The ambitious Brampton 2040 Vision will blow you away
By Newinhomes on May 11, 2018
The City of Brampton recently unveiled its 2040 Vision, an ambitious plan to transform the city into a mixed-use, live/work/play urban centre that celebrates diversity and opportunity.
The 2040 Vision is the product of extensive community engagement between local residents and city staff, particularly Larry Beasley, former co-chief planner in Vancouver and advisor to Rob Elliott, Commissioner, Planning & Development Services at the City of Brampton.
We had the opportunity to chat with Elliot while the 2040 Vision was still in the works. “The City is turning to people who live, work, play and learn in Brampton to help us develop a comprehensive plan for what the city will look and feel like by 2040,” he said. “The most compelling aspect of Brampton’s vision is that it does not begin to take shape until significant public engagement is completed.”
Approximately 11,000 people contributed comments and ideas during the community engagement process. The City hosted 20 in-depth work sessions to generate ideas and learn more about the needs of the residents. There were 65 other community events, too, plus idea gathering via social media.
With regards to housing, Brampton is approaching it from all different angles in an effort to reduce homelessness, improve affordability, increase rental supply, support all types of buyers, and create more walkable, mixed-use neighbourhoods.
An issue in Brampton at the moment is that jobs and homes are too dispersed. Depending on where you live and work, commuting can be difficult, especially if you don’t have a transit station nearby.
One solution is an innovation centre called Aeropolis, which would feature offices, production space, convention and exhibition space, startup studios, retail, housing, and more!
The Vision also includes plans for five Town Centres surrounding central Brampton. Each Town Centre will be mixed-use with multi-family housing, retail, connections to transit, and commercial space.
If you were to hunt for a new home in Brampton today, you’d discover mostly low-rise single-family homes, which is ideal for many families, but the reality is, multi-family, mid- and high-rise towers are necessary to accommodate growing populations and improve affordability. The 2040 Vision proposes multi-family housing towers along Queen Street.
It seems like Brampton has discovered a way to transform from a low-density, low-rise area into a vibrant mixed-use metropolis that somehow is the perfect balance between single-family living and live/work/play lifestyles.
The City is doing this through “gentle densification,” which “means taking a delicate approach to the transformation of suburbs through careful intensification,” explained Elliot. “This includes embracing the qualities of suburban life and its positive attributes, while finding opportunities to integrate sustainability. It is an effort to carefully build up capacities in the suburbs and slowly achieve densities that make it more sustainable.”
We can’t wait until new residential developments get announced!
