CHALLENGES TO AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPLEMENTING SMART GROWTH: A DOWNTOWN GUELPH CASE STUDY by Kent Hakull A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfilment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in Planning Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2012 © Kent Hakull 2012 AUTHOR’S DECLARATION I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii ABSTRACT My research considers both the challenges to and opportunities for implementing Smart Growth strategies in the City of Guelph’s urban growth centre, with a particular focus on the St. Patrick’s Ward neighbourhood. I follow the development of the downtown secondary plan-making process, spanning the time period from March 2010 to June 2011, which includes public participation by residents in the St. Patrick’s Ward and the city at large. The plan-making process started prior to, and continues after, my chosen timeframe, but the information collected in my case study brings to light the complexity of drafting a secondary plan for implementing Smart Growth strategies; the plan should ideally establish a framework for local interpretation and implementation of Smart Growth – the widely supported intensification and redevelopment strategy. I take the view that while a plan can be written to code and be argued rationally by experts, its effectiveness and ethical validity is a function of public participation in planning decisions that include values-rational anchoring, i.e. critical and ethical reflection on the value of a goal. Although many guiding principles and recommendations in the draft Plan are based on Smart Growth strategies, the physical scale of urban intensification is today very much focused on density numbers under the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The City of Guelph’s draft Downtown Secondary Plan primarily seeks to facilitate high-density, mid- to high-rise condominium and/or office developments. This may in turn lead to increased spatial segregation based on socioeconomic differences. Like in Toronto, Guelph’s Downtown Secondary Plan deregulates zoning by-laws and reduces bureaucratic ‘red tape’ for the high-density development industry through more flexible policies. Potential socioeconomic iii consequences like displacement of entire populations, services, and jobs from the newly re-valued places are, however, not addressed in the Plan; the policy language and conceptual thinking appears primarily geared toward redevelopment and infill. The overall lesson learned from studying the plan-making process leading up to the City of Guelph’s 1st Draft Downtown Secondary Plan concerns the role of planning in implementing Smart Growth; being a specific form of urban planning, Smart Growth implementation requires facilitation and education of stakeholders who are willing to compromise, but not beyond the point where “smart” is removed from “growth”. Given the overarching responsibility of the government to drive home this message, every stakeholder working for the public interest must collaboratively define, steer, and direct the process and private interests at each and every step along the road. The case of Guelph demonstrates the difficulty of prioritizing such a responsibility. Thus, potential future pressures to push and undermine Smart Growth’s synergistic and public participatory core value must be monitored and controlled with long-term objectives in mind. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to extend a most sincere thank-you to everyone who offered kind guidance on my journey, knowingly and not. Early guidance came from Marianne Staempfli. She met with me for a coffee at the Red Brick downtown Guelph in 2008, sharing valuable insight and putting me on an excellent academic path. Travelling the path has been a pleasure, in particular thanks to brilliant advising by Pierre Filion, generously offering me his time and support, in addition to generous TAs and RAs and lunches at Curry in a Hurry. In Guelph, where I spent many a night at community meetings, I wish in particular to extend a thank-you to Barbara Mann, who early on understood what research I was conducting and, in turn, invited me to a variety of events that allowed me to better understand The Ward. In addition, I would like to acknowledge every member in The Ward Residents’ Association for their hospitality, and Lise Burcher for her support as a committee member and touchstone throughout the process. Luckily, and equally important personally, graduate school was more than textbooks and thesis writing. Time to volunteer, attend professional events, and connect with fellow students is invaluable when preparing to enter the planning profession. I’m grateful that the School of Planning facilitates and encourages all such opportunities. In the end, amongst many, a big thank-you to my friend and fellow graduate student, Brad Bradford. Your determination and friendship is brilliant. Collegiality was key to success at school, while at home patiently and lovingly waited Kerri and our tail-wagging Cooper. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................................. IX LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ................................................................................................................. X LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................ XI CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1 1.1 PROBLEM STATEMENT ............................................................................................................................................ 4 1.2 PURPOSE STATEMENT ............................................................................................................................................. 5 1.3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................................................... 6 1.4 RESEARCH METHODS ............................................................................................................................................... 7 CHAPTER 2 - DOWNTOWN PLANNING THEORY AND POLICY............................................. 10 2.1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................... 10 2.2 A GENERAL SMART GROWTH AGREEMENT .................................................................................................... 11 2.3 POLICY AND PLANS (GGH AND GUELPH ) – FEET ON THE GROUND AND HEAD IN THE SKY ............. 20 2.4 THE INNER CITY – HISTORICAL MID -SIZED URBAN DEVELOPMENT CONTEXT .................................... 25 2.5 COMMUNITY PLANNING – THE PEOPLE DIMENSION .................................................................................... 31 2.6 CHAPTER SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................................. 38 CHAPTER 3 – RESEARCH METHODS ........................................................................................... 40 3.1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................... 40 3.2 RESEARCHING THE DRAFTING PROCESS OF A LOCAL PLAN ....................................................................... 40 3.2.1 Exploring Neighbourhood Development and Change ............................................................... 40 3.2.2 Flyvbjerg’s Value-Rational Research Method ............................................................................... 41 3.2.3 The Qualitative Approach – With a Critical Perspective ......................................................... 45 3.3 THE CASE STUDY METHOD ................................................................................................................................. 48 3.3.1 Case Study Research Design and Techniques ................................................................................ 48 3.3.2 Methods for Verification ......................................................................................................................... 50 3.3.3 Role of the Researcher ............................................................................................................................. 51 3.3.4 Ethical Considerations ............................................................................................................................. 53 3.4 PROCEDURES FOR DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS ................................................................................ 54 3.4.1 Data Collection ............................................................................................................................................ 54 3.4.1.1 Parameters for Data Collection ................................................................................................................................ 54 vi 3.4.1.2 Types of Data Collected and the Rationale ........................................................................................................ 58 3.4.2 Data Analysis ...............................................................................................................................................