The Ministry of Municipal Housing and Affairs oversees the Land Use Planning. The Ontario Planning Act (1990) was established to "promote sustainable economic development in a healthy natural environment" and it requires each region to create plans for regional development. Halton's Regional Plan (1995) has recently undergone revision as part of a required review process, culminating in Amendment 25 to the Official Plan. The regional plan sets out guidelines for greater urbanization of Halton, while attempting to preserve agricultural lands and some natural spaces. The region has little ability to limit population influx as that is controlled by provincial policy. "This year, the [provincial] government will release a Growth Management Plan for the Golden Horseshoe that will articulate a long-term strategic vision and tools for how the Golden Horseshoe and surrounding areas should grow over the next 30 years." That plan includes the addition of a projected 4 million people to the region.  

Oakville Councillors Elgar and Sandelowsky are strong proponents of environmental protection and are working hard to reduce the impact of sprawl. In addition, many organizations are working in Halton to halt sprawl: Oakvillegreen Conservation Association  Oakvillegreen Coalition on the Niagara Escarpment  Halton/North Peel Naturalist Club  Protecting Escarpment Rural Land (PERL). Offer these organizations your support.

Things you can do:

What are the costs of Sprawl?

The St. Louis SuburbanSprawl page outlines some of these costs:

• Suburbs

  "The development (over development) of the suburbs has had many ill effects on the suburbanites themselves. Proliferation of housing developments, strip malls, and office parks robs just as much "nature" from a suburb as skyscrapers and apartment buildings do from the city. The "green leafy" suburbs to which many families have moved turned out to be just as gray as the cities they left behind. Moreover, because suburban dwellers (unlike their urban counterparts) cannot walk to most public accommodations (schools, stores, etc.) suburban traffic can often be worse than traffic in the city. Furthermore, time spent commuting to work, driving children to activities, and caring for large properties often robs many suburbanites of leisure time. Finally the placement of houses set back on large lots and the dependence of suburbanites on an automobile prevents the day-to-day interaction among neighbors, thus denying the residents a sense of community that is seen in the old-time neighborhoods in the city." 

• Cities

  "Suburban sprawl has also had negative effects on city dwellers. Because there are far fewer rental units in the suburbs than in the city, and because suburban survival necessitates the ownership of a car, the poor are often denied the opportunity to move into the suburbs (they can only afford to remain in the city). Therefore, the average income (and thus the tax base) of the city decreases. Schools and city services suffer. Buildings remain vacant and decay. The flight of businesses to the suburbs take their jobs out of reach of the poor who often cannot afford a car needed to commute to the new location."

• Economy

  "The low density housing in the suburbs drains the infrastructure. Roads and utilities must be stretched much further to serve the same number of people than they do in the city." 
  From July 23 LA Times:  "Drawing a connection between urban sprawl and high transportation costs, a study released Tuesday suggests that families living in spread-out metropolitan areas with weak public transit networks spend more of their household budgets on transportation than people in denser regions.  Across the nation, such costs now eat up a greater share of families' incomes than ever, taking nearly 20 cents of every dollar earned by the average household and 40 cents of every dollar earned by the poor, according to the study, which analyzed 28 metropolitan areas nationwide." (Caitlin Liu, "Sprawl Tied to Higher Transportation Costs", L.A. Times, July 23, 2003).

• Environment

  "It is clear that the slash and burn philosophy of suburban sprawl is detrimental to the environment. Used areas of the city are left vacant as the pristine countryside is devoured and subdivided. ... The suburban reliance on the automobile causes air pollution and depletes natural resources. The chemical treatment of so many 1/2 acre "pieces of green" pollute the environment."

• Health

  The Center for Disease Control reports adverse health affects due to urban sprawl. Such things as children's asthma, pedestrian fatalities, high blood pressure and stress are linked to poor urban planning. See their report entitled Sprawl Watch.

Links:

 
Ontario Nature, Urban sprawl costs us all

Canadian Biodiversity Information Network. What you can do to protect biodiversity.

Understanding Sprawl (David Suzuki Foundation, 2003)

THE WAY TO A CITY’S HEART IS THROUGH ITS STOMACH Wayne Robers, 2001

OntarioNature Smart Growth Toolbox pdf

Peel Land Report

National and International Links:

International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives 

ICLEI provides a rather comprehensive web guide to resources from the federal government and other agencies that can help local government in planning for a 'sustainable' community development. 

Community Based Environmental Protection 

The EPA's Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation oversees CBEP program, which provides resources and funding to help communities develop local solutions for sprawl, sustainable development, watershed issues, etc. There are many examples of local solutions.

