Guelph, Ontario was Urban3’s first experience with international property tax analysis. Located about 60 miles west of Toronto, Guelph is a hub for education, manufacturing, and innovation. National and provincial policies have constrained outward growth. With strong demand for new development, Guelph was interested in making the most of their remaining development opportunities. Like American cities, Guelph struggles with underutilized development and understands the importance of maximizing existing infrastructure and services. Guelph’s optimism and willingness to experiment afforded us a great opportunity to apply our research.

Urban3 was initially asked to participate in their annual urban design conference. That experience led to a longer term partnership exploring the relationship between design and fiscal sustainability. We worked together with city staff to conduct a tax analysis and helped Guelph adapt that information into their policies and development decisions.