by Norberto Rodriguez dela Vega
BC has a new growing movement– and that movement is Smart Growth.
Several communities are starting to incorporate smart growth principles and concepts in their Official Community Plans, among them Gibsons, Nanaimo,Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Cowichan Valley, Penticton, Kelowna, Bowen Island, Oliver, Duncan, and Prince George. A range of sophisticated new ideas and techniques are waiting for regional governments and town planners to absorb and enact them.
Sprawl has been the “normal” pattern for growth in the past fifty years across North America. Land has been urbanized at two or three times the population growth rate. The difference between the growth rates of people and of the land they occupy is what defines sprawl. As cities spread into vast low-density urban areas, sprawl evolves into a drain on ecological,social and economic capital.
According to a recent Georgia Basin-Puget Sound Ecosystem Indicators Report, the Georgia Basins area has grown from 2.4 to 2.9 million people (21%) between 1991 and 2002. By 2020 the population is projected to exceed four million people (35% growth). These figures predict a tremendous demand for housing and dictate concern about the best way to accommodate this rapid growth.
Sadly, sprawl is also a major element in rural design.
If we were to research Official Community Plans for the celebrated Gulf Islands of Georgia Strait, or many other semi-rural areas of BC and Canada, we would probably find similar objectives. A few of the characteristics that define sprawl development are as follows:
-high consumption of land,
-low housing density;
-car dependence and land use patterns, poorly suited for walking, cycling and transit;
-community design emphasizes privacy;
-less efficient use of infrastructure and higher costs for new infrastructure;
-single-family detached houses for a limited range of incomes;
-fragmented working and natural lands.
The sprawling syndrome is not easily acknowledged in rural areas, since this is the way they have been planned and evolved. The current definition of “rural island” facilitates and promotes sprawl and therefore is unsustainable. Driving across these islands one can rarely see a house; almost every property is in 10 acre parcels or more. This is why these islands have become a favourite place for retirees and wealthy people who acquire large acreages and build enormous houses, causing a gentri- fication (*) problem for low-income people looking for affordable housing. (*) Gentrifi cation is the process by which higher income households displace lower income residents of a neighbourhood, changing the essential character and fl avour of that neighbourhood.
Furthermore, some Gulf Islands are cases of “double sprawling”:
A) Suburbs of nearby cities. Several of these islands have become “bedroom communities” for people commuting to work and school to nearby larger cities, i.e., Gabriola for Nanaimo, Nanaimo for Vancouver, Quadra for Campbell River.
B) Internal sprawling. One of the main characteristics, and an undeniable appeal, of these islands is that they are very low-density. However, this quality has become the main cause of sprawling, since houses are spread all over the islands, fragmenting the lands, forcing everybody to drive to work, to the stores, to visit the doctor, to the post office, to school, to eat. Many local families need two or three cars and trucks to satisfy their transportation needs, since public transportation does not exist.
Internal sprawling is also generated by a seasonal population with very large houses that increase the demand for water, goods and services, and other urban commodities, and cause major problems like waste generation and traffic (ferry) jams, particularly during summer time. Internal sprawling also increases property values, leaving little opportunity for low-income local individuals to have access to affordable housing.
There is no question that rural sprawl is happening in many rural areas, and the impacts are very much the same as urban sprawl. It consumes the forests, wetlands, and agricultural lands. It requires more roads, and more infrastructure that is more costly than building compact environments. It generates more and more solid waste that is sent off island. It depends on cars and trucks to move people and to bring goods and services from remote locations. It causes loss of community and sense of place. It is building houses, not communities.
Perhaps the only positive result of rural sprawling is that it reduces the demand for the “natural limits of growth”: fresh water and waste absorption, since low-density housing means less demand for water and produces less waste.
Should we be concerned about this trend? Are we going to keep on sprawling or should we be looking for alternatives?
We could designate optimal levels of housing density, with a good range of housing options. We could have and support transportation choices. We could designate specific lands for growth as well as designate others as working and natural lands for conservation. We could define our carrying capacity for freshwater and waste absorption. We could plan for walkable commercial areas and neighborhoods that sustain the traditional community spirit of the island while providing for the needs of additional residents. We could be able to grow in a way that balances our need for jobs, housing, and economic development with our longing to preserve the natural beauty and rural character of the islands and other rural areas. This will mean taking the smart growth approach.
Conclusion
Smart Growth provides a different pattern for growth. Smart Growth is development that enhances
the quality of life in communities, complements ecosystem functioning, and uses tax revenue wisely. Smart Growth applies sustainability principles to all kinds of development.
Rather than subsidizing urban and rural growth, local governments and citizens who understand the benefits of Smart Growth are looking into more efficient development ideas. We need to decide what is the proper balance between humans, all other species, and natural resources, so we all can co-exist in a healthy, sustainable way for many generations to come. Smart Growth can help give us the answers.
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[Watershed Sentinel, Jan/Feb, 2004]