class 3.2

Question 1

SOCIAL CRITIQUE OF THE SUBURB

Answer 1

Associated with conformity, lack of sophistication

Reflects a culture of individualism

Profit over civil virtue

Question 2

ENVIRONMENTAL CRITIQUES OF THE SUBURB

Answer 2

Urban sprawl

We’re building more city per person now then we did historically

Question 3

environmental impacts of suburbs

Answer 3

Biodiversity loss

Loss of wetlands

Air pollution

Greenhouse gas emissions

Question 4

Urban sprawl

Answer 4

spatial growth outpaces population growth in cities

Question 5

WHAT EXACTLY IS SPRAWL?

Answer 5

A type of development characterized by low accessibility.

Question 6

4 dimensions (Reid Ewing et al.) of Sprawl

Answer 6

• Low residential density
• Low use mix
• Low “centering” (activity concentration)
• Poor street connectivity (block size, intersection density)

Question 7

FISCAL CRITIQUES OF THE SUBURBS

Answer 7

Sprawling development is very costly for municipal service provision

Low density development doesn’t pay for itself over time

Question 8

Factors affecting the cost of municipal services

Answer 8

• Density
• Distance
• Dispersion/discontinuity
• Diversity of uses
• Demographics
• Delivery standards

Question 9

THE ANTIDOTE TO SUBURBANIZATION

Answer 9

Densification & compactness

Question 10

NEW URBANISM

Answer 10

Urban design movement that emerged in the 1980s to promote walkable, complete neighbourhood design.

Draws inspiration from traditional neighbourhood design (pre-1940).

Question 11

TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT

Answer 11

Model for integrating land use intensification with transit development.

Compact neighbourhoods built around high-frequency transit, public space, high-density housing within ~10 minute walk of the station

Question 12

REGIONAL PLANNING REGULATION

Answer 12

Urban growth boundaries limit urban expansion at the regional level.

Examples:

1. Agricultural Land Reserve, British Columbia
2. Greater Golden Horseshoe Greenbelt, Ontario

Question 13

AGRICULTURAL LAND RESERVE

Answer 13

Provincial land use area that restricts non-agricultural uses.

Protects 11 million acres of agricultural land in BC.

Administered by the Agricultural Land Commission.

About 150 municipalities have land within the ALR.

All regional districts must create agricultural reserve plans, and all local land use regulations must be consistent with ALC rules.

Designation based on soil suitability for agriculture.

Question 14

GREATER GOLDEN HORSESHOE GREENBELT

Answer 14

Largest greenbelt in the world – encompasses 2 million acres of forests, farmlands, lakes, rivers, etc.

Officially created in 2005 by the Province of Ontario, encompasses previously protected areas.

1 million acres of agricultural land was added in 2005 – makes up about 40% of the greenbelt.

Most densely populated region in Canada, one of the fastest growing in North America.

Stewardship under the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation.

Question 15

LOCAL LAND USE REGULATIONS

Answer 15

Density bonuses

Minimum density thresholds

Reducing minimum parking requirements

Elimination of detached housing zones

Question 16

Density bonuses

Answer 16

increases buildable area on a site

Often negotiated with developers in exchange for specific amenities

Question 17

Minimum density thresholds

Answer 17

Zoning traditionally sets maximum floor area ratios (FAR)

some cities are shifting to minimum FARs

Question 18

Reducing minimum parking requirements

Answer 18

Reducing required spots per residential unit, or number of surface parking spots

Question 19

Elimination of detached housing zones

Answer 19

Lifting restrictions on medium-density housing in areas previously zoned single family

Question 20

CHALLENGING NARRATIVES ABOUT THE
SUBURBS

Answer 20

• Argue that it is a political narrative intended to advantage growth coalitions
• Sustainability narrative generates perception of consensus that can be utilized to overcome local opposition to development – frames this opposition as NIMBYism (“Not In My Backyard”)
• Opposition narratives frame arguments for growth as developer greed
  “All this confirms that environmental arguments are particularly plastic.”

Question 21

DEFINING POST-SUBURBANISM

Answer 21

Term describes the historical evolution of established/older surburban places.

Shift to densification and diversification of suburban landscapes.

Changes the radial pattern of declining densities seen in the concentric Chicago model of urban growth (right).

No single physical form of the post-suburban city.

Question 22

ENTRENCHED POLITICAL INTERESTS

Answer 22

Change can be perceived as a threat to suburban lifestyles and property values.

Existing homeowners have significant political power – they are more likely to vote and turn up at planning consultations.

NIMBYism: resistance to densification, creation of new rental housing, transit projects,
etc.

Question 23

PROPERTY TAX GENERATION

Answer 23

Rezoning greenfield land for residential development raises land values and brings in new property taxpayers.

Suburban development is a well-known formula, which provides predictability for developers and investors.

Developers aim to appeal to established consumer tastes.

The “tyranny of easy development decisions” (Pierre Filion)