Plan of condominium and the implementation of smart growth land use planning policies

The Smart Growth movement is affecting land use planning policies across North America. Greater emphasis is being placed on policies that help to establish firm urban growth boundaries, encourage infill development and encourage a greater mix of land uses and housing types to create more complete communities. Studies cited in this thesis establish that while land-use policies are changing, land development patterns are not.;Condominium legislation exists in all of Canada's provinces. A Condominium Act is a form of consumer protection legislation that establishes the legal framework for common ownership over a parcel of land. This thesis includes the findings of a 2003 inventory of condominiums in Halifax Regional Municipality to demonstrate the popularity of condominiums. The trends demonstrate that housing provided in condominium ownership is widely varied in type and location, and increasing in popularity.;There are a myriad of long-term policy consideration that land use planners should consider in light of the increasing popularity of condominium housing, but many of these concerns need to be weighed against the broader smart growth based land use policy objectives that condominiums can be consistent with.;The ability to change development patterns on the ground is hindered by traditional zoning provisions, strict development standards, risk adverse financial institutions and the continued popularity of single-family housing. Because plan of condominium provides developers with the opportunity to shift responsibilities for ownership and maintenance of common elements onto the condominium corporation, some of these barriers can be avoided.