The Missing Middle Podcast The "Empty Land" Myth: Why Canada Can’t Just Sprout New Cities
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Oct 7, 2026 Could brand-new cities solve Canada’s housing crisis? This discussion explores how places like Milton, Brampton, Surrey, and Kitchener grew organically, why Canada’s geography limits new metropolitan hubs, and what went wrong with planned experiments such as Townsend and Monarto. It also examines why tax breaks, infrastructure, and relocation alone can’t manufacture the economic and social networks that make cities thrive.
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Canada Already Creates Cities Organically
- Canada is already creating new cities through organic suburban growth rather than master plans.
- Milton grew from 30,000 to 150,000 residents, while Brampton added half a million people since 2001.
Canada Needs Metros Not Municipal Labels
- The demand is really for additional large metropolitan economies, not merely more municipal boundaries.
- Calgary and Edmonton led growth, followed by smaller metros including Kelowna, Red Deer, Chilliwack, and Saskatoon.
Canada Has A Normal Number Of Metros
- Canada has six metropolitan areas exceeding one million people, broadly matching similarly developed countries.
- Sparse population and an overwhelmingly northern geography limit how many large metros can develop naturally.