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PUBLISHED BY THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE OF PLANNERS | PUBLIÉ PAR L’INSTITUT CANADIEN DES URBANISTES
SPRING/PRINTEMPS 2017
VOL. 57 NO. 1
DIGITAL CITIES
LES VILLES DIGITALES
PM 40065075
CIP-ICU.CA
SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017 | PLAN CANADA 1
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Contents Sommaire
PLAN CANADA Spring · Printemps 2017 Vol. 57 No. 1
PLAN CANADA is the official publication of the Canadian
Institute of Planners. Plan Canada est la revue officielle
de L’Institut canadien des urbanistes.
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CITIES DIGITALES
PLAN CANADA is published quarterly:
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06
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Articles
Editorial Board/Comité de rédaction
Barbara A. Myers MCP, MCIP, RPP, Chair/Présidente
Planning in the era of 06 Planning and design 26
Sandeep Agrawal PHD, AICP, RPP, MCIP
Richard Borbridge MCIP, RPP data science and dashboards through the looking glass
Dawn Seetaram RPP, MCIP By Aaron Baxter BA, MEnv By Morgan Boyco BA, MScPl and Bruce Cory BA, MA
Timothy Shah MA (Planning)
Editor/Rédactrice en chef Could your city hack 10 The growth of 30
Michelle Brynkus it at a TrafficJam? suburban poverty
By Michelle Berquist MScPl and Scott Fraser PEng, MEng By Eleni Taye MUP and Raphaël Fischler MCIP, OUQ
For details on how to subscribe, advertise, or contribute
to Plan Canada, visit
www.cip-icu.ca/Resources/Plan-Canada. Data and analysis in the 15 Reactions to the 37
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Bibliothèque nationale du Canada Bibliothèque
By Indro Bhattacharyya MSc, MCIP, RPP and By Pierre Filion MA, PhD, Neluka Leanage MUDS PhD,
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SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017 | PLAN CANADA 3
FROM THE EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Digital Cities
Richard Borebridge MCIP, RPP, Plan Canada Editorial Committee
T
echnology not only changes the
way planners work, but the way
cities work as well. It is both Cities have always been at the forefront of
part of an ongoing evolution and adapting, and digital adaptation in one area
a game changer in itself. Recognizing
the influence and opportunity that new can open minds to new perspectives and
technology presents can both facilitate approaches in others.”
ways the planning profession can work
more effectively, and challenge the role
we play in the “orderly disposition of volume and variety of data can bring new built in the gaming industry, Boyco and Cory
land, resources, facilities and services.” perspectives to old problems. discuss its potential to immerse constituents
(CIP, “What is planning?”) Baxter brings into focus the way data and planners in the storytelling around
The rise of smart phones, ‘uberization’ and visualization already influence the spaces and their future, transforming the
and rapid analytics is a fresh face on way planners work, and some examples nature of the town hall and public meeting,
the time-tested process of adoption and of successfully navigating and leveraging or urban design and visualization.
adaptation. This latest generation of new sources of information. Where has All of this (and much more) have
innovations provides us with new ways the knowledge economy altered the role the potential to serve new avenues of
to understand and tell stories, changes of industry in a city and what do we do efficiency and equity in planning, but
patterns of behaviour, and underscores with manufacturing space that is no can also be distractions from traditional
the demands of citizens and stakeholders. longer economical? Brunelle highlights functions. Limited resources and
The emergence of digital influence on how technology is not just a set of tools, changing public expectations will require
cities comes with a responsibility to adapt but a driver of land use itself, and how planners to use these tools effectively
to these new patterns, but also requires data can be used to respond to the to draw from a newfound wealth of
that we embrace them with a critical changing definition of employment zones. information, and create better processes,
eye. There is a fine balance to be struck Community planning and engagement is while simultaneously avoiding information
between recognizing fundamental change perhaps the most prevalent way to see overload and poor investments.
and being taken in by the ‘next big thing.’ how tech has and will change planning. There remain concerns around
Cities have always been at the forefront Residents and municipalities are access, transparency, control and the
of adapting, and digital adaptation in one embracing social media in myriad ways to statutory environment, which these new
area can open minds to new perspectives receive and transmit information, opening technologies exacerbate, and create anew.
and approaches in others. Getting ahead up opportunities to engage constituencies There are a new set of competencies
of the curve is not an inherent goal, but that may have been on the margins. that many planners will need, or need
anticipating opportunities helps to drive Shaker and Douglas profile the City of access to, in order to better understand
our profession forward. Hamilton’s approach. Burquist and Fraser how to respond to changes and tell better
In this issue of Plan Canada, we explore reflect on the hackathon, which harnesses stories about how our world can be.
