically deprived and socially marginalized neighbourhoods. And in instances in which the neighbourhoods have been revitalized, it has been a function of incorporating effective urban design parameters. Take, as one example of many, the St Lawrence neighbourhood in Toronto, once the economic and social heart of the city, subsequently 'developed' but made socially marginal, and eventually 'revitalized' through a comprehensive urban design process that began in the 1980s and continues today. The neighbourhood has been transformed from one of 'urban blight' to one of the most livable and dynamic areas of the city while incorporating the diversity that is a hall mark of the city. It is also a significant draw for tourists (and the economic gains they bring) precisely because of the urban design considerations that were integral to its redevelopment (like height and light parameters, green space, outdoor seating, pedestrian walkways, etc.)

The elimination of these considerations included in the proposed amendments are regressive, and would effectively dismantle the changes to planning that have improved urban planning and produced cities like Toronto as livable spaces over the past 50 years. They will not lead to better cities, sustainable cities, healthier populations, improved urban economies. They will lead to the blighted neighbourhoods and slums of the future. They will also deprive city residents of their right to effectively shape the kind of spaces in which they want to live.