Greenbelts as an Environmental Planning Tool: A Case Study of Southern Ontario, Canada

Greenbelts are networks of managed land adopted to meet a wide array of ecological and other goals. In 2005, a greenbelt was created in southern Ontario (Canada). This paper examines the potential for success of the 2005 initiative by evaluating the greenbelt in the light of several weaknesses identified in Ontario's previous greenbelt initiative. Based on our analysis, the 2005 greenbelt is an improvement over the previous effort in the way leapfrog development and future boundary changes are addressed. However, some of the weaknesses previously identified in the literature and a prior Ontario effort are presented and may compromise the effectiveness of the 2005 initiative.