Speaker
Description
Canadian cities are consistently characterized as low-density, dispersed and decentralized, largely due to the pervasiveness of car-oriented development and policies that encourage urban sprawl (Bunting et al., 2007; Talmage & Frederick, 2019). This has cemented Canada’s profile as a “suburban nation” (Gordon & Janzen, 2013), which is particularly true in “mid-sized” Canadian cities (populations between 50,000 and 500,000), where urban sprawl is more pronounced (Bunting et al., 2007). Since the early 1990s however, planning paradigms such as New Urbanism and Smart Growth, have promoted growth management policies that favour compact and dense development through intensification. Despite these policies, mid-sized cities continue to encounter challenges with implementation (Graham et al., 2019), often a result of soft market demand (Brewer and Grant, 2015), ample greenfield development opportunities (De Sousa, 2017), and inflexible planning regulations which constrain higher-density development (Nicol and Biggar, 2024).
Recent census data, however, identifies a few exemplary cases, where there is evidence of change in the downtown core. Most notably is Kelowna, British Columbia – a city of approximately 160,000 residents. Downtown Kelowna is undergoing a dramatic evolution, driven by a surge in the number of development applications, and a rapidly growing downtown residential population. Through semi-structured interviews with experts involved with planning and development in Kelowna, this study identifies the key factors contributing to the city’s unique successes with intensification of the downtown core. These include the proximity to quality amenities and services in and around the downtown; the unparalleled access to natural features including Okanagan Lake; a proactive local government and pro-development council; rapid population growth amongst demographics that favour living downtown (young adults and retirees); escalating housing prices increasing the demand for denser forms of housing in centralized locations; and the city’s appeal from developers based in larger centers who have expertise in developing high-density housing in a downtown context. Despite this momentum, these recent successes are threatened by rising interest rates, labour shortages, and changing regulations related to short-term rentals.
This research offers new insight into the factors that generate success with intensification in a downtown context in a mid-sized city. By understanding what has contributed to Kelowna's success, policymakers and planners working in similar contexts can adapt these lessons to aid in the intensification and revitalization of their respective downtowns – addressing the longstanding implementation challenges. This presentation will provide an overview of these findings and offer broader insights about growth and development patterns in Canadian cities.
References
Brewer, K., & Grant, J. L. (2015). Seeking density and mix in the suburbs: challenges for mid-sized cities. Planning Theory & Practice, 16(2), 151-168.
Bunting, T., Filion, P., Hoernig, H., Seasons, M., & Lederer, J. (2007). Density, size, dispersion: Towards understanding the structural dynamics of mid-size cities. Canadian Journal of Urban
Research, 16(2), 27-52.
De Sousa, C. (2017) Trying to smart-in-up and cleanup our act by linking regional growth planning, brownfields remediation, and urban infill in Southern Ontario cities, Urban Planning, 2(3), pp. 5. doi:10.17645/up.v2i3.1026
Gordon, D. L., & Janzen, M. (2013). Suburban nation? Estimating the size of Canada's suburban population. Journal of Architectural and Planning Research, 197-220.
Graham, R., Han, A. T., & Tsenkova, S. (2019). An analysis of the influence of smart growth on growth patterns in mid-sized Canadian metropolitan areas. Planning Practice & Research, 34(5), 498-521.
Nicol, P., & Biggar, J. (2024). Optimizing urban density: developer positions on densification in two mid-sized cities. Planning Practice & Research, 1-20.
Talmage, C. A., & Frederick, C. (2019). Quality of life, multimodality, and the demise of the autocentric metropolis: A multivariate analysis of 148 mid-size US cities. Social Indicators Research, 141(1), 365-390.
References
Brewer, K., & Grant, J. L. (2015). Seeking density and mix in the suburbs: challenges for mid-sized cities. Planning Theory & Practice, 16(2), 151-168.
Bunting, T., Filion, P., Hoernig, H., Seasons, M., & Lederer, J. (2007). Density, size, dispersion: Towards understanding the structural dynamics of mid-size cities. Canadian Journal of Urban Research, 16(2), 27-52.
De Sousa, C. (2017) Trying to smart-in-up and cleanup our act by linking regional growth planning, brownfields remediation, and urban infill in Southern Ontario cities, Urban Planning, 2(3), pp. 5. doi:10.17645/up.v2i3.1026
Gordon, D. L., & Janzen, M. (2013). Suburban nation? Estimating the size of Canada's suburban population. Journal of Architectural and Planning Research, 197-220.
Graham, R., Han, A. T., & Tsenkova, S. (2019). An analysis of the influence of smart growth on growth patterns in mid-sized Canadian metropolitan areas. Planning Practice & Research, 34(5), 498-521.
Nicol, P., & Biggar, J. (2024). Optimizing urban density: developer positions on densification in two mid-sized cities. Planning Practice & Research, 1-20.
Talmage, C. A., & Frederick, C. (2019). Quality of life, multimodality, and the demise of the autocentric metropolis: A multivariate analysis of 148 mid-size US cities. Social Indicators Research, 141(1), 365-390.
| Keywords | Intensification; Revitalization; Downtown; Housing; Development; Canada |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
