Theory and Practice in Planning the Suburbs: Challenges to Implementing New Urbanism, Smart Growth, and Sustainability Principles

TLDR

Municipalities across Canada have adopted new urbanism, smart growth, and sustainability principles, yet new suburbs still reflect conventional development practices. This paper investigates the challenges to implementing these planning principles and how the development market selectively resists them in three Canadian urban areas. Interviews with planners, councillors, and development industry representatives reveal that land cost pressures drive higher suburban densities while developers contest planning principles concerning urban form and function. The study shows that weak political commitment and market pressures undermine planners' efforts to create accessible, open communities, and that theoretical distinctions between planning approaches become blurred in practice.

Abstract

Although municipalities across Canada have adopted principles of new urbanism, smart growth, and sustainability in their planning and policy documents, new suburbs continue to reveal the influence of conventional development practices. This paper examines challenges to implementing new planning principles and reveals some of the ways that the development market selectively resists planning objectives in three Canadian urban areas. Interviews with planners, councillors, and representatives of the development industry indicate that, while land cost pressures contribute to increasing suburban densities, developers may challenge planning principles related to urban form and function. The study finds that weak political commitment and market pressures frustrate planners' desires to create accessible and open communities. Conceptual distinctions between planning approaches important to theory become blurred in practice.