Dear editor,
Don’t be so sure densification is such a great idea.
According to Tree Canada, “With the densification of the human population, the increase in housing and urban spaces has grown. Urban development and densification causes habitat and wildlife to be displaced and destroyed.
Many species on the Wildlife Preservation of Canada website are endangered or close to being endangered because of urban or agricultural development. Densification causes total habitat loss.”
Victoria has lost 90 - 95 per cent of its screech owl population through high density development in the last 10 years. We can see the cost of high density development in Victoria and surrounding areas. Is this really what we want for the Comox Valley? If we destroy the habitat needed for a diverse wildlife population, we are ultimately destroying ourselves.
Developing green corridors and green spaces helps to disperse animal populations throughout our cities, allowing for a diversified gene pool and breeding. This also allows for safe ways to cross otherwise dangerous roadways. Green corridors and green spaces maintain and sustain urban wildlife, and provide a much more attractive environment for us to live in.
The city of Toronto has a green roof by-law that states all buildings being developed or repaired must have a green roof installed if they have a minimum gross floor space of 2,000 sq.m.
Perhaps lowering our DCC’s – cutting through red tape and bureaucracy – could be used to induce developers to provide much needed green spaces and green corridors, instead of adding to the already exorbitant costs of building.
I would like to know how high density housing done without these considerations could be called ‘climate friendly.’ Complex issues and problems caused by rapidly growing populations need more than a simplistic statement about high density development to work.
Terry Chaney,
Courtenay