the deep and emergent integration between technology and brings together previously Perhaps some of the articles in this issue
planning, data, and the evolving influence disparate approaches to addressing will inspire you or provide useful insight
of technology. Our contributors to this issue real-world questions – an evolution of the into the opportunities ahead of us in our
have highlighted several ways in which the design charrette. While virtual reality was emerging digital cities. ¢
4 PLAN CANADA | SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017
Les villes ont toujours été à l’avant-garde de l’adaptation, et
l’adaptation numérique dans un domaine peut permettre
MESSAGE DU COMITÉ DE RÉDACTION
d’élargir la perspective et les approches dans d’autres. »
Villes numériques
Richard Borebridge MICU, UPC, Comité de rédachon de Plan Canada
L
a technologie change non mesure d’anticiper les occasions contribue à à exploiter la technologie et à rassembler
seulement la façon dont les faire avancer notre profession. les différentes approches antérieures pour
urbanistes effectuent leur travail, Dans cette publication de Plan Canada, aborder les vraies questions – une évolution de
mais aussi la manière dont nous étudions l’intégration profonde et la charrette de conception. Alors que la réalité
fonctionnent les villes. Ces deux aspects émergente entre l’urbanisme, les données virtuelle a été conçue dans l’industrie du jeu,
s’inscrivent dans une évolution constante et l’influence évolutive de la technologie. Boyco et Cory discutent de son potentiel :
et changent entièrement les règles du jeu. Les auteurs de ce numéro soulignent plonger les mandants et les urbanistes dans
Reconnaître l’influence et les possibilités diverses façons dont le volume et la variété la fabrication narrative entourant les espaces
liées aux nouvelles technologies permet de données peuvent ouvrir de nouvelles et leur avenir, transformer la nature de l’hôtel
d’accroître l’efficacité des pratiques en perspectives à d’anciens problèmes. de ville et de son assemblée publique ou la
urbanisme et de remettre en cause notre Baxter met en évidence les données conception urbaine et la visualisation.
rôle en ce qui a trait à la « répartition bien et la visualisation qui influencent déjà la Toutes ces choses (et bien d’autres
ordonnée » des terres, des ressources, manière, dont travaillent les urbanistes, encore) sont susceptibles de frayer de
des installations et des services ». ainsi que quelques exemples de navigation nouvelles voies en matière d’efficacité et
(ICU, « Qu’est-ce que l’urbanisme? ») et d’exploitation réussies des nouvelles d’équité en urbanisme. Toutefois elles
La montée des téléphones intelligents, sources d’information. Dans quelle peuvent être aussi une source de distractions
« l’ubérisation » et les méthodes analytiques mesure l’économie fondée sur le savoir des fonctions traditionnelles. En raison
rapides permettent de jeter un nouveau a-t-elle transformé le rôle de l’industrie des ressources limitées et des attentes
regard sur le processus éprouvé en matière dans une ville, et que faisons-nous de changeantes du public, les urbanistes devront
d’adoption et d’adaptation. Cette toute l’espace industriel qui n’est plus rentable? utiliser efficacement ces outils pour tirer
nouvelle génération d’innovations nous Brunelle explique que la technologie n’est profit d’une richesse d’information toute
offre de nouvelles façons de comprendre pas simplement un ensemble d’outils, nouvelle et créer de meilleurs processus,
et d’écrire l’histoire, de modifier les mais aussi un moteur d’exploitation des tout en évitant la surcharge d’information
comportements et de préciser les terres. Il décrit également la façon dont et les mauvais investissements. Des
demandes des citoyens et des intervenants. les données peuvent être utilisées pour préoccupations subsistent en ce qui a trait
L’émergence de l’influence numérique satisfaire aux changements des zones à l’accès, la transparence, le contrôle et
sur les villes est accompagnée d’une d’emploi. L’urbanisme et l’engagement au l’environnement règlementaire, dans le
responsabilité qui est celle de s’adapter sein des communautés peuvent se révéler cadre desquels ces nouvelles technologies
à ces nouveaux modèles et d’y porter le meilleur moyen de constater comment sont amplifiées et renouvelées. Plusieurs
également un regard critique. Il existe la technologie a transformé l’urbanisme urbanistes devront développer de nouvelles
un juste milieu entre reconnaître un et continuera de le faire. Les résidents compétences ou devront pouvoir y accéder,
changement fondamental et se laisser et les municipalités adoptent les médias afin de mieux comprendre comment réagir
emporter par la « prochaine nouveauté ». sociaux de diverses façons pour recevoir et aux changements et exprimer la façon dont
Les villes ont toujours été à l’avant-garde transmettre de l’information, ce qui permet nous pouvons bâtir un monde meilleur.
de l’adaptation, et l’adaptation numérique de mobiliser des groupes électoraux qui sont Certains articles dans cette publication seront
dans un domaine peut permettre d’élargir la peut-être jusqu’à présent, restés en marge. possiblement une source d’inspiration ou
perspective et les approches dans d’autres. Shaker et Douglas ont décrit l’approche fourniront de précieux renseignements sur
Prendre une longueur d’avance n’est pas de la ville d’Hamilton. Burquist et Fraser les futures possibilités au cœur de nos villes
un objectif intrinsèque. Toutefois être en se sont penchés sur le hackathon, qui sert numériques émergentes. ¢
SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017 | PLAN CANADA 5
DIGITAL CITIES | LES VILLES DIGITALES
By Aaron Baxter BA, MEnv
Planning in the era of
DATA SCIENCE
and DASHBOARDS
W
e live in an exciting are approached. In standard science, a
Summary time! It seems that hypothesis is developed and then tested.
In this article, Aaron helps as each day goes To properly test the hypothesis data is
describe ‘data science’ by, there are more generated or collected, evaluated, and
and ‘dashboards,’ getting and more sources used to support the findings – a process of
behind the buzzwords by of information we can draw on as planners deductive reasoning. In today’s world where
providing definitions, as to help inform and assist our practice. there already exists a huge volume of data,
well as examples of how The pace at which this additional information the possibility exists to collect and evaluate
they can be used to assist becomes accessible can be staggering, even the data to identify patterns, which then in
in the planning process. at times overwhelming. Indeed, following turn lend to the formulation of hypotheses
from Moore’s law, which observes that the – a process of inductive reasoning. In other
capacity of computers doubles every two words, with data science we have data and
Résumé years, we can only expect the steady stream generate hypotheses as supposed to having
of data available at our fingertips to grow hypotheses and generating data.
