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Or: What kinds of economic activities are we planning for? This is obviously an important question in planning, and one to which the answer has been changing rapidly as urban economies transform in response to a globalizing economy. While it’s relatively straightforward to forecast residential housing demand, projecting demand for non-residential development is much trickier, […]

Cities are being reshaped by an increasingly global economy. Virtually all cities are subject to transformation – either because their economies are increasingly integrated with the global economy, or in a dwindling few instances, transformed in different ways because their economies lie outside of it. Globalization is the economic equivalent of climate change. Yet, unlike […]

With an election coming this fall, the federal role in cities, and the need for and content of a national urban strategy will undoubetdly be the subject of much debate – at least among urbanists. To date, the focus has tended to be on infrastructure funding. But the debate should be much broader. Infrastructure funding […]

This past weekend, I was thrilled to present at the Congress for the New Urbanism in Buffalo, NY (CNU 22). Peter Katz and Joe Minicozzi showed how municipal revenue returns from compact development are exponentially higher than for conventional development. My presentation exposed the hidden, perverse subsidies that are embedded in our everyday financial tools, […]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again! Development charges (“DCs”) are price signals, as such they influence decisions around land use and shape development patterns. But DCs rarely follow the basic economic principle that, in order to achieve the proverbial “efficient allocation of resources” (read: efficient urban development patterns and infrastructure) prices should […]

Aligning DCs with other public objectives Issue: Conflicts between development charges and Provincial planning and transit objectives Though DCs are often seen simply as a revenue-raising tool, the reality is that they have broader impacts, including their important role in shaping urban development patterns. Given these broader impacts, there is a need to ensure that […]

Structuring the Charge Issue: hidden cross subsidies embedded in DCs The ultimate objective of the DC process is to establish the dollar amounts that will be charged against new development to cover the cost of the needed infrastructure. In so doing, we need to recognize the economic role that these DC levels play. They are […]

Development charges… the very mention of the words has been observed to cause a glazing of the eyes. However, “DCs” are important to cities, for many reasons. And the Ontario government is currently reviewing its Development Charges Act, and looking for input. Herewith the first instalment of some thoughts on the issue. DCs are an […]

The Province’s Transit Investment Advisory Panel will soon release a report with its recommendations on how to fund Let’s Move – the $50 billion transit investment program. The Panel’s focus is new revenue tools – including Metrolinx’s own short list: increased development charges, increased sales tax, a parking levy, and an increased fuel and gas […]