GGRC33
The Greater Toronto Area
A Case Study in Urban Geography, Planning and Policy Making
Winter 2009
COURSE OUTLINE, SCHEDULE & REQUIREMENTS
Andre Sorensen Ph.D.
Department of Social Science,
University of Toronto at Scarborough
Professor: André Sorensen
Time: Lecture: Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 pm
Tutorial1: Wednesdays, 1:00-2:00 pm
Tutorial2: Wednesdays, 2:00-3:00 pm
Location for classes: HW215
Prerequisite: GGRB05
Electronic location of course materials:
Blackboard – log in from http://portal.utoronto.ca
Please send all communications regarding this course via the
Blackboard discussion and email list. I will check the
Blackboard site regularly, and will answer emails at least twice a
week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Blackboard site will also
be used to deposit all course materials and for FAQ
Please do not send emails regarding the course to my regular
email address except in emergencies.
Phone numbers:
Andre Sorensen
Phone: 416-287-5607
sorensen@utsc.utoronto.ca
Office: B530
Office Hours Tuesdays 1-3, Thursdays 10-12
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1.1
COURSE GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Goals
 To increase the student’s understanding of: the key challenges facing urban
regions like the GTA, the main theoretical and analytical frameworks for
understanding changing regional geographies, the origins and context of current
policy debates, and contemporary concepts of best practice for managing growth
in metropolitan regions.
 To learn about the significance and study of urban form
1.2 Objectives
1. To increase understanding of the major processes and issues of urban change, growth and
planning in the GTA region, how they are analysed, and why they are important
2. To increase understanding of major contemporary debates about post-WW2 patterns of
urban growth in North America
3. To develop the analysis of the key issues of regional growth and its planning, the main
problems and opportunities created by regional growth, and debates about options for urban
regions
4. To learn about the major issues of metropolitan governance and policy making using the
GTA as a case study
5. To increase understanding of the strategies available to shape patterns of regional growth
and change, the impacts of past attempts to do so, and the patterns of urban form that have
been created over the last 50 years
6. To develop skills of data collection and analysis for the study of patterns of urban form and
land development and redevelopment
7. To develop skills of critical thinking and essay writing
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CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE COURSE
The course operates at three levels:
1. At the broadest level, the lectures and readings provide students with conceptual and
analytical resources, historical and theoretical frameworks, and an introduction to major
debates that will help you to understand current urban and regional issues in the Greater
Toronto Area. The final exam is based on the readings and lectures. (35%)
2. The second main approach to studying GTA policy issues is the Urban Form Case Study in
which participants will engage in a detailed study of urban form of a suburban area in the
GTA. The individual and team components of the urban form case study will allow students
to learn about density, land use, land use mix, street patterns, public and private space, and
connectivity in urban areas, and explore the dimensions of some major contemporary
planning challenges. (35%)
3. The third main approach to studying issues of regional geography and planning will be
through the writing of a paper on a major urban policy debate introduced in the lectures and
readings (30%).
2.1
Level I: Policy Issues Facing Metropolitan Regions
The GTA is one of the fastest growing and most dynamic metropolitan regions in North America. In
the past it has widely been regarded as one of the most successful in meeting the challenges of
providing a good quality of life, good governance, effective urban planning, viable public transit, and
respect for people of differing races and religions. Recently, however, the amalgamation of Toronto
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GGRC33 GTA 2005 Department of Social Science, University of Toronto Scarborough
area municipal governments in 1998 into a new City of Toronto, the rapid population and economic
growth of the GTA, increasing socio-spatial polarization, and the changed mix of functions of
municipal governments, have come at a time of increasing financial constraints on local and
provincial governments.
Through a detailed examination of the GTA case, students will learn about urban geography, urban
planning and urban form issues. GTA urban issues are in the news daily, and are the subject of
heated debates about priorities, and between advocates with differing viewpoints. The GTA and its
students are fortunate that a wide range of governments, departments, agencies, interest and
advocacy groups are actively engaged in researching, debating, and lobbying for different policy
approaches to GTA problems. They are creating a wealth of resources for study of the region and its
issues that are published in journals, as books, and online. We will make extensive use of these
resources in the lectures, in the weekly readings, as background research and data for the
assignments.
Doing the weekly readings, attending lectures and participation in class discussions and tutorial
work will provide many of the conceptual and analytical tools necessary for understanding current
GTA issues. The final exam, worth 35% of the final grade, will be based on the lectures and
readings.