Dans cet article,
bigger and come faster. The question then At this point you may be wondering
Aaron aide à décrire la
is: how do we evaluate the utility of the sheer what this process could be used for, or
« science des données
volume of information and distill it into clear how helpful this concept of data science
» et le « tableau de
and actionable intelligence? Two approaches could really be for supporting planning
bord » en fournissant
(and buzzwords) that have been helping us work. I suggest that the real utility of
des définitions et des
are Data Science and Dashboards. this approach is the ability to explore,
exemples sur la façon
digest, and distill large and disparate data
dont on peut utiliser
¢ DATA SCIENCE sets, which can then be interpreted and
ces termes pour
“Data Science” as a term has been around re-interpreted depending on the line of
contribuer au processus
for decades, first originating in the 1960s questioning desired. For example, from the
d'urbanisation. used as a proxy for computer science. same collection of datasets such as census
In recent years, however, we have seen information, open data portals, open
the term used much more freely and street maps, and third party Application
come to represent anything from business Programming Interfaces (APIs), one could
analytics to regular run of the mill statistics. explore their ability to assist in a variety of
The clearest way that I understand data applications, from location siting, modelling
science to be separate from ‘standard’ land use, or identifying patterns in zoning
science is the way in which problems bylaw conflict.
6 PLAN CANADA | SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017
Figure 1: Bike share station potential surface.
One example of this is our recent work with annual or monthly passes) and casual
in conducting a Feasibility Study for the users (those who purchase day or 3-day
Expansion of Bike Share Toronto. This was passes) of the system. When using our We arrived at
a data-driven spatial analysis of the City of regression model to predict the bike share hypotheses around
Toronto, which sought to identify areas within station at a particular location, different
the city of highest potential or least risk for indicators were more pronounced for
individual factors
expansion of the city’s bike share program. each user type, which resulted in different that drove bike
We drew from a fountain of available Coefficients of Determination (Adjusted
information from both open and proprietary R2=0.54 for casual users, Adjusted R2=0.36
share ridership by
datasets. We combed through these for registered users). Figure 1 is a chart collecting, evaluating
datasets looking for patterns and comparing illustrating one year of ridership information and re-evaluating
those patterns against observed ridership for the casual and registered user types.
information. We arrived at hypotheses This result illustrated that subsequent the plethora of data
around individual factors that drove bike follow-up work should be done to more sources available.”
share ridership by collecting, evaluating and deeply understand the various types of
re-evaluating the plethora of data sources users of the system, insofar as the data
available. Figure 1 is the final Bike Share allows us to confidently characterize
Station Potential Surface and was one of the behaviour. Indeed, cursory analyses into
main deliverables of the project. additional factors such as weather and
A specific instance of hypothesis hours of sunlight suggest that casual and
generating in this example is the distinction registered users may be affected by these
in the data between registered users (those factors differently.
SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017 | PLAN CANADA 7
DIGITAL CITIES | LES VILLES DIGITALES
Figure 2: Annual bike share ridership for casual and registered users.
¢ DASHBOARDS customized results. Initially, ESTPH will
If data science allows us to evaluate the use this tool to manage and display their
The dashboard, utility of information and generate meaning physical activity infrastructure (parks,
to us, is an online from the data, there still requires a means cycle paths, etc.), though they do have
to represent and communicate the findings. plans to incorporate other sources of
platform that As planners, we are used to generating information in the future such as public
brings together reports, and communicating our analyses health data and community amenities.
information and and work in the context of presentation, To ensure that both the immediate and
papers, and plans. In our work, we have future needs of ESTPH would be met, our
functionality in one been increasingly turning to additional planning work was literally coded into the
easy-to-use, easy- media sources to communicate our findings, final product. The result is a flexible and
especially relying on online tools such as living deliverable as supposed to what
to-access place.” portals or dashboards. The dashboard, to us, formerly would have been a series of
is an online platform that brings together static PDF maps. Figure 3 is an indicative
information and functionality in one easy-to- interface of the ESTPH dashboard.
use, easy-to-access place. Users navigate
the dashboard to recombine the elements of ¢ DIGITAL CITIES
our work and use tools we develop to help As the sea of data wells around us, we
themselves more fully leverage the results of need new tools to evaluate the quality
our efforts. and utility of the information. We need
One example of a dashboard we are data that is complete and standardized
currently working on is an interactive to make it easy to access and work with
mapping dashboard developed for Elgin the information. We need transparent
St. Thomas Public Health (ESTPH). processes that are easily traceable so that
This project will allow staff at ESTPH data analysis can still be participatory
create and manage a repository of spatial and stakeholders remained engaged.
information from both internal and external The future of our cities are increasingly
sources. It provides means to combine digital, which is something as planners we
different sources of spatial information will need to anticipate in order to continue
and to combine custom maps to produce to serve the communities we work with.
8 PLAN CANADA | SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017
Figure 3: Indicative design of the
Elgin St. Thomas interactive mapping
management application dashboard.
#6
Aaron Baxter is a planner with
Bunt & Assoc
WSP|MMM, specializing in spatial
analysis and digital engagement.
Drawing from his love and enthusiasm
1/4 H
for numbers, web development, and
GIS, Aaron is often called upon to
apply his unique skill set to a wide
range of assignments. ¢
SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017 | PLAN CANADA 9
DIGITAL CITIES | LES VILLES DIGITALES
Summary
"It’s like a science fair for grown-ups”
is how a hackathon was described by
one participant in City of Toronto’s
TrafficJam. A hackathon turns By Michelle Berquist MScPl and Scott Fraser PEng, MEng
the classic public meeting on its
head: instead of inviting community
members to participate in reviewing
and evaluating research, analysis
and future options from the experts,
at the hackathon experts review
Could your city
HACK IT
and evaluate ideas and options put
forward by community teams that
have conducted their own homework.
