[CharlesMunroe]

TORONTO—The Ontario government has won a prominent American Planning Association award for Ontario’s Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, Public Infrastructure Renewal Minister David Caplan announced today.

“I’m very pleased that Ontario is being internationally recognized as a leader in growth planning. The Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe is the cornerstone of an ambitious package of related new government initiatives including the Greenbelt and the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority,” said Caplan, the minister responsible for the plan. “Long-term growth planning is key to Ontario’s future and will ensure Ontarians have the communities they want and deserve.”

The Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe is the first plan from outside the United States to win the American Planning Association’s (APA’s) Daniel Burnham Award. The award is given to the plan that best illustrates progress, community benefit and contribution to the advancement of the planning profession.

“This plan is a landmark comprehensive plan that is both visionary and pragmatic,” said Carol Rhea, AICP, chair of the 2007 APA Awards Committee. “It provides a strategic, innovative and coordinated approach to sustainable growth and development for 110 different municipalities.”

The Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe focuses on long-term prosperity and quality of life in the Greater Toronto Area. It is the first growth plan to be released under the Places to Grow Act, 2005, outlining the government’s innovative long-term vision for Ontario’s most populous region.

The focus of the plan is to create complete communities, with a greater mix of housing, parks, businesses and services that will make them more livable. The plan sets clear standards for growth and development, while giving local governments the flexibility they need to maintain their unique identities.

"I commend Minister David Caplan for taking leadership on the Growth Plan and congratulate him for winning this well-deserved award,” said Oshawa Mayor John Gray. “It's a plan that recognizes the importance of revitalizing downtowns and urban areas. The Growth Plan complements our vision for Oshawa as a place with a vibrant centre where people can live, work and play."

"The Province's Growth Plan represents the kind of leadership that Ontario has been needing for a long while," said David Crombie, former Mayor of Toronto and President of the Canadian Urban Institute. “This award highlights that this Toronto region can be a real leader in North America. Let's keep up the momentum.”

“I would like to congratulate everyone involved in creating this award-winning plan,” said Caplan. “The Ontario government could not have done this without the help of thousands of citizens, stakeholders and experts.”

:banana: :cheers: :banana:


http://www.pir.gov.on.ca/english/news/2006/q4/n20061219.htm

[Taller Better]

Good news! Bring on more of it!

[niwell]

It is a great plan. Hopefully it will actually be implemented instead of being overruled at every turn. I'm looking in your direction OMB, grrrrrrr.

[flar]

It's a plan, only time will tell if it's a great plan.

[miketoronto]

I don't have much faith this plan will get off the ground. Its great it won awards, but lets be serious. We only need to look around to see that the cities in this region are not into actually following any kind of plan.

Hell Toronto is still allowing strip malls to be built right next to subway stations.

I will believe this plan when we see it actually get followed.

[Andy6]

Call me back when Ontario wins an award for actually having done something, rather than having planned to do something.

[Taller Better]

^^ so, what is the basis for your thinking that none of this will be followed?


"Damned if you do, and damned if you don't".

[Sacamano]

all the city centre plans in the 905 (for those unlike Mississauga which still have plenty of space to grow into) are due to this growth plan

[Sacamano]

Hell Toronto is still allowing strip malls to be built right next to subway stations.

where

[Tony]

^^ so, what is the basis for your thinking that none of this will be followed?

Exactly. What's the basis for Andy and mike's constant droning. They haven't a clue what's been done so far but yet want to say something just for the sake of saying something... people who just love to hear their own voices I guess. LAME.

[miketoronto]

Lets see. Lets take Mississauga for example.

All the hype about making a city centre. Yet where are most of the offices in Mississauga? Nowhere near Mississauga City Centre. Instead they are in auto dependant office parks out in Meadowvale, etc.

We have all the plans, but when it comes down to it, our suburbs and cities are competing, and they will allow any development no matter how bad it is, just to make sure they get the development money and not their neighbour.

Unless we come together and really push development where the plan says, then the plan won't work.

Because a developer will come in, and Burlington will say "well under the Ontairo Places to grow, you should built your office building in downtown Burlington". The developer will say "let us built an office park by the QEW, or we will go to Oakville. Burlington says "fine built the office park", because they know Oakville will take the developer with open arms.

Unless we are serious about what we really want the region to be, then it will never work.

The only government that ever got a plan off the ground and stuck to it, was the old Metropolitan Toronto Government. And we are living the legacy of their good planning today. Metro can be thanked for the high transit usage, vibrant inner city, large downtown employment, and the suburban centres like NYCC.

The question is if the Ont Gov can pull this off, and well I don't know if they can, considering we are having trouble getting any sort of rapid transit built.

[Blitz]

Good good, hopefully one day soon something simliar will be put in place for Kitchener, London, and Windsor.

[flar]

Kitchener is included in the plan, but definitely London and Windsor (especially) should get things under better control.

[Blitz]

Windsor has the excuse that it's surrounded by separate suburbs but London is still sprawling all to hell even after annexing all its suburbs many years ago.

[Tony]

Lets see. Lets take Mississauga for example.

All the hype about making a city centre. Yet where are most of the offices in Mississauga? Nowhere near Mississauga City Centre. Instead they are in auto dependant office parks out in Meadowvale, etc.

We have all the plans, but when it comes down to it, our suburbs and cities are competing, and they will allow any development no matter how bad it is, just to make sure they get the development money and not their neighbour.

Unless we come together and really push development where the plan says, then the plan won't work.

Because a developer will come in, and Burlington will say "well under the Ontairo Places to grow, you should built your office building in downtown Burlington". The developer will say "let us built an office park by the QEW, or we will go to Oakville. Burlington says "fine built the office park", because they know Oakville will take the developer with open arms.

Unless we are serious about what we really want the region to be, then it will never work.

The only government that ever got a plan off the ground and stuck to it, was the old Metropolitan Toronto Government. And we are living the legacy of their good planning today. Metro can be thanked for the high transit usage, vibrant inner city, large downtown employment, and the suburban centres like NYCC.

The question is if the Ont Gov can pull this off, and well I don't know if they can, considering we are having trouble getting any sort of rapid transit built.


You really need to learn to shut up when you're out of your league. Seriously, you have no clue what you're talking about and have no concept of what goes on in city planning.

[CharlesMunroe]

I'm just happy they have at least come up with some sort of plan to kill sprawl. I wish they came up with it 20 or 30 years ago and wonder how the area might be today if they had but better late then never.

I'm anxious to see how it works out. I'm sure it will have many problems with it. It covers a very diverse area and will mean different things to different places.

In Oshawa, it is being seen almost like a life preserver. Council were actually disapointed the density numbers for here were not higher. They decided to have no height restrictions downtown and adopted a policy that height and density should be encouraged. The mayor went to Queens Park in '05 and volunteered our downtown for the province to use as a template on how it should be done. In Dec. last year the province awarded a 350 000 sq/ft courthouse on a downtown brownfield. During the election last month the mayor said there was over a billion in deveopment currently planned downtown over next 5 years.

So it is being well recieved here and I would think Hamilton would have the same thoughts as Oshawa. Pickering is thrilled with it as they have a chance to build a downtown for the first time. I would hope Markham feels that way too. Other places like Whitby was upset they were not included.

My impressions of downtown Oakville was that they were going for some sort of quant town like setting. I heard on the radio yesterday that they wanted to widen some street in Oakville and it meant cutting down a 250 year old oak tree. The people protested and lost but they then raised $250 000 of their own money to realign the road around the tree. Lol, I'm glad they managed to save the tree and think thats great but I get the feeling that this plan may have trouble there. If they did all that to save a tree, I dont think they will like their creepy Norman Rockwell like downtown setting being turned into a high density jungle.

What would this plan mean to places like Peterborough and St. Catherines where growth has been low for many years? Can you even have new high density developments where growth is low?

I guess it will take off faster in some places then others. It will be interesting to see how individual places and areas change from it. I think its important they stick to it but its always going to be a struggle to be successful if they dont invest heavily in public transportation. Heavily subsidised rail connecting everywhere efficiently needs to be in place now but I cant see that ever happening.

[ssiguy]

While it is true that London does have its share of sprawl, the city has been very proactive to bring business and people back downtown and has been very successful. Tax grants/rebates for beautification and residential development has worked wonders.
As we speak 2 new apt towers both 25 stories have just started construction downtown. London's urban rennaisance has been a huge success. There are all kinds of new condos and apts downtown. Ten years ago there was nothing but empty parking lots downtown but now there is a very serious shortage of parking. Transit ridership is soaring and percapita is one of the highest in the country for cities under 1.0 million.
London's well deserved reputation as a clean, safe, and beautiful university/white collar city has helped London and especially her downtown flourish with the downtown population growing. While many other central/eastern cities in Canada are having troubles keeping their populace moving out west, London's population is growing faster now than anytime in the last 20 years.

[Waterlooson]

While many other central/eastern cities in Canada are having troubles keeping their populace moving out west, London's population is growing faster now than anytime in the last 20 years.

.... but that isn't saying all that much since Kitchener's CMA is growing at what, double London's rate of growth?

[OrientExpress]

So how long will it take for the leaf to win the Stanley Cup? Anyone know how to do Algebra.