| More land could mean less sprawl if the city develops it responsibly, according to some analysts.
The city’s deal to annex land from the Municipal District of Rockyview is being viewed by some as a positive first step to ensuring responsible development of that land – or, at the very least, as a lesser of two evils.
However, critics of the land deal blast it as an excuse for the city to blow off difficult decisions around increasing density.
The City of Calgary and the M.D of Rockyview have tentatively approved a deal wherein Calgary will purchase 103 square kilometres of land to the north, west and east of the city. At a cost of $17.8 million, the land is expected to accommodate Calgary’s growth for generations to come.
Small municipalities sometimes face criticism for rubberstamping unsustainable development to generate needed revenue. This leads to rural sprawl — low-density, vehicle-dependent communities.
"I think the annexation issue is largely separate from the sprawl issue," says Byron Miller, director of urban studies at the University of Calgary. "This may strike people as counter-intuitive, however, cities grow as a metropolitan system. If Calgary didn’t annex additional land, you would continue to see growth outside of its boundaries."
Miller says development is better managed under one municipality, as opposed to several in an area each taking its own course.
However, David Allwright, chair of general business at Mount Royal College, says annexation is just a way for the city to put off controversial issues.
"We’ve dealt with our growth pressures by expanding outwards," he explains. "It causes more problems than it solves. It’s about avoiding making tough decisions. Growth for the sake of growth — that’s the philosophy of a cancer cell."
Brian Pincott, former NDP candidate and spokesperson for the Sierra Club Chinook chapter, says this should not be a question of the lesser of two evils – both are undesirable. He’s calling for the reinstatement of a regional planning committee.
"Both areas are doing sprawl. They are just doing different kinds of sprawl: Calgary is doing urban sprawl, Rockyview is doing rural sprawl. Both are unsustainable practices," says Pincott. "These are issues that have to be dealt with at a regional level. Regional commitment is needed."
Miller agrees that, ideally, sprawl should be addressed at a regional level, as it was prior to 1995. Smaller municipalities had a surrounding buffer zone that prevented them from developing on land near the city of Calgary without city approval, and developments had required approval by a regional planning commission. This framework allowed for a more unified planning vision in the province.
"Alberta had what was once regarded as one of the best regional planning systems in North America, then the provincial government scrapped it. We’ve had an extremely laissez-faire system since then," says Miller. "Addressing the sprawl issue requires regional co-operation, and action at the provincial level." |
Copyright ©2006 FFWD. All rights reserved.