Urban Planning: Greater Toronto Area (GTA) as a Case Study

BY NATALIE DIONE ALEXANDER, PQS, LEED-AP, ASSOCRICS

Paper presented at the PAQS 2014 Congress in Hong Kong.

u KEY WORDS: decision-making, intensification, sustainable, urbanisation.

u ABSTRACT The city of Toronto has embraced the consistency of intense growth of its highrise developments, which, continues to aid in the urbanization of the city as a whole. The government’s plan continues to be the focus of intensification as a means of both economic growth and sustainable living.

Though Urban Planning remains a very broad topic of discussion that encompasses the use of land, public transit system, creating homes, creating jobs, policy recommendations, technical and political aspects, this paper will seek to identify the key factor(s) that must be considered in the umbrella of urbanization, i.e. what is the main factor that will provide a clear framework that can be identified as the backbone for any city undergoing and or expected to undergo intensification.

The methods employed within this research includes a comprehensive examination from both the academic and practical elements of the industry, and comparing their common findings and implementation strategies, in order to understand what is the key factor(s) that need most consideration in the overall decision-making when intensification is such a major element of a city’s urbanization.

u IDENTIFYING A CITY UNDERGOING INTENSIFICATION Toronto is Canada’s most popular city and the heart of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). With a 2011 Census population at 2.6 million people, Toronto remains the focal point of development and growth, as it sits at North America’s fifth-most popular city. The 2013 CIBC Metropolitan Economic Activity Index states that, “as of the third quarter of 2012, Toronto was ranked the fastest growing city within the 27 census metropolitan areas in Canada”. For the past decade, Toronto has experienced a surge of both residential and non-residential growth, and the city shows no signs of slowing down in its intensification, as it continues to lead all North American municipalities in the number of high-rise buildings currently under construction (Figure 1). On August 30, 2013, the City of Toronto’s building department had on record a total number of highrise buildings under construction, (based on the total amount of building permits issued) at 184, with over 150 erected cranes standing.

Toronto city councillors explains that the current growth of Toronto’s urbanisation is being developed according to what’s known as ‘Toronto’s Official Plan’ which came into force in June 2006, and has become the road map for the City’s plans for development over a period of 20 years. Its central geographic theme was directed at growth to the appropriate areas and away from the City’s stable residential neighbourhoods and green spaces. According to the city of Toronto’s Official Plan, there is a targeted 25% of the City’s land allocated for new developments, while the remaining 75% expected to be protected from significant intensification.

According to the City of Toronto, the locations within that 25% allocation that have been recognised as being “most appropriate for growth” are those identified in the Official Plan’s Urban Structure Map as Avenues, Centres, the

FIGURE 1

200

180

160

140

120

184

151

High Rise Buildings Under Construction

North American Cities (Emporis)

100

80

91 92 88 88

40

20

21 29 25 21 22 21 25 16 14 14 13 17 9 7 5 9 5 3 3 8 7 5

0

Toronto New YorkMexico CityHouston VancouverChicago Miami

Source: www.emporis.com Updated August 30, 2013

Boston Calgary MississaugaLos AngelesAtlanta San FransiscoDallas

Downtown & Central Waterfront and Employment Districts, as well as other areas in the City designated as Mixed Use and Employment Areas.

Urbanisation and high-rise developments have indeed created the need for a discussion about sustainable urban development within Toronto. Professor James McKellar of York University’s Schulich School of Business and Professor David Amborski of Ryerson University’s School of Urban and Regional Planning have co-authored the report “Building a Sustainable Toronto” notes that, “urban intensification is needed for Toronto to become a sustainable city.” The report further notes that, “Torontonians must reside in higher-density housing closer to work if the city wants to be environmentally and economically sustainable.”

