Getting Tough on Urban Sprawl

"In the coming years, the majority of greenhouse gas pollution in Ontario is expected to be transportation related and driven by urban sprawl, yet urban planning in Ontario is still paving the way for the automobile."Cherise Burda, Ontario Policy Director,
The Pembina Institute

Ontario needs to get tough on urban sprawl if the province wants to meet its own climate change commitments.

Getting Tough on Urban Sprawl, a new report by the Pembina Institute, identifies sprawl as one of the biggest obstacles that may keep Ontario from reaching its greenhouse gas reduction targets.

The report, Getting Tough on Urban Sprawl, outlines seven priority areas the province and the new secretariat need to address to combat sprawl and help meet Ontario's greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. These priorities include incorporating sustainable energy policies into urban planning policy, removing subsidies to greenfield development, and increasing urban density targets.

Smarter Planning

"What’s missing is a clear link between initiatives like the Places to Grow Plan and Ontario’s GHG reduction targets."Cherise Burda, Ontario Policy Director,
The Pembina Institute


The Ontario government announced relatively ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets in June 2007. The targets — set as reductions below the 1990 level of greenhouse gas emissions — are 6% below by 2014, 15% below by 2020 and 80% below by 2050. Unfortunately, the province has neither an adequate climate plan nor a set of clear policies that is strong enough to achieve the targets.

This lack of integration between the province’s climate change objectives and its planning policy means that the province is not maximizing the enormous energy savings that can be made at the municipal level by changing the way that communities are designed and developed. Ontario's urban planning policies do not yet require or provide strong incentives for municipalities to develop sustainable energy plans, targets and policies, or to integrate these measures into their official plans.

Ontario's urban planning policies do not yet require or provide strong incentives for municipalities to develop sustainable energy plans, targets and policies, or to integrate these measures into their official plans.

Ontario’s Go Green climate plan expects to achieve significant GHG reductions through existing initiatives. The government anticipates the Municipal Eco Challenge and Other Actions will result in an 8% reduction, while “Current Policies” such as the protection of the Greater Golden Horseshoe Greenbelt are targeted for a further 13% reduction. Yet while Ontario has these initiatives and other strong urban planning initiatives such as the Places to Grow Plan and the Greenbelt Act underway, the expected reductions don't add up to the province's targeted GHG reductions.

Planning policies and targets, particularly within the Places to Grow Plan, are not rigorous enough to combat the urban sprawl and unsustainable development that is already underway. Municipalities and developers lack adequate financial incentives and regulatory requirements to choose smart growth over sprawl.

Ontario’s Communities: Are they sustainable?

In 2007, the Pembina Institute collaborated with notable researchers to provide a snapshot of the sustainability of selected communities across Ontario. The report, Ontario Community Sustainability, employs 33 indicators in three broad categories; smart growth, livability and economic vitality to develop an overall community sustainability index for 27 Ontario municipalities.

The objective of the report is to inform and provide a basis of measurement for communities and the province for urban sustainability policies and program development.

Tracking Ontario’s Progress on Smart Growth

Since 2003, the Pembina Institute has been tracking Ontario’s progress on smart growth and urban sprawl. The most recent report, Getting Tough on Urban Sprawl, published in March 2008, outlines seven priority areas the province needs to address to combat sprawl and help meet Ontario's greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

Additional reports in the Smart Growth series are listed below.

Smart Growth Series:

Building Sustainable Communities in Ontario: A Provincial Progress Report (October 2006)

Local Implementation of Smart Growth Policies in Ontario: Three Case Studies (July 2005)

Building Sustainable Urban Communities in Ontario: A Provincial Progress Report (June 2005)

Building Sustainable Urban Communities in Ontario: Towards Implementation? (July 2004)

Building Sustainable Urban Communities in Ontario: Overcoming the Barriers (Nov 2003)

Smart Growth in Ontario: The Promise vs. Provincial Performance (March 2003 and updated in August 2003)

In addition, the Pembina Institute has made numerous detailed submissions in response to provincial government initiatives related to smart growth and urban sustainability, including the Greater Golden Horseshoe Greenbelt Growth Plan, revisions to the provincial Planning Act and Provincial Policy Statement, OMB reform, fiscal and taxation policies, and the development of the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority.