Exercise 1 - Planning Process Case Study - Jan 2024

Exercise 1: Planning Process Case Study (15%)
BLDG 1849 Policy and Guidelines: Government Urban/Suburban Municipalities
INTENT:
To introduce students to the planning process by which development is approved in Ontario.
BACKGROUND
Through the course students will be introduced to the policy framework and planning process’s through which
Municipalities plan for growth and development is approved. This includes at the highest level, Provincial Policy
which both informs the goals and sets out procedures for Municipalities to plan for growth and change and review
development applications including appeals process. This exercise will provide an overview of the full range of
policies and procedures which are used within the GTA. Through the course more detailed work on types of
policies, planning procedures and appeals will be discussed but this is intended to provide a more comprehensive
overview at the start of the course.
RESEARCH FINDING TO INCLUDE, AT MINIMUM:

This exercise asks groups of students (no more than 3 to a group) to select a recently approved development,
review relevant documents and summarize the process which the development went through. This will be
summarized in a power point presentation of not more than 12 slides (10 minutes) for presentation to the class.
Through the analysis and group presentations students will be more aware of how design policy is part of a larger
planning process and a more fulsome range of how these policies and process are used.
The review will begin with the reading of all relevant planning reports to Council, read background documents on
file.
The summary of information to be provided in the presentation will include:

1. A summary of the application made –including.
a. what kind of physical changes are applied for – a change in land use? A change to the zoning envelope
or other zoning controls such as parking standards. Provide an image of the proposed development.
b. What Planning Change Process were applied for including used, i.e. Official Plan Amendment, Rezoning
application, Site Plan Approval, Committee of Adjustment Hearing.
2. Provide a physical and planning context for the application.

a. Where in the city is it located. Use an annotated map.
b. What are the planning controls on the site currently – Is it in a Secondary Plan Area? What are the
existing zoning controls? RM4? MC 7? What are the limits to heights, densities, setbacks provided
by these policies and how and why are they proposed to change? Provide a map, elevation or
aerial perspective of the plan with annotation where possible.
3. Provide a graphic timeline of how long the application took to get through preapplication, application, final
report, appeal if relevant. Show key milestones along the timeline.
4. Provide a one-page summary of the consultation process – public meetings, design review panels etc.
include the number of meetings and issues raised.
5. Summarize the key changes to the proposal. If possible, use an annotated plan or arial perspective to
illustrate what changes and where the changes took place.
6. Provide an opinion page on the length of time taken to solve the problems and your opinion on was this
appropriate given the current housing shortage as well as ideas to speed up the process.
GROUP AND TOPIC SELECTION

As most students are in the second semester it is expected that they will know most of the class and have already
worked in groups. Students who are entering the class and or do not have a go to group to join should let the
instructor know by email so that proper connections can be made with other students looking for groups.
Students will each self enroll in their group on SLATE. This allows for efficient submission of the project, review and
grading by the instructor. . Students who are not self enrolled will have trouble submitting their assignment and it
will delay the timely review of the work and increase the amount of work done by the instructor.
Topic suggestions are provided as part of this assignment. Alternative projects can be considered. Please ask the
instructor.
Student groups should inform the instructor by email with the selected case study topic and group members within 4
days of receiving the assignment presentation in class. The goal is to provide a range of presentation topics and one
group will be allowed one topic to avoid repletion in the class presentation to maximize the learning experience.
Please pick one of the projects from this interesting list of recently completed projects for your case study.
https://urbantoronto.ca/news/2024/01/best-2023-winners-10th-annual-urbantoronto-year-end-poll.54920
GRADING RUBRIC:
Excellent (12 to 15 marks) Excellent understanding of the content of the exercise, written and
presented in a clear, concise manner.
Good (9-11 marks) A good understanding of the content of the exercise, written and
presented well.
Satisfactory (6-8 marks) A basic understanding of the content of the exercise, written and
presented modestly.
Needs Improvement (less than 5 marks) Needs to read and understand of the content of the exercise better.
Presentation poor.
Grades will be based on:

 Demonstrated knowledge of application and proposed changes to existing policies including Official Plans
and Zoning By-Laws. (2 marks possible)
 Demonstrated knowledge of how the physical and planning context informs what the issues are. (2
Marks)
 Demonstrated knowledge of how the planning and consultation process’s informed changes to the
project and clear summary of the changes to the project. (4 marks possible)
 Ability to provide thoughtful ideas on how to speed up and improve the process. (2 marks)
 Ability to take complex issues and provide simple, clear, and concise graphics and writing to deliver
information (3 marks possible)
 Good presentation skills and ability to stay within the timeline for presentations. (2 marks possible)
Total possible grade is 15.
DELIVERABLE:
Due Date: Refer to weekly outline.
Hand In –One PDF copy of the group power point presentation will be submitted on Slate no later than 11.59 pm
the day before the class presentations. If the group has been self selected all members of the group will be linked
by SLATE for review and grading.
PRESENTATION: Student Groups will be responsible to provide brief 10-minute summary presentations of the four
areas of research as described in this exercise to the class. After each presentation a period for questions by staff
and students about the topic and presentation will be provided. If there is time at the end of all the presentations
a class discussion will be had.

Exercise 1 - Planning Process Case Study - Jan 2024

Uploaded by

Document Informationclick to expand document information

Copyright:

Available Formats

Exercise 1 - Planning Process Case Study - Jan 2024

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Exercise 1 - Planning Process Case Study - Jan 2024

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Exercise 1: Planning Process Case Study (15%)

BLDG 1849 Policy and Guidelines: Government Urban/Suburban Municipalities

RESEARCH FINDING TO INCLUDE, AT MINIMUM:

The summary of information to be provided in the presentation will include:

2. Provide a physical and planning context for the application.

GROUP AND TOPIC SELECTION

Grades will be based on:

You might also like