211 - Financing gentle density and facilitating community uptake in Toronto’s yellow belt

October 14, 2020

9:30AM - 10:30AM

Perhaps the most important challenge when discussing the concept of gentle density with communities is addressing the fear of change. Real and perceived issues include physical incompatibility, a loss of neighbourhood character, devaluation of property values, traffic generation, and greater stress on community services, among many others. This is especially the case in Toronto’s “yellow belt.”
 
In Toronto, the yellow belt includes areas designated as neighbourhoods in the official plan and coloured yellow in the land use plan map. The primary zone within the yellow belt is the residential detached zone, which permits only detached residential housing. In order to densify the yellow belt, communities must be persuaded that the good of introducing gentle density in their established neighborhoods outweighs the bad.
 
Join three participants (municipal policy maker Amy Buitenhuis, private development planner Jasmine Frolick, and planning consultant Kristin Lillyman) of the Urban Land Institute’s (Toronto Chapter) Curtner Urban Leadership Program, who have been studying this issue for the past eight months through the lens of finances and community engagement. The presentation examines changing demographics in the yellow belt neighbourhoods, describes the issues associated with gentle density, reviews case studies from other cities, and explores the feasibility and financing of delivering a mix of housing types within the context of the existing zoning and approvals process. Highlights include how to engage community members in a healthy dialogue.
 

Speakers