Comment 31876

By kevlahan_rth (anonymous) | Posted June 18, 2009 at 13:25:38

Ryan, you're correct. The goal should be to make the rules (and resources) align with the general principles (e.g. Vision2020, Transportation Master Plan).

The problem is that Councillors like to make decisions based on their own feelings and anecdote rather than official plans, guiding principles and informed opinion and a study of what has worked elsewhere.

In the case of Thistle Club, at least the developers had the official support of the local community and councillor, but I agree that it is dangerous to constantly make exceptions based on influence.

In general, it would be better to have clearly articulated general principles and goals, and allow flexibility to achieve those goals. This is what Vancouver does when allowing higher density in exchange for public space (downtown!), view corridors, commercial space at ground level and allocating resources based on an official transportation hierarchy (pedestrians, cyclists, transit, cars). It's worked in Vancouver because of a strong planning culture that's persisted for the past 30 years: councillors generally defer to the planners and respect the city's general goals.

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