Our national census is a critical tool for urban planners. Population counts, density and growth rates dictate municipal planning strategies and need to be monitored to ensure those strategies stay on course.
With the release of the 2011 census data, the picture the numbers paint for Toronto signal some key areas of concern. They are numbers that deserve some action on the part of our political leaders.Though the city saw an improved growth rate this round (4.5 per cent between 2006 and 2011, compared to 0.9 per cent between 2001 and 2006), that increase is greatly overshadowed by neighbouring regions - particularly Milton (with 56.5 per cent growth), Brampton and Vaughan (which all saw between 15 and 22 per cent growth). It is easier to put down a subdivision in those regions than to infill Toronto, but these numbers point to the necessity of keeping planning top-of-mind at city hall. People aren't flocking to live in Toronto as they are to the ring of GTA municipalities around us. But as an economic engine, many of those people are continuing to work in the city. The highest area of population growth within our city is concentrated in the core and communities along the lakeshore. The riding of Trinity-Spadina now has 29,372 more people living in it than it did five years ago - a 25.5 per cent jump in population growth, the highest in the city. With populations peaking in our city centre and in outlying GTA regions, it's more crucial than ever to make sure connectivity is a priority in our city plan. It's vital to our own success to be able to move people efficiently through the city and beyond. A clear transportation vision for the future, not just for today, is key to logical growth planning.The mayor, council and administration need to engage other regional leaders in that planning, especially where transit and the economy are concerned. They also need to bring the provincial and federal governments into the discussion to make sure whatever vision has properly funded support.We may not be growing as quickly as our neighbours, but we have just as much at stake when it comes to securing a stable and prosperous future for our citizens. Toronto cannot exist in a vacuum and its leaders can't afford to ignore the need for collaboration. Thinking beyond our borders is the only way to guarantee the city lives up to its full potential.