Future communities need expert planning

By PAUL BERTON Opinion. London Free Press, Jan 24, 2009

Everyone agrees suburbia, while not broken, is not perfect either. Developers, politicians, planners and residents want to make London more livable, friendly, affordable, aesthetically pleasing, green, energy-efficient -- workable. The mayor reminded us of that yesterday in her annual state of the city address hosted by the London Chamber of Commerce. And city council, sensing the right direction for the city, years ago put our money where its mouth is, hiring an urban designer to help guide us into a new era of residential and commercial development, and build neighbourhoods that work. Ideally, suburban streetscapes of the future will be marked by front porches, not garages; the streets will be on grids, not cul-de-sacs or crescents; the plans will allow for easily walkable town centres and villages, not just regional malls and parking lots; there will be efficient mass transit, not just the odd bus in a sea of single-occupant vehicles; and there will be a mix of uses; not just one. It's not an easy task. Old habits die hard, but they are shifting, and the realities of the modern world (that is, energy prices) will force us to change sooner or later. That's why a proposal to add another $248,000 to the city budget to hire more urban designers, despite tough economic times, deserves consideration.

If London is to be competitive in the future, to attract the kinds of people and the kinds of employers we need to sustain a healthy economy, we must stand out from the crowd, and one of the best ways to do that is to have great places to live. To be sure, we have great places to live now, in old and new areas of the city. Our suburbs are on par with those in most other cities. But is that good enough? Shouldn't we strive to be better -- different? Cities such as Oakville and Markham, to use two nearby examples, have started to build things differently, with an eye to attracting people who care about more than just a nice street and a big roof over their heads. We need to start planning our communities of the future now, and we need the expertise to help us do it.