09-06-2020, 10:25 AM
(09-05-2020, 04:36 PM)ijmorlan Wrote:(09-04-2020, 01:12 PM)ac3r Wrote: Sprawl in Breslau is inevitable, unfortunately. When Metrolinx builds the Breslau GO station, I imagine the entire area will slowly become suburban.
With proper planning (which will not be seen from Metrolinx for the foreseeable future), the station area could become one of those highly walkable, dense areas that were only built before planning. The station itself could be the centre of a bunch of highrises built together and linked across the tracks, then nearby streets could have midrise. All uses regularly needed by residents could be available — retail, professional, etc. — with transit linking to the rest of the city and of course to Guelph and beyond by GO.
Transit linking to the rest of the city is key. Waterloo Region will no doubt get a 3rd LRT line in the future (or 2nd...whether we count Phase 1 and 2 as separate lines or not), and if it ran east/west then I could see places like Breslau developing in a denser way as this would let people get into the city centre as well as travel north-south to Waterloo and Cambridge. But the city planners aren't going to densify an area in the city in the way you imagine without dedicated rapid transit (GO trains obviously not counting, as they're commuter trains and buses are slow and of limited capacity). It'd be nice to see, and I'm sure as the years go on and we grow and grow we'll be going in this direction, but in the short term we can only imagine, plan and hope we actually develop things in a way that makes the most sense.