Recentralization as an Alternative to Urban Dispersion: Transformative Planning in a Neoliberal Societal Context

2018

Self Cite

As any social phenomenon, the evolution of suburbs can be seen as at the confluence of two contradictory sets of forces. There are first forces of change, which propel suburbs in new directions. Much of the present literature on suburbs highlights suburban transitions in the form of social and economic diversification, and of new forms of development. The article attempts to rebalance the discourse on suburbs by emphasizing forces of durability. It does not deny the importance of observed suburban transitions, but argues that there is, at the heart of North American suburbs, an enduring automobility-induced transportation dynamic, which reverberates on most aspects of suburbs. The article explores the mechanisms undergirding suburban durability by linking the suburban transportation dynamic to the self-reproductive effects of a suburban lifestyle and culture and their political manifestations. These forces impede planning attempts to transform suburbs in ways that make them more environmentally sustainable. To empirically ground its argument, the article draws on two Toronto region case studies illustrating processes assuring the persistence of the durable features of North American suburbs: the layout of large suburban multifunctional centres and the themes raised by Rob Ford during his successful 2010 mayoralty electoral campaign.

Section: The Durability Of the Suburban Land Use-transportation Relationshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enduring Features of the North American Suburb: Built Form, Automobile Orientation, Suburban Culture and Political Mobilization

2018

Self Cite

“…Such centres can be developed at different scales, depending on the size of their catchment areas: the neighbourhood, the municipality or a quadrant of the metropolitan region (Filion, Kramer & Sands, 2016).…”

Section: Post-suburbanismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suburban Innovations

2017

Self Cite

This commentary addresses the evolution of the North American suburb over the last 70 years, a period over which it adopted a development pattern marking a radical break from prior forms of urban settlement. Early in this period, the emerging suburban form constituted perhaps the sharpest transition in the history of urbanism in terms of urban form and transportation. This suburban form rapidly came to dominate North American metropolitan regions and spread to other parts of the world. In this commentary, I propose a brief history of the North American suburb since the late 1940s seen through the lens of the contributions it made to the evolution of urbanism across the continent. I contend that while suburbs are often associated with urban stasis, because perceived as an impediment to the emergence of new environmentally sensitive and socially and functionally integrated urban formulas relying on public transit and walking, they have played a major transformative role in the past and may be the source of further urban transitions in the future. North American suburbs have also undergone deep social changes over the last decades. However, I question the claim, made by some researchers, that we are entering a post-suburban era; but at the same time, I acknowledge the possibility of major future innovations within present suburban configurations.

“…Grant () noted that market constraints (including developer and consumer preferences), political commitment, and pressure for private‐sector solutions limited the implementation of new planning principles in Canadian cities. Filion et al () explained that neoliberal philosophies, consumer attachment to car‐dependent lifestyles, prevailing transportation and land‐use patterns, and limited regional planning capacity undermine the potential for transformation in North America. Challenges may be especially daunting for mid‐sized cities that wish to change practices: they tend to have more dispersed form already (Bunting et al ), are growing relatively slowly (Simmons and Bourne ), and have few resources to invest in systems such as mass transit (Filion ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Path dependencies affecting suburban density, mix, and diversity in Halifax

Grant

Canadian Geographies / Géographies canadiennes

Low³

2018

Self Cite

This paper examines path dependencies in suburban development outcomes in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Findings suggest that development patterns are constrained by geography and spatial configuration, the legacy of institutions and decisions, transportation technologies, political culture, the development industry, population growth and characteristics, economic conditions, and cultural and lifestyle preferences. Planning policies and practices that seek to promote greater density, mix, and land‐use integration in master‐planned communities encounter resistance from a path‐dependent system driven by different expectations and priorities.