Still, if the objective is to unlock the region's limited land to provide new housing, allowing low-density development that brings fewer homes to the market seems counterproductive in the long term. At best, the new regulations could urge supply gains in the short term, but at the expense of valuable land lost to suburban sprawl. By contrast, the previous target of 80 jobs or residents per hectare reflected a more urban and transit-oriented ethos.

The benchmark of 80 inhabitants per hectare was created to ensure a level of density that could support 10-to-15-minute bus service, hopefully diluting the Golden Horseshoe's dependence on the car which was both inefficient and not environmentally friendly. This is no longer the case. Compared to gradual density championed under the previous Growth Plan, the sprawl facilitated by newly loosened regulations has similarly negative environmental impacts, both in its up-front carbon costs, and in the automobile-dependent lifestyles that it all but imposes.

Yet, if the "open for business" ethos means creating an easier path for developers, more sprawl in outlying municipalities is met by more density closer to urban centres. Alongside the changes to greenfield density targets, the updated Growth Plan allows for more density around existing transit centres. New regulations more than double the maximum scope of 'Major Transit Areas' where density is encouraged: the previous radius of 500 metres is expanded to 800 metres (which is identified as roughly equivalent to a 10-minute walk). Bringing density to transit hubs — like TTC subway stops — will hopefully become easier.