Planning for Complete Communities
A submission to the Provincial Policy Statement Review
On behalf of the Smart Growth Network
October 29, 2010
Submitted to:
Provincial Policy Statement Review
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Provincial Planning Policy Branch
777 Bay St., 14th Floor
Toronto, ON M5G 2E5
e-mail:
Introduction
With this submission, the Ontario Smart Growth Network wishes to draw attention to a single proposed change to the Provincial Policy Statement that will have a profound effect on the ability to shift planning and development in Ontario towards a healthier and more resilient form of growth.
That change is to incorporate the concept of complete communities as a desired outcome for the planning process.
- It flows from the definition of “complete communities” that was included in the Places to Grow Act, and subsequently written into several municipal Official Plans
- It acknowledges the importance of community values and vision within the planning process
- It allows for local interpretation of community values and for the evolution of a complete community over time.
We recognize that many of our member organizations and other collaborative efforts are presenting detailed submissions, and we commend them all to you.
The Ontario Smart Growth Network
The Ontario Smart Growth Network was founded in 2002 and has grown into a provincial network of 64 organizations that share a common goal of promoting smart growth in Ontario. We provide information sharing services, workshops, and community information sessions as well as foster collaborative research on provincial development policy.
This submission has been prepared by members of our Steering Committee and circulated to our membership for their consideration and support.
Understanding Complete Communities
No community is ever truly complete, nor is it static. It changes over time. It may go into decline, or it may become a vibrant centre of new economic and social development.
The whole reason behind municipal and community planning is to help guide and influence the development process so that new development proposals and infrastructure investments will provide the greatest benefit to the community as a whole. By including the concept of “completeness” into the planning process, we can begin to introduce both a scientific and a social evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities within a community.
A scientific analysis of completeness would cover the ability of a community to provide easy access to the social, economic, and natural features. It would be adaptive and scalable (to encompass the relevant attributes in a neighbourhood, large urban centre, greenfield development, rural community). The social analysis would allow for local identification of community goals and opportunities to enhance the completeness of their community through planning and development.
As a concept, “complete communities” draws upon the work and principles of numerous international initiatives, including smart growth, new urbanism, and healthy communities. The concept, and a formal definition, was included in the 2006 Provincial Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
The Five Year Review of the Provincial Policy Statement provides the perfect opportunity to provide consistency between Places to Grow and the Planning Act, as well as to set in motion a new approach to community consultation and engagement in the planning process.
Our Proposed Amendments
The Provincial Policy Statement can easily be updated to reflect a commitment to complete communities through the following steps:
- Incorporate complete communities as part of the vision (section IV).
As a start, we suggest the vision for planning in Ontario should include “the ability of communities to develop and implement a vision for enhancing their community through planning, investments in infrastructure, development proposals, and community projects”.
A more complete rewrite of the vision would allow for an expansion of the definition of complete communities, the role of the community in defining a local vision, and the contribution of complete communities to Ontario’s broader goals of local economic vitality, people-centred development, a healthy environment, and resiliency.
- Amend the title of Part V Section 1 to provide direction with respect to planning for complete communities
EXISTING PPS, PART V SECTION 1
/Proposed Amendments (Highlighted)
1.0 Building Strong Communities
/1.0 Building Complete Communities
Ontario's long-term prosperity, environmental health and social well-being depend on wisely managing change and promoting efficient land use and development patterns. Efficient land use and development patterns support strong, liveable and healthy communities, protect the environment and public health and safety, and facilitate economic growth.
Accordingly: /Ontario's long-term prosperity, environmental health, personal health and social well-being depend on designing and facilitating the development of complete communities through integrated land use and development patterns, both at the neighbourhood level and across municipalities.
Accordingly:1.1 Managing and Directing Land Use to Achieve Efficient Development and Land Use Patterns
/1.1 Managing and Directing Land Use to Achieve Complete Communities
1.1.1 Healthy, liveable and safe communities are sustained by:- promoting efficient development and land use patterns which sustain the financial well-being of the Province and municipalities over the long term;
- accommodating an appropriate range and mix of residential, employment (including industrial, commercial and institutional uses), recreational and open space uses to meet long-term needs;
- avoiding development and land use patterns which may cause environmental or public health and safety concerns;
- avoiding development and land use patterns that would prevent the efficient expansion of settlement areas in those areas which are adjacent or close to settlement areas;
- promoting cost-effective development standards to minimize land consumption and servicing costs;
- improving accessibility for persons with disabilities and the elderly by removing and/or preventing land use barriers which restrict their full participation in society; and
- ensuring that necessary infrastructure and public service facilities are or will be available to meet current and projected needs.
- designing complete neighbourhoods that provide for the needs of residents and allows opportunities for interaction and participation in the community
- connecting neighbourhoods within a municipality that provides for higher level needs in health care, education, cultural development, and economic development
- ensuring an appropriate range and mix of residential, employment (including industrial, commercial and institutional uses), recreational and open space uses to meet long-term needs;
- avoiding development and land use patterns which may cause environmental or public health and safety concerns;
- avoiding development and land use patterns that would prevent the efficient expansion of settlement areas in those areas which are adjacent or close to settlement areas;
- promoting cost-effective development standards to minimize land consumption and servicing costs;
- improving accessibility for persons with disabilities and the elderly by removing and/or preventing land use barriers which restrict their full participation in society; and
- ensuring that necessary infrastructure and public service facilities are or will be available to meet current and projected needs.
- engaging and facilitating community involvement in community planning and development.
- allowing for the continual evolution, growth and redevelopment of the community over time.
3. Including a definition of “complete communities
The definition of complete communities in the 2006 Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe is:
Complete Community:
Means communities that meet people’s needs for daily living throughout an entire lifetime by providing convenient access to an appropriate mix of jobs, local services, a full range of housing, and community infrastructure including affordable housing, schools, recreation and open space for their residents. Convenient access to public transportation and options for safe, non-motorized travel is also provided.
There is a distinct advantage in using a definition that is already widely used in municipal plans across Ontario. We would encourage the immediate development of supportive guidelines and programs that would support immediate and practical applications of complete community planning in a variety of community types and sizes.
Next Steps
From our perspective working with provincial organizations, municipalities, community groups and progressive developers across Ontario, there is tremendous momentum towards community-oriented development.
Incorporating “complete communities” into the Provincial Policy Statement can only be seen as the first step in deep transformation of planning and development in Ontario. The Ontario Smart Growth Network is committed to working with leaders in all sectors on fleshing out the practical applications of complete community planning across Ontario.
We believe that the Province of Ontario, through the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Growth Secretariat, should also play a leadership role in helping municipalities, developers, and community groups understand and test out how they can contribute to defining and implementing a vision for complete communities – provincially, municipally, and at the neighbourhood level.
In short, we look forward to a creative shift in the Provincial Policy Statement and an ongoing commitment to placing complete communities at the heart of the planning and development process in Ontario.
The Ontario Smart Growth Network
c/o The Conservation Council of Ontario
Suite 132, 215 Spadina Avenue,
Toronto, Ontario
M5T 2C7
Contact:
Chris Winter,
Executive Director
The Conservation Council of Ontario
416-533-1635 ext 1
Our Steering Committee
Chris Winter (Chair)
The Conservation Council of Ontario
Melanie Hare
Urban Strategies Inc.
Paul Young
Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition
Janet May
Shift Ontario
Mark Winfield
Faculty of Environmental Studies, YorkUniversity
Our Members
For a full list of our 63 participating organizations, please go to