2.2 Level II: Urban Form Case Study (35% of final grade)
This is a research and fieldwork assignment with two parts. The first part will be a team project
to collect data and observations about a designated area of the Toronto region that was
developed within the last 50 years. The team assignment will be worth 10% of the final grade,
and will be marked by team. A team presentation of the team case study during the tutorial hour
will be worth 5% of the final grade. The second part will be an individual essay that describes
and analyses the urban form of the study area. The individual essays will be worth 20% of the
final grade. Detailed guidelines for this assignment will be provided separately.
2.3
Level lll: Literature and Debates Review (30% of final grade)
The second main assignment will be an individual paper on a topic related to regional geography and
planning issues. Suggested topics include: 1) History and Theory of Metropolitan Region Planning and
Policy, 2) GTA Urban Growth and Planning, 3) The Urban Sprawl Debate, 4) The Sustainable Cities
Debate, 5) Transportation and Urban Form, 6) Brownfields, Redevelopment and Intensification, 7)
Metropolitan Greenspace and Greenbelts Issues 8) Metropolitan Governance Issues. In other words, the
paper should engage one of the topics discussed in the lectures. The essay should at minimum engage
the required readings and core readings provided in the bibliography in Appendix A. Literature and
Debates Reviews should be about 3,000 words (maximum 10 pages, 1.5 line spaced, 12 point Times).
The goal is to write a paper that introduces and analyses the main issues and viewpoints in the debate. It
is not a good strategy to take the position of advocate, or to try to present a solution to complex policy
issues. Much more interesting is to analyse why the issue has attracted political, policy, theoretical and/or
academic interest, what the main issues are, what the main positions are, and how they are argued. See
section 8 below.
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Students are expected to participate to the course in the following ways:
1. Preparing for classes by reading the assigned readings
2. Actively participating in class discussions and tutorials
3. Working with a team to create an urban form case study
4. Preparing an individual paper on your team’s case study
5. Presenting your team case study to the class
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GGRC33 GTA 2005 Department of Social Science, University of Toronto Scarborough
6. Writing a Literature and Debates Review on a regional geography and planning related
issue
7. Writing a Final Exam during the exam period
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IMPORTANT DATES
Urban Form Case Study Team Assignment
Urban Form Case Study Individual Assignment
Literature and Debates Review
Final Exam
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Due February 11, 2009
Due March 4, 2009
Due April 1, 2009
April exam period (exact date TBA)
Plagiarism and Turnitin.com
Plagiarism will not be accepted. Any cases of plagiarism will result in referral to the Registrar and
can result in a zero grade for the assignment or course and a note in your academic record. All
direct quotes of more than 5-6 words MUST be within “quote marks” and accompanied with a full
citation of the source, with page number of the original text. Tips on how not to plagiarize will be
discussed in class.
Normally, students will be required to submit their course essays to Turnitin.com for a review of
textual similarity and detection of possible plagiarism. In doing so, students will allow their
essays to be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database, where they
will be used solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. The terms that apply to the
University's use of the Turnitin.com service are described on the Turnitin.com web site.
Instructions on how to submit written assignments via Turnitin.com will be provided in class. The
course ID # is 2543716 and the log in password is: GTHA
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SCHEDULE OF LECTURES AND REQUIRED READINGS
Week
1 ( Jan. 7)
2 (Jan. 14)
3 (Jan. 21)
4 (Jan. 28)
Lecture (11a.m.-1p.m.)
Introduction to course issues, ideas, and
questions
History and Theory of Metropolitan
Region Planning and Policy
Readings
GTA Urban Growth and Planning
Filion, P. (2000) “Balancing Concentration
and dispersion? Public policy and urban
structure in Toronto” Environment and
Planning C: Government and Policy vol.18
pp.163-189
Guest Lecture Zack Taylor
Hall, P. “Cities of Tomorrow” Chapter 5,
The City in the Region, pp.143-187
Sewell, J. (1993). “The Shape of the City:
Toronto Struggles with Modern Planning”
Chapters 5 and 6
Taylor Z. and J. Van Nostrand,.(2008)
Shaping the Toronto Region Intro pg 6-14
Section 2.4-2.5 pg 41-59
http://www.neptis.org/library/show.cfm?id=8
6&cat_id=11
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GGRC33 GTA 2005 Department of Social Science, University of Toronto Scarborough
5 (Feb. 4)
GTA Urban Form – the Geography of
Form at the Macro and Micro Scales
6 (Feb. 11)
Urban Sprawl – Debates
7 (Feb. 25)
Sustainable Cities - Debates
8 (Mar. 4)
Transportation and Urban Form
9 (Mar. 11)
GTA Brownfields, Redevelopment and
Intensification
10 (Mar. 18)
GTA Greenspace, Parks, Greenbelt
Talen, E. (2003), Measuring Urbanism:
Issues in Smart Growth Research, Journal of
Urban Design, 8,(3), pp.195-215.
