Managing Development and Infrastructure Needs with Significant Population Growth
Fredrick Van Rooyen (City of Fredericton)

Canadian cities, particularly those in Atlantic Canada, are under tremendous pressure to increase residential density and develop more complete communities with rapid population growth. Fredericton adopted a Growth Strategy in 2017 and a Municipal Plan in 2020 which directs the city to accommodate one-quarter of the projected population growth in quality infill development in the Urban Core. The other three-quarters of growth is directed to four new complete neighbourhoods centred on a mixed-use node and accommodating a wide range of housing types. Intensification within these growth areas is at the foundation of the plan. With intensification and new neighbourhoods being denser than they have been historically, it has placed greater pressure on existing infrastructure and its capacity as well as designing infrastructure for higher density. The presentation will discuss balancing growth and services in both infill and greenfield scenarios, provide a comparison of approaches/tools to managing growth and services e.g., development charges, and examine how services can keep pace with development.