One of our Cordova Bay residents recently reminded me of Jane Jacobs—the renowned urban activist who successfully stood up to BAD overdevelopment in New York and Toronto. Her legacy feels especially relevant right now as we await Aragon’s formal proposal. Jacobs’ work underscores exactly why this kind of large-scale development is so out of touch with the character and needs of our community.

Jane Jacobs (1916–2006) was a pioneering urban thinker and community advocate whose ideas reshaped how we think about places where people live. While best known for her work in big cities, her principles apply just as powerfully to suburban and rural areas facing rapid change. Jacobs believed that communities thrive when development grows naturally from local needs—not imposed from the top down. She championed small-scale, mixed-use neighborhoods, local character, and the idea that the people who live in a place know best how it should evolve. Her legacy reminds us that development should serve communities, not the other way around.

Forced over-densification housing fails because it ignores the social, economic, and physical dynamics that make communities thrive. The Aragon current proposal of 1165 attached units does just that!  

Here’s why it doesn’t work—drawing from Jane Jacobs and broader urban planning principles:

Ignores Local Context: Imposing high density without considering existing community character, infrastructure, and needs creates friction and resistance. It can feel like an external force, not a natural evolution.

Destroys Social Fabric: Sudden, large-scale densification can displace long-term residents, disrupt social networks, and erode the sense of belonging that comes from stable, mixed communities.

One-Size-Fits-All Design: High-density developments are often repetitive and lack the variation and mixed uses Jacobs championed. This leads to sterile, isolated buildings rather than vibrant, livable neighborhoods.

Strains Infrastructure: Without corresponding upgrades to roads, schools, parks, and public services, forced densification overwhelms semi-rural or suburban systems not designed for urban-scale loads.

Reduces Quality of Life: Over-densification without proper planning can lead to traffic congestion, reduced green space, noise, and a loss of privacy—eroding the reasons people choose to live in lower-density areas in the first place.

Market Mismatch: Simply adding units doesn’t guarantee affordability or demand alignment. Without diverse housing types and incomes, forced density can push out lower- or middle-income residents rather than help them.

In short, successful density must be incremental, contextual, and community-informed. Forced over-densification skips all three—and often backfires.

The Aragon current proposal of 1165 attached units does nothing to actually help our community, only hurt it.  History has already PROVED these mega developments simply do not work, and never solve the actual “problems” that they are meant to fix. 

Why would this one be any different?

What would Jane and countless other respected urban planners think about this Aragon development? 

I think we all know the answer to that. 

Thank you Cordova Bay. 

Best Regards,

Dan Horth