Forsyth, A. (2003). “Measuring Density:
Working Definitions for Residential Density
and Building Intensity.” Design Center for
American Urban Landscape Design Brief,
Number 8. Twin Cities: U. of Minnesota.
http://www.designcenter.umn.edu/reference_
ctr/publications/pdfs/db9.pdf
Gillham, O.(2002) “The Limitless City: A
Primer on the Urban Sprawl Debate”
Chapters 1&4 pp. 3-23, 69-81
Bruegmann, R. (2005). Sprawl: a compact
history. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press. Chapter 10 pp.137-166
Haughton, G. and C. Hunter (1994).
Sustainable Cities. London: Jessica Kingsley
Publishers. Chapter 3, pp.80-123
Wheeler, S. (2003), The Evolution of Urban
Form in Portland and Toronto: implications
for sustainability planning, Local
Environment, 8,(3), pp.317 - 336.
Cervero, R. (1998) “The Transit
Metropolis” Washington D.C.:Island Press
Chapters 1, pp2-25, ch. 3 pp.62-105
Miller, E. and R. Soberman “Travel
Demand and Urban Form” available at
http://neptis.org/library/show.cfm?id=46
&cat_id=19
De Sousa, C. A. (2003). "Turning
Brownfields into Green Space in the City of
Toronto." Landscape and Urban Planning
62: 181-198.
Nelson, A. C., R. J. Burby, et al. (2004).
"Urban Containment and Central-City
Revitalization." Journal of the American
Planning Association 70(4): 411-425.
Girling, C. L. and R. Kellett (2005). Skinny
streets and green neighborhoods : design for
environment and community. Washington
DC, Island Press. Chapter 1 pp. 11-19
Metropolitan Toronto Environmental
Task Force (2000). Clean, Green and
Healthy: A Plan for an Environmentally
Sustainable Toronto.
http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/council/envi
rontf_clean_green.htm
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GGRC33 GTA 2005 Department of Social Science, University of Toronto Scarborough
11 (Mar. 25)
GTA Governance and Planning
12 (April. 1)
Review for Final Exam
Frisken, F. (2001). "The Toronto Story:
Sober reflections of fifty years of
experiments with regional governance".
Journal of Urban Affairs 23(5): 513-41.
Bourne, L. S. (2001). Designing a
Metropolitan Region: The Lessons and Lost
Opportunities of the Toronto Experience.
The Challenge of Urban Government:
Policies and Practices. M. Freire and R.
Stren. Washington D.C., World Bank
Institute: 27-46.
Suggestions for written assignments
In writing papers for submission, students should be guided by the following:
1. Express your thoughts clearly and logically—ask yourself:
(a) Would a naive reader understand what I have written?
(b) Have I said what I wanted to say?
(c) What should I add?
(d) What should I delete?
2. Make clear in the introduction your topic, the basic argument, and structure of the paper. Use
a basic essay structure: Introduction outlining the topic, question, and structure of the
paper; Body of paper with main content, argument (can be in sections with subheadings);
Conclusions that summarise findings; Bibliography.
3. Provide more than a simple description of what is currently being done with respect to your
topic. That is, demonstrate critical thinking (this is the difference between an “A” and a “B”
grade; you do this by: 1.evaluating ideas. 2. examining assumptions and contexts associated
with ideas 3. questioning the nature and validity of ideas
4. Be clear about what question you are trying to answer. When you know what your question
is, the rest of the essay will be much easier to write.
5. Write in full sentences, without using point form. It is not hard to convert a point form list into
a sentence or paragraph.
6. Be sure to spell check. Spelling errors are annoying and distracting for readers.
7. Writing a very long report will not gain a higher grade if it is badly written and/or argued.
8. Include a full and accurate bibliography of all sources used. If you quote sources, or cite
data, you must include page numbers in your citation. Web sources require full information
on the publisher of the site and time accessed. The American Planning Association has a
good style guide for web sources at: http://www.apastyle.org/elecsource.html
9. Plagiarism will not be accepted and if caught will result in a report to the Registrar.
10. I prefer Harvard style references (Sorensen 2002: p. 231), with the full reference in the
bibliography
11. Web sources are fine, and essential for many current issues, but you should be aware that
some web sources are more reliable than others. You must be prepared to think critically
about the credibility of web (and all other) sources. Some web information is pure
propaganda, and as such is interesting as it presents someone’s or some group’s views. But
you must be careful not to cite it simply as fact. Think critically.
12. Although grading is not based primarily upon style (i.e., grammar and syntax), readers (and
graders) are always influenced by the quality of writing—the elements of good style are the
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GGRC33 GTA 2005 Department of Social Science, University of Toronto Scarborough
media through which ideas and information are communicated.
