Thread by @NanaimoCommons

"It’s a windfall for land speculators in the short term, they say, and a white elephant for municipal budgets in the long term..."

Environmentalists hope anti-sprawl vote sets example for other municipalities @jeffreybgray @moore_oliver @globeandmail theglobeandmail.com/canada/article…

“It’s kind of a watershed moment for growth planning in Ontario, whether other municipalities will see this as, well, ‘Hamilton did it, so we can take that bold step as well.’ ” City Councillor John-Paul Danko. #ShelveSandstone

City Councillor Shawn Menard said low-density development is simply too expensive to maintain, with more roads and pipes but fewer taxpayers to foot the bill.

“Expanding the urban boundary is extremely expensive,” Mr. Menard said. “It’s not sustainable over time.”

City of Ottawa spends $465 annually per person to service low-density homes on the periphery.

Meanwhile, infill homes in the core contribute $606 more each year, per person, than they cost to service.

— Hemson Consultants analysis. #SprawlSubsidy

Mississauga a ‘cautionary tale’ as cities sprawl out across Southern Ontario @moore_oliver @globeandmail theglobeandmail.com/canada/article…

“Growth should pay for growth, but ultimately, growth doesn’t pay for growth,” said Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie.

Once new infrastructure was built it became the city’s responsibility to maintain and repair. So new developments were approved raising more money.

That approach is known in planning circles as “the sprawl Ponzi scheme,” Ray Tomalty, Smart Cities Research Services. @StrongTowns