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Urbanization is the New Normal for Canada

You could say that urban development is more sustainable, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it's actually sustainable. Some of the best examples of sustainable urban cities are places like Copenhagen, Oslo, Melbourne, Munich, Zurich. In Toronto, we build lots of tall condos, but how energy efficient are these glass towers? How long will they even last? How many new bike lanes and transit lines have we been building while these people are moving downtown? What about the fast growing suburban cities like Brampton, Milton and Bolton that are becoming another Mississauga in the making, as if we still haven't learned our lesson about bad urban planning.
 
Efficiency and sustainability are not the same thing. While it may be more efficient in some regards to stick as many people into as small an area as possible, it doesn't necessarily follow that this is a sustainable option. The Golden Horseshoe has a huge built-up area, but most of it is built up very inefficiently. Growth doesn't necessarily have to be hyper-concentrated. Yes, I fully advocate the wholesale bulldozing of 50s-style suburban neighbourhoods.
 
What do we mean by sustainability? This can't just be about using less energy, that's not sustainable, but is in fact simply a reduced consumption model. If the city were eating itself to survive, sustainable would mean that the food source (the city) is growing at an equal or faster rate than it is consumed.

Anyone who says they live a sustainable lifestyle is being dishonest, unless they've measured the amount of energy and resources they consume and endeavor successfully to re-create that or greater energy or resources.
 
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Melbourne looks like a lovely and vibrant city and one I would very much like to visit but sustainable?

Melbourne is massive and it's sprawl legendary. Greater Melbourne with it's 4.2 million spreads over a massive 8000 sq km! Metro Melbourne's density is only 55% of Toronto's. You get outside the core and very inner city neighbourhoods and the sprawl of Melbourne is right up there with Atlanta and Houston. Melbourne is suppose to be a real gem and has wonderful attributes but's record on sustainability is definitely not one of them
 

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