During the TrafficJam, community
at a
TRAFFICJAM?
members were invited to work with
each other and with open data to
inspire new ways of busting gridlock
on Toronto’s streets. This is a good
case study of what planning can look
like when we unleash the potential of
web-based technology and community
capacity, through intensive
I
collaboration and experimentation.
s it a town hall? Is it a conference? Is it Toronto’s traffic troubles by getting up close
an online tool? All of the above and and nerdy with civic data sets. The result
none of the above, the hackathon is a was a great weekend, great ideas and great
Résumé whole new animal in the jungle of public inspiration for any municipalities and public
engagement, and City of Toronto let it agencies looking for a way to tap the full
« C'est comme une expo-sciences
loose in October 2015. At the TrafficJam potential of their data sets and the members
pour les adultes ». Voilà comment un
hackathon, the City and Evergreen CityWorks of the community who are eager to dedicate
participant de TrafficJam, un hackathon
invited 150 engaged citizens, digital creatives their talent and interest to confronting
organisé par la Ville de Toronto, a décrit
and data detectives to team up and tackle challenges in their hometown.
l'événement. Un hackathon est une
version modifiée de la traditionnelle
assemblée publique : au lieu d'inviter
des membres de la collectivité à
participer à l'examen et à l'évaluation
de recherches, d'analyses et d'options
proposées par des experts, des experts
examinent et évaluent des idées et des
options proposées par des équipes
formées de membres de la collectivité
qui ont effectué leurs propres
devoirs. Dans le cadre du hackathon
TrafficJam, on a invité des membres de
la collectivité à unir leurs efforts pour
trouver de nouvelles façons d'éliminer
les embouteillages dans les rues de
Toronto à l'aide de données ouvertes.
Il s'agit d'un bon exemple de ce à
quoi peut ressembler la planification
lorsqu'on exploite le potentiel de la
technologie Web et les capacités de la
collectivité par d'intenses efforts de Who’d have thought you’d get smiles this big when people get together to work
collaboration et d'expérimentation. all weekend? Team TrafficJam Tacos meet one another and get to work on the
first evening of the 48-hour event at Evergreen Brick Works.
10 PLAN CANADA | SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017Geeking Out. The hackers present their ideas to one another, community members,
City staff and the panel of judges during the open house that closed out the weekend long event.
The planning profession is grappling with At an open house or public forum,
what meaningful public engagement looks community members are typically presented a
and feels like. It is well understood that the well-researched problem, and the framework
The chance to bring
best kind of change is a welcome change of several possible solutions and have a knowledge and
and that it is too much to ask of a community chance to take part in evaluation. A hackathon
for it to welcome a change that comes turns that classic public meeting format
expertise to bear on
unannounced or is simply announced as a inside out. This time the community members civic issues gives...
fait accompli. are the ones who do detailed research into everyone involved
With web-based technology, very often we a problem and sketch out several possible
succeed in providing accessible conversation solutions, and the host is the one strolling a menagerie of
channels and setting new standards for around the display boards, contributing to the possibilities and a
mutual awareness and understanding evaluation. The chance to bring knowledge
throughout the planning cycle. However, and expertise to bear on civic issues gives a
sense of hope for
opportunities for community members community member a sense of ownership the solution.”
to be empowered to apply their skills and of the problem and gives everyone involved a
experience and take on a creative role in menagerie of possibilities and a sense of hope
confronting challenges remain rare. for the solution.
SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017 | PLAN CANADA 11DIGITAL CITIES | LES VILLES DIGITALES
in which it is still possible to land a summer
We have seen a revolution in the job sitting at the roadside with a counter
and a clipboard. Classic data sets like traffic
way that data is collected, gathered, counts, collision reports, transit ridership
analyzed, and interpreted.” counts, and parking infractions are being
gathered in increasingly sophisticated ways.
At the TrafficJam, the community was They are now complemented by increasingly
invited to roll up their sleeves with the sophisticated data sets, such as the live
issue of traffic congestion in Toronto. vehicle location feeds that are displayed in
We have seen a revolution in the way that transit apps, smart payment card records
data is collected, gathered, analyzed, and (e.g., Presto), and Bluetooth/wifi probe data
interpreted. Just imagine the leap between that are displayed as a measure of traffic in
sale pricing at a farmer’s market stall and GoogleMaps.
the computing power behind a national food At the TrafficJam hackathon, the City
chain sending coupons for only the foods of Toronto asked skilled and interested
you eat, directly into your pocket on your citizens to look at the abundance of
phone, just as you enter one of their stores. information and answer one of two
That incredible growth in computing power is questions: what can we do with all this?
now revolutionizing the transportation field, Or what can we learn from all this?
Congratulations to the winners! The TrafficJam Tacos’ Team takes home the prize. (L-R): Jonathan Dursi,
Simon Freedman, Amanda Chou, Michelle Berquist, Tawsif Khan, Cathl Smyth, and Kevin Branigan.
12 PLAN CANADA | SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017This code may look like nonsense to you, but to the City of Toronto this looked like a winning idea of how to derive
insights into traffic management from the vehicle location data from surface transit that feeds transit planning apps.
