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Home / Achieving a Balance: Four Challenges for Canada in the Next Decade / Achieving a Balance: Four Challenges for Canada in the Next Decade – Managing Urban Spaces

Achieving a Balance: Four Challenges for Canada in the Next Decade – Managing Urban Spaces

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Although we live in an increasingly globalized society, local communities -the places where we work, live, and play - remain our most important sources of identity. The place we call community is also overwhelmingly urban. Within 10 years, 80 percent of Canada's population will live in cities, and 90 percent will live within a few hours' drive of the U.S. border. Rapid urbanization has already led to a host of environmental problems such as poor air quality and loss of green space. Bad planning and design criteria have resulted in urban sprawl, inadequate infrastructure, contaminated sites, and loss of buildings with heritage or historical value. Often, the adverse effects fall disproportionately upon poor, elderly, Aboriginal, and young people. Far-flung suburbs also have their hidden costs. They increase dependence on personal vehicles and extended road systems, leading to longer travel times, greater congestion, air pollution, and a worsening of the climate change problem. To truly offer clean air, clean water, and access to nature, cities need to adopt better planning in which city officials and political leaders work with the community to promote public transit, urban revitalization, and the protection of urban green spaces. Using such planning has given cities like Portland, Oregon, a competitive edge in attracting new businesses, particularly those in high-tech and knowledge-based industries. There is a strong likelihood that investments that improve the quality of life in cities, such as better transit systems and clean water, will make those communities more competitive in attracting firms and workers. The federal government must take a more active role with provinces and municipalities to support quality of life in cities. Community commitment to a vision of urban sustainability is essential. So is strong political leadership. In some cases we need to turn traditional urban planning on its head, developing community goals first and then designing the infrastructure of roads, sewers, and parks around those goals. Inner cities too can benefit from rethinking infill opportunities and the recovery of brownfield sites, especially in needy neighbourhoods. We have an important opportunity in the next 10 years to design and retrofit our cities in ways that integrate and maximize social, economic, and environmental benefits. The federal 2000 budget allocated C$125 million to municipalities for "green" investments - a good start, but the federal government should play an even more active role in supporting projects such as public transit and social housing. Cooperation with provincial and municipal governments will be essential.