The ‘burbs are burning
During this week’s visit to the York Region Administrative Centre, we were posed with the question of whether or not we can still justify distinguishing urban policy from suburban policy as the line between the two policy spheres is increasingly blurred. We were asked to suggest policy issues that are only applicable to urban areas, but we were quick to realize that our suggestions such as opiod use and homelessness are also prevalent in suburbs like York Region. The urban-suburban divide is undoubtedly diminishing, but perhaps one area in which policy approaches differ greatly is climate change.
I was particularly interested in the arguments put forth in CityLab’s piece, “Don’t alienate the suburbs on climate,” in which the authors highlight the unsustainable nature of Canada’s suburbanization. They explain that not only is the suburban lifestyle contributing significantly to climate change, but the suburbs are also more prone to the detriments of climate change, as is evidenced by the devastating fires that have ravaged suburban communities in Australia, California, and British Columbia. The authors purport technological innovation and reduced global dependencies in addition to reconnecting with pre-settler landscapes as the necessary actions needed to combat climate change from the suburbs. There is certainly merit to these ambitious and long-term initiatives, but perhaps the suburbs have some inherent advantages over their urban neighbours with respect to climate change policymaking.
The smaller size of the suburbs is often conducive to a more tight-knit community in which municipal policymakers can utilize this rapport to their advantage. For example, during California’s most recent period of drought, my suburban hometown utilized its small size (by California standards) to its advantage by generating a competition of sorts for water usage. Unlike the cities where most people live in yard-less multi-residential buildings with a shared water supply, suburban homeowners have much more control over their individual water consumption. The local newspaper published a monthly ranking of neighbourhood water consumption, applauding those that had significantly reduced their water usage and shaming those that had not. A handful of bay area suburbs took this tactic one step further by publishing the actual names of water-wasting individuals. In suburban communities where it often seems like everyone knows everyone, policies can induce social pressures in order to encourage desirable civilian actions, like reduced water usage.
I‘ve also recently become aware of a program introduced by a few GTA suburbs in order to encourage proper recycling habits. A limited number of “Golden Bins” are rewarded to the city’s top recyclers, and of course, as soon as the Joneses have a coveted Golden Bin for curb-side display, the entire street is enticed to do the same. In large urban environments like Toronto where many residents don’t know their neighbours — or have a curb, for that matter — strategies relying on social pressures are less effective. So, while suburbanites are greater contributors to climate change, the connective nature of the suburbs allows for some unique approaches to protect our environment that are simply intangible for larger urban centers.
