Cities like Chicago weren't built in a day. For suburbs like Schaumburg, it will be step by step also, so they need to take that first step.
Similar thing is happening to the power centre near my house, the parking lots are empty, the buses serving it are full. Now it is a portion of it is set to be redeveloped into high rise condos with street level retail. 220 acres of big boxes and parking lots set to become a high-rise condo towers, mid-rises, town houses, street-level retail, and greenspace:
Massive 4,000 unit development could be coming to Mississauga
By Steve Pecar
Published May 30, 2022 at 4:47 pm
Quote:
A major building project could turn parts of a large Mississauga shopping centre into a neighbourhood with thousands of residential units.
The plan calls for a major overhaul of Heartland Town Centre that will see 4,000 units added to a large area in the south of the property along Matheson Blvd.. between Mavis Rd. to McLaughlin Rd.
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https://www.insauga.com/massive-4000...o-mississauga/
I have photographed this power centre many times before, including the portion set to be redeveloped. It is across the street from Costco.
Difference with this development is it is not based on New Urbanism (faux-historic, centred around the landmark or square, emulate a small town, self-contained) but rather on the other of side of "smart growth", which is transit-oriented development (emphasis on a corridor, serving the wider city, high density).
This power centre is served by 3 major bus routes: 39 Britannia (east/west), 61 Mavis (north/south), and 66 McLaughlin (north/south). Before the pandemic, 39 Britannia started using articulated buses due to the overcrowding, but they went back to regular 40 foot buses during the lockdowns. However, the buses started getting overcrowded again, so last year they increased the service from every 25 minutes to every 20 minutes all day. A couple months ago they increased the service again to 18 minutes all day. No articulated buses to spare due to the overcrowding on other routes, namely 18/42 Derry, 61 Mavis, and 66 McLaughlin.
61 Mavis operates at 12 minute frequency all day on weekdays with articulated buses. Last year, articulated buses started operating on the route on weekends due to overcrowding. Saturday frequency remained at 19 minutes all day and Sunday remained at 22 minutes. 66 McLaughlin also operates with articulated buses with similar frequencies.
These corridors were not designed for transit. They were never designated as major transit corridors by the city's planning department. There is mostly low density zoning along them, only some medium density zoning, but no high density zoning. These neighbourhoods were built recklessly and thoughtlessly but the ridership of these bus corridors still getting out of control. Imagine if these corridors were designed to be urban to begin with.
When suburbs can take the step from cars to buses, then they can take the next step from buses to cycling and walking. Gradually fill in the gaps and gradually reduce the travel distances, to get people onto buses, then bikes, then on the sidewalks. And of course self-driving cars will reduce the demand for parking even more. So don't laugh at suburbs thinking of becoming something more than just suburbs. They will become something more whether they want o it or not.