Residents of Sudbury, Ontario, say the town is at a critical turning point. Politicians voice a need to pursue a greater share of mining revenue from the province. Civic associations in Sudbury would like to see a new arts and convention centre constructed. City officials want to allow businesses that establish certain kinds of industrial parks to be exempt from paying development charges. Developers argue that they face too much opposition when the propose building in existing neighborhoods, a practice known as infilling. The rationale for supporting infilling is that existing living areas yield a higher level of revenue, which makes city infrastructure more affordable for developers. There are ancillary benefits to infilling, such as contributing to the financial and operational viability of the Sudbury Transit and averting urban sprawl, which supports efforts to address climate change.
Neighborhood organizations oppose the policy of infilling, often on a case-by-case basis that is charitably known as not in my backyard (NIMBY). Critics assert that infilling increases traffic congestion on a local level, reduces open space, and results in overcrowding that puts too much pressure on neighborhood services. As a result of organized neighborhood protest, developers have shuttled appeals to the Ontario Municipal Board in order to obtain approval for projects and move forward. This situation happens regularly,...
From a fiscal standpoint, blocking infill development prevents the city from obtaining reasonable tax revenue for planned building. Finally, developers experience more than their fair share of red tape when trying to get projects approved.
Problem Definition
Infill development is characterized by paradoxical outcomes that may or may not be ameliorated by smart growth planning and coordinated transit initiatives. Cities like Portland, Oregon; Freiburg in Breisgau, Germany; and the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts have experimented with smart growth and provide examples of elements that can be utilized in other locations with infilling positive policies.
Research Questions
Traffic patterns and travel behavior have been shown to be impacted by urban intensification and smart growth policies (Melia, et al., 2011). The research indicates that there is support both for and against these development practices (Melia, et al., 2011). Development that increases population densities in urban area does not have a robust effect on reductions in the use of cars. In fact, when this effect is calculated, the distances that cars are driven or the frequency that people chose to drive their cars, is not halved the population density of a specified area doubles. This relationship…