From Friday night to Sunday afternoon, or “In 2013, this street flooded as high as the
fuelled by delicious food and the inspiring windows at this house.”
setting of the Evergreen Brickworks, teams The winning team offered up a more
opened their minds to the possibilities. academic insight: that the reliability of traffic
By Sunday afternoon, the room was ringed is as interesting as the speed. They proposed
with over 20 projects. A panel of judges that in the GTA, we have accepted that traffic
including Geoff Cape, CEO of Evergreen, will slow us down. Now we want to know
Stephen Buckley, then General Manager how likely we are to hit traffic and how bad
of City of Toronto Transportation, and Deb it is likely to be. They also showed that when
Matthews, Deputy Premier of Ontario, had measuring reliability of traffic, instead of
the difficult task of choosing a winner. speed of traffic, transit vehicle data can be
Among the initiatives on display were used. Their analysis highlighted hotspots “It’s like a science fair for grown-ups,”
software that can conduct real-time traffic in the road network where traffic is highly tweeted a participant. A panel of judges
counts from live video feeds, a traffic forecast unpredictable, an early warning sign that it is make the rounds, at centre from left to
to be reported on the morning news like a prone to gridlock. right: Geoff Cape, CEO of Evergreen; Deb
weather forecast, and an app that lets walkers In an interview after the event, the Matthews, Deputy Premier of Ontario;
leave tips and points of interest ‘hanging’ in winning team explained “it meant a lot to Stephen Buckley, then General Manager
the air for another walker to find later. Just us to be awarded the grand prize because of City of Toronto Transportation.
imagine Pokemon Go meets passing notes in statistical analysis and coding are not Photo Credit: Willy Wilson via Twitter.
class – “watch out for gum 10 metres ahead!” usually considered super sexy, but to see
SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017 | PLAN CANADA 13DIGITAL CITIES | LES VILLES DIGITALES
This type of ‘jam session for
data geeks’ could be used
for any information that is
gathered on a routine basis.”
The grand prize was awarded to this initiative to map traffic reliability through extensive and intensive number
crunching and projection, using the big data sets that could be generated by routinely archiving the live feed of
location information from public transit vehicles that is now used by trip planning apps.
the relevance of these disciplines with their city that go beyond opinion
celebrated at an event like this is polls, public meetings and five- Michelle Berquist is a Project Leader at
truly inspiring. We hope that now minute deputations. It also shows the City of Mississauga – Transportation
#TJTO exists as a proof of concept, that the City can gain so much more Planning and a resident of Toronto.
it will highlight the need for real from making space for people to She led the ‘TrafficJam Tacos’ to their
investment in the participants and apply the full range of their talents winning submission at the hackathon.
their ideas.” The City of Toronto has and interests. Solving traffic trouble
recognized the value of having this is just the beginning. This type of ‘jam
type of talent dedicated to solving session for data geeks’ could be used
Scott Fraser is a Program Manager
traffic issues full time. The City has for any information that is gathered
at the City of Toronto – Transportation
built a Big Data Team to do advanced on a routine basis. Library checkouts,
Services and was the man behind the
research similar to the winning ideas recreation program signups,
magic, coordinating the TrafficJam
at the hackathon. marriage license applications…
hackathon. ¢
The TrafficJam hackathon proved the possibilities are only limited by
that people want ways to engage our imaginations.
14 PLAN CANADA | SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017By Indro Bhattacharyya MSc, MCIP, RPP and Derek Brunelle MES
Data and analysis in the new
EMPLOYMENT
LANDSCAPE
A
cross Canada, municipalities Approaches to protecting employment
Summary work to preserve space vary throughout the public sector.
This article highlights changes for employment in order Efforts include protecting physical spaces,
to employment opportunity to ensure that residents ranging from the designation of high-level
and built form that are being can live, work, play, and land use categories, such as through
driven in significant part by learn within their community. The need Ontario’s Growth Plan,2 to new types of
digital technological advances for employment space, however, can often zoning that better support start-ups across
in Canadian communities. conflict with the need for residential space. various sectors. One example of this new
It highlights not only the As such, good information is necessary for type of zoning is Vancouver’s mixed-use
importance of data for planners to strike a balance, for the public designation PDR (production, design, and
planners in responding to these interest, between these two demands. repair), initiated to support local economic
changes, but calls for better With employment restructuring across diversity by permitting such uses as light
engagement in order to deliver the country – facilitated by automation, manufacturing adjacent to residential
a more resilient public realm in deregulation, and globalization1 – it is developments.3 There are also efforts by
the face of these changes. important that planners have robust economic development programs to promote
methods of data-collection, analysis, tech employment and start-up culture, such
sharing, and engagement. as Toronto’s StartUpHERE, and Waterloo’s
Résumé
Cet article met en évidence
les changements touchant
les perspectives d'emploi et
l'architecture, dus en grande
partie par les avancées de la
technologie numérique dans
les collectivités canadiennes.
Il souligne non seulement
l'importance des données pour
les urbanistes pour faire face
à ces mutations, mais aussi la
nécessité de faire preuve d'un
meilleur engagement afin d'offrir
un environnement public capable
de s'adapter à ces changements.
SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017 | PLAN CANADA 15DIGITAL CITIES | LES VILLES DIGITALES
Without
robust data, it
becomes more
challenging
for planning
professionals to
provide sound
advice on the needs
of employers and
employment.”
