Understanding the Process

Saskatoon Regional Growth SummitAndrew Sancton,Professor of Political Science, Western University, Londonasancton@uwo.caNovember 20, 2013

A Quick Lesson in Regional Planning

What problem is regional planning supposed to address?

Please forgive simplistic slides (and simplistic narrative)that follow

I was asked to start at the beginning Assume urban areas serviced my

municipalities

The perfect starting point

There is no problem if there is one municipality for one urban area and that municipality is not growing

City of Stability

The Ontario county (or part of Saskatchewan)

township

town

city

Fringe development around city in the absence of central control

township

town

cityNew suburbanmunicipality

Nearby growing city

Heavy purple lineIndicates fringedevelopment

What are the problems if every municipality acts alone?

Infrastructure inefficiencies No control on negative externalities;

no incentive for positive externalities Potential inequities No mechanism for projecting a

regional presence (possibly important for economic development)

Fixes (details to follow in conference)

Voluntary intermunicipal cooperation Special-purpose bodies for infrastructure

and/or planning Municipal boundary changes

(annexation/amalgamation) Creation of multi-functional regional

government Provincial regulation All or some of above at same time