Critter Crossings

The U.S. Department of Highways and Transportation has developed this site to help protect wildlife along highways and create habitats that sustain them.  It provides excellent suggestion for planning highways to support wildlife by creating such things as tortoise crossings, salamander tunnels, and bear underpasses, 

Chicago Wilderness

An excellent model for our community. "Chicago Wilderness is dedicated to the protection, restoration, and stewardship of the natural communities of the Chicago region through fostering their compatibility with human communities whose lives they enrich." 

California Biodiversity Council

The purpose of the council is to "discuss, coordinate, and assist in developing strategies and complementary policies for conserving biodiversity. Members exchange information, resolve conflicts, and promote development of regional conservation practices."

Urban Sprawl and Environmental Justice

This is a resource page provided by Tufts University. It contains excellent references to impact studies. Great sound bites and videos.

The New Suburb 

The National Geographic Society has created a virtual world. You can explore this new suburb and learn what is meant by smart growth.

Focus on Suburban Sprawl

This St. Louis site provides an excellent description of sprawl and models for action.

Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse

Resources on sprawl with information and links on smart growth, federal policies, state-by-state information, and land conservation.

Palo Alto Tree Protection

The city of Palo Alto, California has done a great job in trying to protect trees. Their Tree Technical Manual provides extensive information and support for tree protection.

Urban Land Institute

This site provides resources on urban revitalization, smart growth, and transportation. The Urban Land Institute has sponsored an exhibit at the National Building Museum in Washington D.C. called "Reimagining the Suburbs: Smart Growth and Choices for Change." This exhibit, which can be viewed online, explores alternatives to sprawl. Other exhibits include: "Reinvigorating Cities: Smart Growth and Choices for Change", and "Where Do We Go From Here? Smart Growth and Choices for Change".

UrbanFutures.org

This site provides links and information on planning, land use and economic development issues. Useful links include: the Indiana Planning Resources a page developed by the Indiana Planning Association and Planning Links a page developed by the Indianapolis-Marion County Department of Metropolitan Development.

Suburban Sprawl Resource Collection

This is a good collection of links on sprawl as it relates to telecommuting.

Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century

The new TEA emphasizes measures to improve the environment. See Environmental Guidebook provides information on Federal guidelines and grants pertaining to transportation and environmental protection. U. S. Transportation Secretary Slater Announces Grants "TCSP funds are used to help achieve locally determined goals such as improving transportation efficiency; reducing the negative effects of transportation on the environment; providing better access to jobs, services and trade centers; reducing the need for costly future infrastructure; and revitalizing underdeveloped and brownfield sites. Grants also can be used to examine urban development patterns and create strategies that encourage private companies to work toward these goals in designing new developments." Indiana has received this grant money as well.

Environmental Justice and FHWA

"WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE?
There are three fundamental environmental justice principles:

• To avoid, minimize, or mitigate disproportionately high and adverse human health and environmental effects, including social and economic effects, on minority populations and low-income populations.
• To ensure the full and fair participation by all potentially affected communities in the transportation decision-making process.
• To prevent the denial of, reduction in, or significant delay in the receipt of benefits by minority and low-income populations.

Sustainable Building Technical Manual

This 1996 publication on Green Building Design, Construction, and Operations is produced jointly by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Public Technology, Inc., the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It shows how to design, operate, and maintain environmentally friendly buildings using clean technologies. The manual provides information on the economics of green building; pre-design strategies; passive solar design; heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems; electricity; plumbing; indoor air quality; acoustics; selection of building and landscaping materials; and housekeeping.

The National Audubon Society  

The Audubon Center at Debs Park, California is the first building in the nation to receive a Platinum Rating from the U.S. Green Building Council, the nation's leading authority on sustainable building practices. The 5,023 square-foot building is entirely powered by on-site solar systems - functioning entirely "off the grid." The building also uses significantly less water than a conventional building of its size, recycled building materials, and native landscaping.

City of Austin (US) Sustainable Building Sourcebook

Although this Sourcebook is tailored to Austin, it includes ideas for incorporating clean technology into building and covers topics such as water, energy, building materials, and solid waste. 

Sprawl Tied to Higher Transportation Costs

"Drawing a connection between urban sprawl and high transportation costs, a study released Tuesday suggests that families living in spread-out metropolitan areas with weak public transit networks spend more of their household budgets on transportation than people in denser regions.  Across the nation, such costs now eat up a greater share of families' incomes than ever, taking nearly 20 cents of every dollar earned by the average household and 40 cents of every dollar earned by the poor, according to the study, which analyzed 28 metropolitan areas nationwide." (Caitlin Liu, L.A. Times, July 23, 2003).

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