On June 1, 2023, the Quebec government passed Law 16, amending the Land Use Planning and Development Act. This law incorporates the National Policy on Architecture and Land Use Planning: Better Living and Building Our Territory (PNAAT), which was made public on June 6, 2022.
What Does the National Policy on Architecture and Land Use Planning (PNAAT) Say?
The PNAAT is based on a vision where, by 2042, “Quebec’s territory and heritage are regarded as a precious and non-renewable resource.” It is structured around four key principles:
- High-quality living environments that meet the population’s needs.
- Land use that preserves and enhances natural areas and agricultural land.
- Dynamic and authentic communities throughout Quebec.
- Greater consideration for land use and architecture in public action.
To implement the National Policy on Architecture and Land Use Planning, an action plan was unveiled on June 26, 2023, aiming to create the conditions needed to improve Quebecers’ quality of life. To modernize the framework for land use planning, six strategic measures were announced:
- Introducing legislative amendments, notably to the Land Use Planning and Development Act.
- Publishing new government orientations for land use planning (OGAT).
- Establishing a monitoring system for Quebec’s land use planning at the national, regional, and metropolitan levels.
- Increasing consideration of land use planning in structuring government projects.
Why a Monitoring System for Land Use Planning?
The monitoring system is a groundbreaking initiative as it marks the first attempt to evaluate decisions made in terms of land use planning.
Purpose of the Monitoring System
This monitoring system is directly tied to ensuring that the objectives outlined in the government’s land use planning orientations (OGAT) are met. It aims to “measure the outcomes of land use planning decisions and base them on evidence.” The system is divided into two components:
- The National Component: Features indicators and targets, with results published every four years in the National Assembly.
- The Regional Component: Includes its own strategic, regional, and metropolitan indicators.
The government has high hopes for this monitoring system, which is also expected to “better address societal challenges” and “better support municipal bodies in tackling evolving and complex issues within their territories.”
Why Is This Important?
Societal changes are profoundly reshaping how our territories are managed. For instance, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities estimates a $600 billion effort is needed by Canadian municipalities to address the housing crisis alone.
Additionally, other investments are required to improve Canadians’ access to healthcare, promote healthy living through sports facilities, and invest in public transit infrastructure to tackle decarbonization challenges.
Such challenges necessitate better monitoring of investment effectiveness:
- Measuring social utility: How many people in need are impacted by urban investment projects?
- Anticipating climate crises: Will the investment project be resilient to floods or heat waves?
- Assessing economic benefits: Will this project increase tax revenues?
What Indicators Are Included in the OGAT Monitoring System?
Strategic Indicators
Eight strategic indicators are to be monitored:
- The area of natural environments under conservation measures.
- Changes in agricultural land area.
- Variation in the number and share of housing units by type of residential construction.
- Proportion of new housing located within priority urbanization zones (PU).
- Net residential density within PU zones.
- Share of new regional structuring activities located within central areas of main equipment and service hubs.
- Share of new regional structuring activities accessible by public transit.
- Share of architectural quality guiding principles implemented for new municipal projects involving infrastructure, buildings, and layouts.
Regional Indicators
Regional indicators vary based on the group classification of each RCM (regional county municipality):
- Group A: RCMs part of a metropolitan community.
- Group B: Cities with some RCM competencies, within a census metropolitan area (CMA).
- Group C: RCMs on the periphery of Montreal, Quebec City, and Gatineau metropolitan areas.
- Group D: RCMs with urban centers of 20,000 or more residents.
- Group E: Growing RCMs with urban centers under 20,000 residents.
- Group F: Declining RCMs with urban centers under 20,000 residents.
Regional indicators are designed to align with the objectives of the government’s land use planning orientations.
How to Access Data Related to These Indicators?
For certain objectives, such as housing-related OGAT (referencing the planning orientation for living environments ensuring access to quality, affordable housing), data sources are provided.
For example, the methodological sheet titled Strategic Indicator: Variation in the Number and Share of Housing Units by Type of Residential Construction specifies that data can be found in the property assessment, available on Quebec’s open data site.
To assist municipalities in meeting the new government orientations for land use planning, CIVISION directly compiles all data related to the OGAT’s regional and strategic indicators. In just two minutes, urban planners can monitor the indicators of their choice and send reports to stakeholders with ease.