If the goal of the City of Toronto is to become a sustainable city over the next 20 year period, with a large part of the solution having the focus of increasing the number of high-rise residential developments, and in addition to the use of existing investments in infrastructure, added facilities and services, to increase urban intensification, then it becomes imperative to analyse and consider the challenges that high-rise construction developments/projects would face in the light of becoming part of the communal intensification and the characterisation of a more sustainable city. More importantly, it becomes imperative to understand the important variable factor/s that would need keen consideration for the expectation of such intensification. As the city continues to grow and with no end immediate end in sight for high-rise development construction activities, how do/would high level construction management teams and developers then prepare for the constraints that are expected to accompany such intensification, when only 25% of the lands have been allocated for new developments?

u FACTOR OF CONSIDERATION Naturally, there are vast elements that would need to be considered under the umbrella discussion of urbanisation and development, because there is such a wide range of parameters that go beyond the aspects of cost predictability, policy recommendation, implementation, governmental restriction, modes of transportation, community facilities. However, because of the clear evidence that highrise developments currently hold such a dominant presence of the construction industry and property development sector and inarguably plays such a significant role in the overall urban planning of Toronto, then there becomes a need for the this sector in particular, to incorporate its own discussions and decisions making.

One key factor to assure that high-rise building developments would be a good technical solution for the overall urban intensification of Toronto, would be the strategies and decisions that are formulated and made in the early design stages of these high-rise development projects (individually and collectively of course). Even before design and construction processes begin, there is always the stage of “preproject planning” which can be the most critical for any project’s success. This is

FIGURE 2

Initiating Planning Executing Monitoring Closing and Control

Determines project feasibility, formally authorizes the project and provides high-level project description. Defines all activities and resources, and establishes schedules and other plans while producing the Project Management Plan. Executes the Project Management Plan.

Monitors all project activities and processes. Controls all changes and aspects effecting changes.

Formally closes the project.

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

because it is at this stage the scope of the project is established. Research document of (Othman et. Al 2004) states that although there are five main stages of the life cycle of a project (Figure 2), it is “the very early stages in the project development such as the pre-project stage that are crucial to its success.”

The early stages of a project’s life cycle indentified as; “Inception, Initiation, Feasibility” (Gower, 2000), can enhance a development’s project performance when effectively performed by the key decision makers, because this stage presents itself as an opportunity to establish the project criteria based on the expectation of the stakeholders. According to a study conducted by Construction Industry Institute, it was reported that pre-project planning “can reduce project cost by as much as 20 percent”. This study therefore further solidifies previous reports that there is in fact a direct relationship between pre-project planning and construction development success, because “the decisions made within these stages can’t be adjusted without significant impact on the process and the project costs” (Othman et. Al 2004).

Evidence of these academic finds are seen present in ‘Toronto’s Official Plan’ and are identified as, “the pre-design stage” which further divided into three stages:

STAGE 1: involves gathering information and public engagement (public engagement includes online consultation, stakeholders, and public open house discussion). Stage 1 is expected to create great opportunities to provide observations and ideas on planning in Toronto.

STAGE 2: involves identifying directions and potential changes to the Official Plan in response to Stage 1 outcomes as well as Council referrals. A second round of public engagement will occur to obtain feedback on potential changes.

STAGE 3: involves City Planning staff preparing recommendations for City Council’s consideration.

This pre-design stage as identified in the city’s Official Plan documents, gives some strong indication as to its importance in the overall urbanisation of a city. The series of decisions made during the pre-planning stage, offers the opportunities for strategic decision-making for specific elements of urban planning, based on the information gathered, and the analysis of the information.

Effective pre-project planning takes into consideration all the necessary key performance indicators (KPIs) such as; “initiative phase, feasibility phase” and “project definition phase” (Haponava et. Al 2009), all of which ensures that the high level management establishes a concrete understand of the project goal and the stakeholders and/or the developers expectation. ISARC-2008 study explains that in the pre-project stage, “essential project information is collected and crucial decisions are made. It is also at this stage where risks associated with the project are analyzed and the specific project execution approach is defined.” This study therefore provides evidence that the pre-project planning stage to a great extent influences a development’s outcome, because the information provided at that stage will allow the decision makers the opportunity to identify key factors such as risk, resources, schedule, cost, strategic planning.

