HomeMy WebLinkAboutP-122-80 rru.rv.illk;4b rity}
CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF NEWCASTLE
PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT D.N.SMITH,M.C.I.P.,Director
HAMPTON,ONTARIO LOB 1 J TEL. (416)263-2231
REPORT TO THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING OF JULY 7, 1980.
REPORT NO. : P-122-80
SUBJECT: Canadian Institute of Planners
1980 National Conference
Planning for Small Communities
BACKGROUND:
In accordance with Council's authorization of June 16,
1980, I attended, in my capacity as Long Range Planner, the 1980
National Conference of the Canadian Institute of Planners. This year's
conference theme was Planning for Small Communities, and provided an
in-depth review of, and insight into, the planning of small and/or rural
communities.
While present at the conference, I participated in the
following sessions, workshops and case study:
Monday, June 23, 1980:
Bening Session - An introduction to the conference theme, high-
lighting issues and problems associated with
planning in small communities from the perspectives
of planning for settlement areas and that of plan-
ning for rural land.
Technical Session - An examination of contemporary social parameters
in rural planning. This Session explored the social
implications of land use decisions in rural commun-
ities, stressing a need to integrate social and physical
planning, in such communities, with an emphasis on
such matters as: services for the elderly, seniors
housing, rural transportation, provision of social
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services, mobility patterns and life satis-
faction in a rural setting.
Technical Session -An examination of various approaches to zoning
for small communities including a presentation
of the findings of a recent study of zoning pro-
blems in small Ontario communities. The session
also looked at a simplified system of develop-
ment control for smaller rural townships or towns,
designed to speed the process and make it more
flexible by abandoning rigid zone requirements
in favour of site specific by-laws and develop-
ment agreements for commercial and/or high density
residential uses.
Tuesday, June 24, 1980:
Mobile Workshop - Bruce County ,- The mobile workshop for Bruce
County included a bus tour of the County aimed
at illustrating how the Bruce Nuclear Power
Development has transformed the traditional agri-
cultural economic base of the area. Stop overs
included a visit and tour of the Bruce Nuclear
Power Station and the Bruce Agri-Park Greenhouse
Prototype which will utilize waste heat from the
Power Plant. Presentations by the Workshop organ-
izers examined the impacts of the Nuclear Power
Plant upon the local economy, industry and adjacent
residential communities. In addition, representatives
of Ontario Hydro, the Bruce Agri-Park Joint Venture
and the Bruce County Economic Development Committee
explored the ramifications of the Total Power Util-
ization ,Concept of utilizing surplus heat from the
Nuclear Plant for such things as industry, district
heating and greenhouse production.
Wednesday, June 25, 1980:
Canadian Institute of Planners Annual General Meeting - The annual
general meeting of the Institute, in addition to dealing
with Institute business, reported on a number of
planning issues currently facing Canadian planners
such as energy conservation, provincial planning
policy and the legal liability of planners.
Technical Session - This session explored the problems and issues
associated with establishing priorities for the
use of rural lands where choices must be made
between competing land uses and resources such
as: urban, agricultural, environmental, forestry,
mineral resources and rural residential develop-
ment. The session also involved a review of pre-
sent approaches to the problem by Federal, Provincial
and Regional agencies as well as discussions of cur-
rent technical methodologies for evaluating competing
i
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interests and translating these into a basis
for making decisions about local land planning.
Case Study - The subject of the case study was a comparison
of two differing approaches to Parks and Recreation
Master Planning as undertaken in two different com-
munities. The comparison included an in-depth eval-
uation of the differences between the two approaches
and the variables which should be considered when
undertaking a Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
Thursday, June 26, 1980:
Closing Session - The closing session of the conference summarized
the various aspects of the conference theme as
presented through the various working sessions.
Discussion centred around the need to adopt a
different perspective when dealing with rural areas
and communities and, in fact, the need to be aware
of the relationships between these rural areas
and their urban counterparts. It was generally
felt that planning approaches which are applicable
to large urban centres, must be re-thought for rural
areas, especially in terms of their broader impli-
cations in respect of energy conservation, trans-
portation, social services and food production.
In conclusion, the 1980 National Conference provided a useful
and educational forum for planners, engineers, architects and politicians
to meet and discuss current issues and problems common to planning smaller
rural and urban communities. This year's conference held special relevance
for the Town of Newcastle, particularly in respect of the issues associated
with nuclear power, the social implications of land use planning, and Parks
and Recreation Master plans.
RECOMMENDATION:
That the Planning and Development Committee recommend to Council
that this report be received for information.
Respectfully ; omitted,
TTE:lb T. T. Edwards, M.C.I.P.
June 27, 1980 Long Range Planner