Accelerator Centre. Other approaches Hamilton Area (GTHA). This report found
include policy-grounded programs, including a number of gaps, such as incomplete
financial incentives, such as so-called geographic and temporal coverage, volatile
‘innovation’ agendas.4,5 These examples and irregular year-to-year variations
demonstrate the variety of approaches the in the data, and irregularities of the
public sector, including municipalities, have businesses counts, resulting in a patchwork
been using to support employment growth in understanding of the regional employment
an era of employment changes. landscape across the GTHA.6 Without robust
For municipalities, local employment data, it becomes more challenging for
changes are generally understood through planning professionals to provide sound
Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey, advice on the needs of employers and
and Census. During intercensal years, employment. This is particularly concerning
communities are often reliant on their own in regions like the GTHA, which represents
employment surveys. Research undertaken approximately 20% of the national economy.7
by Ryerson University’s Centre for Urban What is well understood through these
Research recently reported on the state of data sources is that there has been a
employment surveys in the Greater Toronto particular drawdown in manufacturing
16 PLAN CANADA | SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017employment, both nationally8,9 and at
local levels. For instance, consistent with
Canadian trends, the Peel Region, in The impacts of automation are expected
Ontario, recorded a retreat in the number
to go beyond resource extraction and
of manufacturing jobs. However, it saw a
nearly equal increase in services-orientated manufacturing, and become pervasive
employment from 2006 to 2011. Despite this throughout the logistics and services
employment diversification, the Region of
Peel was approximately 80,000 jobs short of
industries, including in office-type jobs.
the provincially forecast general employment
estimate for 2011.10 More concerning is
that this was not unique. In fact, across the
Greater Toronto Hamilton Area, this general
employment deficit was approximately to a consumer base, often with storefronts increasing automation.20 The impacts of
300,000 jobs short of the provincially or easy transit access.18 This has invariably automation are expected to go beyond
forecast employment estimate for 2011.11 meant locating in a mixed-use environment. resource extraction and manufacturing,
Further, within the Region of Peel, a reduced The needs of these kinds of contemporary and become pervasive throughout the
rate of new jobs created per new population small and medium-scale manufacturing logistics and services industries, including
was deduced: the rate at which new jobs enterprises are somewhat different than in office-type jobs. In fact, some research
were created for new residents decreased the automobile-reliant suburban business has highlighted that millions of jobs
rapidly by 50%, after decades of stability.12 park model that supported more traditional are susceptible to automation.21, 22, 23
In addition to these trends, there is manufacturing operations. While some With particular reference to manufacturing,
also evidence of employment-related built municipalities like Vancouver have worked to it is clear that firms already have the ability
form changes in the Greater Toronto Area. encourage light manufacturing in new mixed to make do with fewer local employees
Industrial development is now both taller use developments, there is a significant gap thanks to automation.24
and larger than it has been,13 facilitated in in knowledge as to how these businesses In Ontario, municipal planning occurs
part by automation. There is also evidence will function, and whether prospective within a context of provincial employment
that employment densities in industrial tenants can afford to locate in these spaces. and population projections via Places to
lands, at least within the Region of Peel, Alongside the trend toward new employment Grow. Presently, communities are expected
decreased with the decline in manufacturing options in mixed-use areas, technological to plan towards forecast population and
employment.14 Further, new trends in changes are also making it possible for employment projections for the year 2041.25
office development have demonstrated a manufacturers to become more efficient Having this ‘target’ makes it possible to
concentration in the urban centre of Toronto, in existing suburban industrial spaces right-size decisions and investments.
not in the suburbs,15 potentially facilitated that can be retrofitted for new uses.19 However, in light of the missed 2011 jobs
by high degrees of mobility and connectivity Current approaches for employment space forecast, a slowdown in the rate of job
to other major urban centres through planning are challenged. This expanded growth as compared to population, and
information technology.16,17 opportunity for manufacturing to survive in the likelihood of further significant labour
Additionally, advances in information and spaces where it might not have once before, efficiencies through continuing automation,
technology are making it possible for certain and the need to maximize employment there are challenges to be assessed in the
high-tech manufacturing operations, like opportunities wherever possible in light current Ontario forecast-driven planning
custom apparel, additive manufacturing, of the labour efficiency implications of paradigm. Beyond Ontario, this challenge
food manufacturing, or niche consumer automation, deregulation and globalization, to assumptions about job growth should
goods, to locate in downtown cores or challenges current approaches for be taken into consideration when planning
mixed-use neighbourhoods in spaces employment space planning. for employment.
where traditional manufacturing operations In addition to recorded trends in Changes in employment directly impact
could not ordinarily operate. In particular, employment opportunity as well as changes the health and wellbeing of communities,
organizations like the Urban Manufacturing in employment space demands and built- and therefore must be considered within the
Alliance have highlighted a movement form, some observe that now, perhaps context of planning for a more complete,
toward locally made products that emphasize more than ever, employment patterns inclusive, and equitable public realm.
the need for intrinsically affordable could be subject to even further rapid and Such changes will invariably affect the
workspaces, and the need to locate close unprecedented change, largely through manner in which communities plan for space
SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017 | PLAN CANADA 17DIGITAL CITIES | LES VILLES DIGITALES
for employment, and the manner in which 4
Minister of Innovation, Science and
Indro Bhattacharyya, M.Sc., MCIP, RPP, is a
communities support individual residents Economic Development mandate letter,
graduate of the Universiteit van Amsterdam’s
as they negotiate changes in employment Government of Canada. Retrieved from
Master of Science International Development
status.26 As job densities decrease in http://pm.gc.ca/eng/minister-innovation-
program and Ryerson University’s Bachelor
certain sectors, such as in logistics, science-and-economic-development-
of Urban and Regional Planning. He is
more space may need to be set aside for mandate-letter
currently employed with the Region of
those uses to realize job forecasts. As job 5
Government of Newfoundland and
Peel as a Principal Planner, working on
densities increase in other sectors, such Labrador. Innovation Newfoundland and
understanding changes in employment and
as in offices, less space may need to be Labrador: A blueprint for prosperity.
their implications for planning. Previously,
preserved for those uses. On the other Retrieved from http://www.btcrd.gov.nl.ca/
as a planner with the Toronto District School
hand, in some communities, it may not innovation/pdf/full_report.pdf
Board he was involved with the development
be possible to have a substantial office 6
Centre for Urban Research and Land
of the world’s largest kindergarten-only
sector absent the kind of connectivity Development (Ryerson University). What
school in the Thorncliffe Park community
that is required. Further, as it becomes municipal employment surveys tell us
in Toronto.
possible for certain manufacturing jobs to about recent employment growth in the
locate within mixed-use areas, planners Greater Toronto Area, 3 October 2016.
