As city prepares to approve more new communities, development industry defends building outward
Ryan Andersen, lead organizer of the Calgary Alliance for the Common Good, said continually building outward has climate implications, and the city has already declared a climate emergency.
He also said suburban sprawl comes with financial costs.
“It stretches our police services and stretches our fire services, and there’s no actual tax revenue until those communities are filled up,” Andersen said.
He said with that added financial pressure, the city could be forced to cut services that people depend on, in order to provide more basics at the edges of the city.
“We have more than enough communities that already have enough spaces to build housing for the next 20 years. So why are we creating these budgetary pressures for, you know, on services but also for all Calgarians?” he asked.