Durham Region planners are looking into ways to accommodate double the population, and 460,000 jobs anticipated by 2051.
“Part of the work that we’re doing now is to take a long-term look at the growth forecast that’s been assigned to the region from the province,” says Gary Muller, Durham Region’s director of planning.
The Region of Durham is looking into five different scenarios to accommodate growth over the course of around 30 years.
“One of the things we’re looking at is something called ‘housing mix,’ so, how many low-density units — things like single-detached, semi-detached homes — we should be accommodating, how many medium-density — things like town homes — and how many high-density units… things like apartments,” explains Muller.
Muller adds that scenario one would require more growth into surrounding land, but scenario five, with higher-density options, would require none. The three scenarios in between would be a mix of both.
Stop Sprawl Durham, a local environmental advocacy group, is calling on the region to lean towards scenario five, so municipalities in Durham can build within their already outlined borders.
“In Durham we have about 17,000 acres of farmland, our watershed and natural heritage system at risk of being developed. These are lands that can help mitigate the dire impact of climate change. These lands purify our air, our water, they sequester carbon,” says Helen Brenner, a member of the group.
Some local municipalities have already started to share which scenario appeals to them the most.
Pickering is leaning towards scenario two, which would require some outside expansion, while Ajax is also backing the move to grow within its own borders.
This is welcoming news to local advocates.
“I think we need to start acting like we’re in a climate crisis, and that means doing things a little bit differently. It’s more costly to taxpayers to increase sprawl and take over our farmland and natural areas. Economically it makes sense to start infilling and densifying,” says Leigh Paulseth, a conservation biologist.
Durham Region residents can comment on these five scenarios by filling out an online survey until the end of this week.
A decision on how to grow the region will then be made in May and Muller says things like environmental impact are factored in during this process.