Derek Brunelle, MES, is a graduate of
should develop new strategies on how to Retrieved from www.ryerson.ca/cur/
York University’s Master of Environmental
integrate such employment uses alongside publications/reports/
Studies and University of Toronto’s Bachelor
residential ones. Lastly, as the opportunity 7
Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance, 2011.
of Arts in History program. He is currently
to become more labour-efficient increases Economic Overview. Retrieved from
employed with the City of Toronto as an
through automation, communities www.greatertoronto.org/why-greater-
Assistant Planner in Etobicoke, a community
need to plan for the possibility that toronto/economic-overview
experiencing significant pressure to
participation rates in the economy may 8
Statistics Canada, 2011. Manufacturing.
convert employment lands to residential
fall, impairing the livelihood and security Retrieved from www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/
and mixed uses. Previously as the Founder
of their residents. 11-402-x/2011000/chap/man-fab/
of TorontoMade, and a Fellow with the
In today’s shifting employment man-fab-eng.htm
Pratt Center in New York, he developed a
landscape, access to good information 9
Statistics Canada, 2015. Employment by
strong understanding of the needs of small
– such as employment and land use industry. Retrieved from www.statcan.
manufacturers in urban settings. ¢
data, along with information about the gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/
changing needs of employers, including econ40-eng.htm
new building requirements – will allow ¢ REFERENCES
10
Prasad, Arvin. Growth Management
planners for cities and regions to 1
Gunderson, Morley. Employment insurance Workshop, 5 March 2015, Region of Peel.
better plan for employment. Canadian in the new world of work, Mowat Centre EI Retrieved from www.peelregion.ca/
communities need to ensure that they can Task Force, 2011, School of Public Policy & planning/officialplan/pdfs/
more nimbly address the challenges of a Governance, University of Toronto. Retrieved ContextPresentation.pdf
rapidly changing employment landscape, from https://mowatcentre.ca/wp-content/
11
ibid.
often facilitated by so-called technological uploads/publications/22_employment_
12
ibid.
disruptions. They will need to go beyond insurance_in_the_new.pdf
13
Cushman & Wakefield, Peel industrial and
mere data collection by measuring and 2
Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure. Growth office market trends analysis, 15 May 2015.
monitoring, toward action, driven by plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2006 Prepared for Region of Peel. Retrieved
effective, informed analysis and local (Office Consolidation, June 2013). Retrieved from www.peelregion.ca/planning/
contextualization. From collaborative, from https://www.placestogrow.ca/content/ officialplan/pdfs/Analysis.pdf
action-oriented community research ggh/2013-06-10-Growth-Plan-for-the-GGH-
14
Region of Peel, Employment trends and
that involves employees, businesses, and EN.pdf forecast study, 2014. Appendix to The
developers, to continuing to protect space 3
Bula, Frances, “Industrial grit meets Regional Municipality Of Peel Growth
for employment, and creating awareness residential glass in Vancouver.” The Globe Management Committee Agenda,
around this challenge, planners can and Mail. 19 January 2015. Retrieved from 15 May 2014.
work to achieve equitable outcomes www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-
15
Cushman & Wakefield, 2015
so that communities remain resilient, business/industry-news/property-report/
16
Fraser, Laura, “Silicon Valley North?
as employment opportunity continues industrial-grit-meets-residential-glass-in- Toronto, Waterloo position themselves
to change. vancouver/article22520073/ as next tech hub,” CBC News Kitchener
18 PLAN CANADA | SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017Waterloo, 4 April 2016. Retrieved from http://events.crei.cat/live/files/647- Canada’s workforce. Brookfield Institute,
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ michaelspdf June 2016. Retrieved from
kitchener-waterloo/silicon-valley-toronto- 20
Brynjolfsson, Erik and Andrew McAfee. http://brookfieldinstitute.ca/wp-content/
waterloo-1.3519032 Race against the machine. Retrieved from uploads/2016/06/TalentedMrRobot.pdf
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CityAge, Build the Future (Agenda), 6 & 7 http://raceagainstthemachine.com/ 24
Schneider, Rick. Robotics and automation
October 2016. Retrieved by http://cityage. 21
Frey, Carl Benedikt and Michael can save your factory, Productivity Inc.
org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/CityAge- Osborne. The future of employment: How Retrieved from http://www.productivity.
Toronto-2016-Draft-Agenda-Oct.-3.pdf susceptible are jobs to computerisation? com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Article-
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2015 Regional gatherings: Making 17 September 2013. Oxford Martin Robotics-and-Automation-Can-Save-Your-
Connections to Fuel the Urban Programme on Technology and Factory.pdf
Manufacturing Renaissance, Urban Employment, University of Oxford. 25
Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure, 2006
Manufacturing Alliance, summary of the 22
World Bank, Digital dividends, World (Office Consolidation, June 2013).
