The Region of Waterloo (ROW) has become one of the fastest growing communities in Canada, also facing some of the fastest rates of housing price increase.
The ROW is in the process of updating its Regional Official Plan. As part of that process, they are conducting a provincially mandated Land Needs Assessment (LNA), seeking public input at various stages in that process. The results of the LNA will determine whether ROW needs to allocate new lands for greenfield development, and if so, how much land. It will also set the Region’s intensification goals (people and jobs per hectare). Many stakeholders have reached out wanting to better understand the LNA process; this symposium was organized in response.
During this virtual symposium, introductory remarks were provided by Rod Regier, Commissioner of Planning, Development and Legislative Services, Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and University of Waterloo, Masters in Regional Planning alum. Next, the processes and methods for land needs assessments are addressed by a range of planning and economic experts: Kevin Eby, RPP Consultant; Dr. Dawn Parker, School of Planning Professor at the University of Waterloo; and Ted Tsiakopoulos, senior economist of housing markets from CMHC. They explore historical and potential future land needs assessment methodologies relevant for the Waterloo Region's Official Plan Update. In a moderated panel discussions, all participants engage in an open conversation around the Region’s growth challenges, including housing affordability and housing mix, discussing the potential for novel solutions to address these challenges.
The virtual symposium is moderated by Kristen Wright from the Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience.
We would like to send out a thank you to Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS (KWAR) for sponsoring the event and organizing the symposium.
To watch the full symposium including the moderate panel discussion and Q and A, contact KWAR.
To access the presentations from the symposium, contact KWAR for:
Rod
Regier's
Presentation
Kevin
Eby's
Presentation
Dr.
Dawn
Parker's
Presentation
Ted
Tsiakopoulos'
Presentation