Gross Density and New Urbanism: Comparing Conventional and New Urbanist Suburbs in Markham, Ontario

This article compares the gross density of new suburban secondary plans with conventional suburban development in Markham, Ontario. The new plans accommodate 150,000 people and are North America's largest concentration of new communities planned with traditional neighbourhood design principles. The comparison demonstrates that the mean gross residential density of the New Urbanism areas (7.9 upa or 19.5 uph) is approximately 76% higher than that of the adjacent conventional suburban areas. The population density differential between New Urbanist and conventional suburban areas is approximately 66%. It appears that New Urbanism can accommodate high gross densities and consume less land in greenfield extensions of an urban growth boundary.