IDEA supports municipal budget approach to reduce subsidy on suburban growth

Mayor Don Iveson presented his five point approach for the municipal budget on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018. He stated, "analysis shows that suburban growth has been significantly subsidized by existing tax payers and #yeg businesses. It's time to reset our approach to paying for this growth". The Infill Development in Edmonton Association (IDEA) strongly supports this approach to the budget, particularly rolling back the subsidy on suburban growth, and protecting the investments made in the city's core infrastructure. 

"At IDEA, we work to drive change toward people-centred communities. Our mission aligns with the Mayor's new vision that promotes sustainable growth. And part of the answer to sustainability is infill and redevelopment activities." says Mariah Samji, Executive Director of IDEA. 

"Infill is not just about developing on land in mature neighborhoods, it is also about promoting an integrated approach to transportation, infrastructure, community design and land use zoning. Infill helps to build a city that is livable, sustainable and affordable for all of us today and generations to come."

Canadian Urban Transit Association: Housing Report

Back in July, IDEA had the opportunity to engage with the Canadian Urban Transit Association to provide feedback on the role public transit and transit-oriented development sites play in addressing Canada's housing crisis. The result of that engagement can be found in CUTA's recently published report, "Housing is on the Line: How Public Transit Can Tackle Canada’s Housing Crisis."

This report provides 17 recommendations across five policy pillars, aiming to better integrate public transit and housing supply. In total, CUTA gathered insights through seven in-person engagements across the country and online sessions, involving 200 participants from government, development, and stakeholders. An advisory committee provided valuable feedback, and the recommendations were reviewed by Infrastructure Canada and the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

Key recommendations included activating land around transit stations, evolving transit authorities' mandates for housing development, ensuring inclusivity, streamlining approval processes for Transit-Oriented Developments (TOD), and maximizing investments through regional collaboration.

Read the full report here and check out the video linked below released by CUTA to complement the technical report. In it, CUTA covers the five policy themes on the intersection of housing policy and transit with examples from several cities across Canada.

Tacoma — TacHOMEa: Infill Tools for a Happy City

Tacoma is a city of neighborhoods. These neighborhoods have distinct natural and built environment features that make them unique urban places. Each of these neighborhoods have an instrumental role to play in the collective need to accommodate future growth in the city. Current policies encourage the densification of neighborhoods to manage growth while other policies mandate the protection of the character of single-family residential areas. Some recent residential development in the city has caused backlash from community members and illustrates the difficulty of achieving the goals of density and compatibility simultaneously. The challenge ahead for the City of Tacoma is to meet the needs of its current and future residents in a way that recognizes evolving trends while still preserving the important qualities that lead to unique and cherished neighborhood character.

Denver — Infill and Redevelopment

In Colorado, local governments are authorized by state statutes to adopt comprehensive plans outlining goals, strategies, and policies related to local land use, among other topics. Although comprehensive plans are policy documents and are not regulatory, they do provide appointed and elected officials with a basis for decision-making. Most comprehensive plans include a future land use map coupled with a narrative section describing potential growth scenarios and desirable uses in the community throughout the life of the plan. Local comprehensive plans frequently address infill and redevelopment as a major topic and identify areas where infill is most desirable. These plans are not always aligned with local market conditions or supply and demand, or local zoning regulations, leading to difficult decisions by elected officials. Because rezoning for higher development intensities typically associated with infill and redevelopment can be challenging, clearly identifying the community’s desired direction in the comprehensive plan is an essential precursor. 

Saskatoon — Neighbourhood Level Infill Development Strategy

The Neighbourhood Level Infill Development Strategy addresses infill development for individual residential lots in established neighbourhoods throughout the City of Saskatoon, including the Pre- and Post-War Neighbourhoods identified in Section 1.1.5 Study Area.

The study recommends design qualities, guidelines and regulations to ensure new infill development complements the character of established neighbourhoods. Consideration is given to development standards such as height, massing, setbacks and site coverage; parking provisions; architectural guidelines; site servicing; and design guidelines specific to garage and garden suites.

Achieving Child-Friendly Infill Development in Austin’s Early Suburbs

This white paper attempts to lay out policy recommendations for preserving the age and income diversity, livability, and strong community of Austin’s early suburbs in the coming 30 years, as new housing is added. It also points out special challenges for managing traffic and congestion in early suburbs. In so doing, it acknowledges the need for environmental, fiscal and transportation sustainability in the age of peak oil and global warming. It respects the need for developers to make a profit.

The paper is intended to support decisions by North Central Austin’s neighborhood plan contact teams. We hope it will also spur conversations with policymakers, developers, businesses, and other stakeholders. 

Guiding Infill Development in Winnipeg

The City of Seattle’s Design Review Program is among the most sophisticated and comprehensive in North America. It exemplifies a community-based, participatory approach to design, which provides a forum for citizens and developers to work together towards achieving a better urban environment. The Design Review Program, which consists of both design review boards and design guidelines is intended to shape how new development can contribute positively to Seattle’s neighborhoods, focusing on compatibility, site planning, street life and the pedestrian experience. This case study will highlight the lessons learned from Seattle’s Design Review Program, and discuss the potential opportunities and barriers faced by the City of Winnipeg in adopting similar design guidance strategies.

Harvard Patterns: An Analysis of the Allston/Cambridge Campuses

As Harvard faces a period of great physical growth and change, it is particularly important for its planners and designers to work from a strong basis of understanding of the varied patterns that make up the University’s existing fabric. This report comprises an initial effort by Harvard Planning and Real Estate (HPRE) to document and analyze those patterns. It is intended as a working document for the many members of the University community who share responsibility for decisions concerning the future of the unique and rich physical setting that is the Harvard campus.

Oregon — The Infill and Redevelopment Code Handbook

In a strong real estate market, infill and redevelopment may occur without supportive public policies. More often, coordination of public policies and private investment is required to encourage development of under-used and skipped-over areas. Such areas may be targeted for infill and redevelopment when adequate public facilities are available, or can be made available. There may also be active neighborhood support. The area may be important for economic, social, or cultural reasons. Under any of these scenarios, the public and the development community can benefit from strategies that encourage well-planned infill and redevelopment.