Annual Convening. Retrieved from Development Report 2016. Retrieved from 26
Johal, Sunil and Jordann Thirgood. Working
www.urbanmfg.org/annual- http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/ without a net: rethinking Canada’s social
convening/2015-regional-gatherings/ en/896971468194972881/pdf/102725-PUB- policy in the new age of work, 22 November
19
Graetz, Georg and Guy Michaels, Robots Replacement-PUBLIC.pdf 2016. Mowat Centre, Ontario’s Voice on
at work, Centre de Recerca en Economia 23
Lamb, Creig. The talented Mr. Robot: Public Policy. Retrieved from https://
Internacional (CREI). Retrieved from The impact of automation on mowatcentre.ca/working-without-a-net/
#1 #3
Weston Urban
1/4 V Strategies
1/4 V
SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017 | PLAN CANADA 19DIGITAL CITIES | LES VILLES DIGITALES
Summary
Data-driven participatory planning
is helping policy makers and civic
leaders better engage the public
in local decision-making. Robust By Paul Shaker MCIP, RPP and Graeme Douglas MA
engagement improves public
planning outcomes, strengthens
PLANLOCAL:
local communities, and promotes
greater civic pride. PlanLocal, a
participatory planning process
designed and implemented in the
Data-Driven
city of Hamilton, is an example
of innovative engagement that
leverages the knowledge and needs
of local citizens when allocating
infrastructure investments.
PlanLocal is designed to use
participatory planning
data effectively to create more
successful engagement. It does this
by using data to reach a variety of
I
communities and to adjust, in real- t is increasingly important for However, skepticism or apathy can be
time, techniques and strategies to city builders to leverage data to wrongly fingered as the cause of poor
improve engagement. boost public engagement in their engagement, when it’s likely more a
participatory planning efforts.1 symptom of poorly executed engagement.
Used intelligently, policy makers and Public participation in decision-making
Résumé civic leaders can employ data to improve is vital to thriving communities and healthy
community-planning outcomes and political cultures. We need more, not less,
L'urbanisme participatif axé sur strengthen local participation. engagement, and we need it to empower
les données aide les décideurs et Unfortunately, all too often, many local local people and provide direct, visible
les dirigeants communautaires à leaders struggle to engage significant results for their communities.
favoriser une meilleure participation numbers of citizens in important planning In the city of Hamilton, where citizens
du public dans la prise de décisions projects. Most of us will have been to a have been engaging in a variety of new
à l'échelle locale. Une forte public meeting where there were more approaches to participatory government over
participation améliore les résultats city staff and consultants present than the last half a dozen years, the need to better
en matière d'urbanisation publique, there were members of the public. engage local people has become increasingly
renforce les collectivités et Worse, weak engagement can create a important.3 Since 2012, citizens have taken
favorise la fierté civique. PlanLocal, ‘false consensus’ on issues, which can a direct role in allocating over $10 million
processus d'urbanisme participatif result in poor community planning.2 toward infrastructure improvements in
conçu et mis en place dans la To some extent, this is the result of their communities.
ville de Hamilton, constitue un an increasingly skeptical citizenry who The question facing local leaders in this
exemple de participation innovante wonder whether city leaders and staff resurgent post-industrial community is how
qui prend en considération les care about their opinions, or are just best to engage a diverse range of people,
connaissances et les besoins asking so they can tick off the ‘public in significant numbers, to help guide urban
des citoyens locaux lors de la engagement’ box on their project report. development and public spending?
répartition des investissements
dans les infrastructures. PlanLocal
est conçu pour utiliser efficacement
les données afin d'assurer le succès The question facing local leaders in this
de la participation. Pour ce faire,
le processus utilise les données
resurgent post-industrial community is how
en vue d'atteindre une variété de best to engage a diverse range of people,
collectivités et d'ajuster, en temps in significant numbers, to help guide urban
réel, les techniques et les stratégies
pour améliorer la participation. development and public spending?”
20 PLAN CANADA | SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017PlanLocal Charette
¢ PLANLOCAL civic challenges, resulting in a better mutual
To address this question, Civicplan has understanding of municipal processes and
developed and implemented a new community issues alike. Establishing a
approach to participatory planning called Effective participatory planning needs
process whereby
PlanLocal. Hamilton’s downtown city to connect citizens, city staff, and political
councillor, Jason Farr, approached us with leaders in a shared process that is understood political leaders
a challenging project: help him engage his by all three stakeholder groups. Establishing a can channel public
residents to identify and prioritize where process whereby political leaders can channel
$1 million in ward specific infrastructure public knowledge into actionable projects
knowledge into
funds should be spent in 2016-17. for city staff is a vital tool for building vibrant actionable projects
This request led to the development of local communities.
PlanLocal, a managed public engagement PlanLocal achieves this dialogue through
for city staff is
process that makes the most of citizens’ on- a clear and focused process designed to be a vital tool for
the-ground knowledge of their communities. accessible, inclusive, and actionable. building vibrant local
It is based on the belief that no one knows
a community better than the people who ¢ STEP BY STEP communities.”
live there. PlanLocal allows local leaders The first crucial step in developing this process
to capture this knowledge to help prioritize is selecting a targeted, concrete theme as
initiatives in a given community. the focus for engagement. Residents and
The PlanLocal process involves more business owners have busy lives and multiple
than a one-way survey, or a typical Public priorities, so it’s important for the process to
Information Centre (PIC), to gather residents’ be as straightforward and clear as possible.
thoughts about an issue. Rather, it allows for For PlanLocal in downtown Hamilton, the
a two-way dialogue on how to best address Councillor selected the theme of safe streets.4
SPRING • PRINTEMPS 2017 | PLAN CANADA 21You can also read
