Strong Communities, Strong Economy, Clean, Healthy Environment

Smart Growth sustainable development, supported by the Provincial and Federal governments as a vision for fostering and managing growth, is based on building strong communities, a strong economy and a clean, healthy environment.

Markham residents expressed their desire to embody all three Smart Growth Goals in an innovative new downtown area bordered by Highway 407 on the south: Highway 7 and the Civic Centre on the north, Kennedy Avenue on the east and Rodick Road on the west.

Markham Centre Represents a Smart Departure from Urban Sprawl

Based on the principles of new urbanism and Smart Growth, Markham Centre will provide a central focus and gathering place for Markham residents and businesses for generations to come.

Markham Centre will have a distinctly urban character, with higher density, mixed-use developments, strong streetscapes and world-class parks and public amenities.

Smart Growth refers to land use and development practices that enhance the quality of life in communities and preserve ecological integrity. Smart Growth is a way of managing growth to create strong communities, a strong economy and a clean, healthy environment.

Traditional development patterns are dominated by what some call "sprawl"-extensive, low-density land development that fosters high dependence on automobiles, increasing the pollution and damage that they cause. Sprawl also consumes open spaces, farmlands and damages watersheds.

Smart Growth is a solution to urban sprawl.

Markham Centre achieves the Smart Growth goals by creating strong communities, a strong economy and a clean, healthy environment.

Smart Growth Goals

Strong Communities

• wide range of housing opportunities
• mix land uses
• distinctive, accessible communities with a strong sense of place
• local character and tradition is preserved and enhanced
• citizens and stakeholders are encouraged to participate in development decisions

Strong Economy

• balanced economic development
• strong management of community resources, existing assets and infrastructure
• financial, planning and legal tools to promote and sustain developments
• public-private partnerships promote growth
• predictable development decisions

Clean, Healthy Environment

• variety of transportation choices to encourage transit and reduce auto-dependency
• open space, farmland, environmentally sensitive and valuable natural areas are protected
• resource-efficient developments, using less energy and more renewable energy sources
• pollution and waste reduction

Concepts similar to Smart Growth include: Growth Management, Sustainable Development, Liveable Communities, Healthy City, New Urbanism.

Markham Centre will provide Markham's citizens with a unique urban experience while ensuring that our community values are maintained. Markham Centre will include residential, retail, commercial, hospitality, and entertainment and educational venues. Interconnected parks and open space complete with walking and biking trails will provide a number of active and passive recreational opportunities.

The purpose of the Performance Measures document is to identify criteria that will and monitor the implementation of Markham Centre over time to deliver the vision.

In 2007, the Performance Measures were updated to identify potential correlations to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (L.E.E.D.) criteria, as well as to clarify the criteria that guides and monitors the implementation of Markham Centre.