Though many of these documented research papers, articles and journals notes their academic findings, the bottom-line still remains that high-rise developers within the city of Toronto still heavily rely on the premise of adequate time being allocated and invested into the pre-project planning stages of their development projects when creating the margins of profitability in the project itself. For example, in an group interview with both the president and CEO of Harhay Developments from Toronto, Ontario on March 12, 2014 (undertaken by Natalie Dione Alexander), it was noted that, “pre-project planning almost always has a longer duration schedule than the project itself. (noting its importance of the project scale). The reality of time spent in discussions with city planners, defining of governmental by-laws, understanding the return on the investments, understanding the upfront cost, the overall a clear transparency of the project’s realistic profitability, and also the realistic venture of the constructability of the urban design, must all be well planned out.”

It would appear that many experts (researchers and practical doers alike), believe that when considering the incorporation of high-rise developments into a city’s urban planning, the preplanning efforts conducted during the early stages are key to the whole process and having a greater positive effect on the success of urbanisation, rather than efforts undertaken in later stages.

In the case of urban intensification in Toronto, the importance of the preplanning stage cannot be overstated, as the preparatory work and planning taken up to the end of feasibility studies, could have both a significant and domino effect on the success of the projects being undertaken. Pre-planning stages represents not just the construction element, but the overall plans for urbanisation as a whole. This is the stage where the worth of potential ideas are

recognised. It could also represent the early planning of every other elemental phase, where choices needed for course of action and goals are established. In a one-on-one interview with City of Toronto Planner Dan Nicholson on March 3, 2014 (undertaken by Natalie Dione Alexander), he noted that “pre-planning is such an integral part of developing a city and when considering best decisions and course of action for urban intensification. It is at this stage (pre-planning) the preliminary goals are set. The pertinent questions such as, what needs resolving? What is the purpose of this product? What if? Why not? Can we do this/that? Will the city be profitable? are all posed.” This concept was also very evidential in the academic paper by (Gower, 2000) where the finds stated that, “the inception stage may also involve actions such as arrangements for financing, planning permission and sorting environmental issues.”

u CONCLUSION The concluding factor that remains unanimous is that, no matter the various elements that encompasses the scope of urban planning and intensification; whether feasibility, strategic planning, land use, urban design, modes of transportation, community facilities, architecture, policy recommendation, governmental by-laws, implementation and management, will almost always remain staple considerations no matter which city is exploring and/or experiencing intensification. Furthermore, the core aspects that are dominant in affecting the quality performance over the life cycle of urbanisation inarguably still remains to be; human conditions, financial costs, culture, functionality and sustainability.

Therefore, because of independent political and governance structures that are involved within various countries, regions, jurisdictions, plans of sustainable measures, it is vastly too complex to create a cookie-cutter plan of action, execution, and/or standard procurement strategy that could be used or implemented in every city globally. However, based on many experts (researchers and practical doers alike), it would therefore be safe to conclude that when it comes to successful urban planning and intensification, the pre-planning efforts are by far the most imperative and should not be undervalued. Pre-planning remains the backbone of any city that is undergoing and or expected to undergo intensification.

u REFERENCE Ambroski D., McKellar J., (2009) Building A Sustainable Toronto, School of Urban and Regional Planning Ryerson University, pp 6-10, 25-34

Construction Industry Institute, SP39-2–Pre-Project Planning Handbook, [Online] https://www.construction-institute.org/ scriptcontent/more/sp39_2_more.cfmm City of Toronto, (2010) Toronto’s Official Plan, Office Consolidation Notes, pp 2-15, 23-34, 40-45

Gower, (2000). Gower Handbook of Project Management, Edited by R. Turner and S. Simister, 3rd edition, Gower publishing limited

Government of Canada, (2011) Statistics Canada Census [online] http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/censusrecensement/index-eng.cfm

Haponava T., Al-Jibouri S., 2009, Identifying Key Performance Indicators for Use In Control of Pre-project Stage Process in Construction, Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 58, no. 2, pp 160-173

Othman, A., Hassan, T. and Pasquire, C. (2004), Drivers for dynamic brief development in construction, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 248-58

Tal B., et al., (2013) Metro Monitor, Canadian Cities: An Economic Snapshot: Toronto Leads the Pack, CIBC, pp. 1-7

Wang Y., Gibson G. E., 2008, A Study of Pre-project Planning and Project Success Using Ann and Regression Models, 25th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction (ISARC), pp 688-690

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