The Ontario Smart Growth Network brings together
organizations that are working to stop urban sprawl and promote
sustainable, compact and healthy communities across Ontario.
Smart growth
is nothing less than a radical shift in how we approach urban
development.
It is only
radical because much of the status quo is so abysmally poor.
For much of the past half century we have been creating
car-dependent sprawl environments and sacrificing community values for large homes and
backyards.
Times are
changing. Rising oil costs alone will necessitate a
completely different style of urban form. But the change
is also being driven by public desire to live in accessible and
walkable communities.
Smart growth
is a return to urban villages.
We define an urban village as “a place that has
almost everything you need on a daily basis and you can walk to
get there”. A village includes a
centre for local stores, services and restaurants; schools, daycare and
healthcare; and formal and informal recreation areas. It
has the density to support all these services within a walkable
community.
Visit their web site: http://www.smartgrowth.on.ca
