The challenges involved in building sustainable communities in Ontario vary according to the location of the community in the province and the settlement's size and history. However, the most serious challenges are being generated through suburban growth outside of Ontario s major cities and towns. Since the publication of Jane Jacob's The Death and Life of Great American Cities in 1961, a seminal publication on the need to re-think post World War II planning in our cities, there has been an emerging consensus in many planning, policy and advocacy circles that cities must pursue a more compact urban form. There are a number of environmental, social and economic advantages for adopting an agenda for change that embraces a compact urban form.
Higher densities are also cheaper to build.
There is also mounting evidence that more compact and diverse communities respond better to changing social and economic conditions. We also recommend that the provincial government re-assess its decision to remove itself from local planning matters. We strongly recommend that the province reassert itself as a guardian of sustainable development by adopting stronger provincial planning policies, monitoring and enforcing municipal planning decisions, and by placing greater controls on private developments. Ray Tomalty is a consultant in urban environmental issues, growth management, and municipal fiscal instruments. He teaches part-time in the Environmental Studies Programme at the University of Toronto and in the School of Urban Planning at McGill University.