Canadian cities are no strangers to rankings of the world's most functional, attractive cities. Even so, the mayors of Canada's 22 largest cities want national leaders in Ottawa to adopt an even more explicitly pro-urban national agenda.
As spread out and disparate as Canada's cities may be, they have recently found a united voice. Against the backdrop of upcoming national elections, Canada's 22 largest cities are lobbying for stronger political representation, which may, in turn, lead to more city-friendly funding and policies from Ottawa. Even Toronto and Montreal, which have been grappling with internal challenges, are cooperating. The result may be that some of the world's most highly regarded cities will get even better.
On the occasion of the lobbying trip, the Toronto Globe and Mail interviewed five mayors to discuss what they want from Ottawa.
"Growth shines a spotlight on a number of problems around how cities are financed and in particular how cities invest in infrastructure. So that is where commonality occurs with all cities across Canada. We don’t have a good system of predictable, stable, long-term revenue that helps us fund infrastructure and particularly helps us fund transportation and transit infrastructure, as well as water and waste water and housing."
"I’d like to replace property taxes on a revenue-neutral basis with a more economically smart, growth form of taxation. There are different options. There’s a municipal sales tax, which has its own challenges that would have to be addressed before I would support it. Another would be a municipal income tax. Other levels of government have long abandoned property tax as a vehicle to fuel growth. I would like cities to have skin in the game when it comes to economic development, a vested interest in ensuring there’s economic activity so they collect more revenues."
FULL STORY: Canada's big city mayors ready to push urban agenda
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.