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GGRC33 GTA 2005 Department of Social Science, University of Toronto Scarborough
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Relevant Websites on the GTA and metropolitan region issues
Association of Municipalities of Ontario: www.amo.on.ca
Brookings Institution Smart Growth Resources
http://www.brook.edu/es/urban/issues/smartgrowth/externalresources.htm
Brookings Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy http://www.brook.edu/dybdocroot/es/urban/urban.htm
Canadian Institute of Planners: www.cip-icu.ca
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives http://www.policyalternatives.ca/
Canadian Urban Institute – urban issues think tank http://www.canurb.com/
Conservation Ontario: www.conservation-ontario.on.ca
Conservation Council of Ontario. http://www.greenontario.org/about/index.html.
Daily Bread Food Bank http://www.dailybread.ca/
Earthroots Campaign to Protect the Oak Ridges Moraine http://www.oakridgesmoraine.com/index.html.
Economic Developers Council of Ontario: www.edco.on.ca
Federation of Ontario Naturalists http://www.ontarionature.org/
Greater Toronto Home Builders’ Association, Oak Ridges Moraine Principles
http://www.newhomes.org/govrel/ORMprin.htm
Green Party of Ontario. http://www.greenparty.on.ca/news/19991102.htm/
Greater Toronto Airports Authority http://www.torontoairport.ca/
GTA Forum: www.yorku.ca/gtaforum
Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance http://www.greater.toronto.on.ca/
International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives: ICLEI is the international environmental agency
for local governments, based in Toronto http://www.iclei.org/
International Society of City and Regional Planners: www.isocarp.org
Los Angeles Approach to fighting Sprawl http://urban.usc.edu/aftersprawl/
Metropolis Project An international forum for comparative research and public policy development about
population migration, cultural diversity and the challenges of immigrant integration in cities in Canada and
around the world. http://www.canada.metropolis.net/frameset_e.html
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs: www.gov.on.ca/omafra
Ministry of Economic Development and Trade: www.ontario-canada.com
Ministry of Environment: www.ene.gov.on.ca
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing: www.mah.gov.on.ca
Ministry of Natural Resources: www.mnr.gov.on.ca
Ministry of Transportation: www.mto.gov.on.ca
New Cities – University of Waterloo urban design site with good section on Seaton (Cornell) design
competition http://www.fes.uwaterloo.ca/u/vrynnime/seaton/seatintr.html
Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust Home Page.
http://www.oakridgesmoraine.org/.
Ontario Association of Architects: www.oaa.on.ca
Ontario Association of Landscape Architects: www.oala.on.ca
Ontario Coalition against Poverty www.ocap.ca
Ontario Government Smart Growth Publications
http://www.smartgrowth.gov.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/nts_2_5158_1.html
Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition: www.opc.on.ca/ohcc
Ontario Municipal Board: www.omb.gov.on.ca
Ontario Professional Planners Institute – the professional association of Ontario Planners
http://www.ontarioplanners.on.ca/index.asp
Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) http://www.ontruck.org
Reason Public Policy Institute – US pro free markets, anti smart growth organization
http://www.rppi.org/urban/index.html
Recycling council of Ontario http://www.rco.on.ca/
Save Don’t Pave the Oak Ridges Moraine http://www.oakridgesmoraine.com/cgi-bin/cms/cginews.pl?article=2002-03-15-1016645227/
Save The Oak Ridges Moraine. http://www.stormco.org/
Sustainable Development Online – website of links to sustainable development papers, articles and
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GGRC33 GTA 2005 Department of Social Science, University of Toronto Scarborough
resources http://sd-online.ewindows.eu.org/
Sustainable Toronto http://www.sustainabletoronto.ca/
Toronto City Plan http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/torontoplan/may27_intro.htm
Toronto Dominion Bank – lots of useful reports on urban and other issues
http://www.td.com/economics/index.html
Toronto Environment Alliance http://www.torontoenvironment.org/
Toronto Region Conservation Authorities.
http://www.trca.on.ca/corporate_info/conservation_authorites/ENGLISH.content.drop
Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation http://www.towaterfront.ca/
Urban Strategies World famous urban design firm based in Toronto
http://www.urbanstrategies.com/index_main.html
US Federal Highway Administration Congestion site http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/congestion/
US Smart Growth Info center http://www.nationalcenter.org/Sprawl.html
VOCAL community opponents of Pickering Airport http://www.vocal.pickering.on.ca/
For information on your own local government, go to the Association of Municipalities of
Ontario's Web site: www.yourlocalgovernment.com
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GGRC33 GTA 2005 Department of Social Science, University of Toronto Scarborough