Already these plans are buttressing up against the concerns of environmental activists Greenvisions in areas such as the Castlemore Golf Club lands and the eradications of old growth forests alongside Goreway Drive. The official position from all levels of government seems to be that this rapid development is a necessary, if somewhat uncomfortable, byproduct of creating a vibrant new city, a positive net result for all involved.

However, there is another school of thought. One that believes that such rapid growth, built before a sustainable economic and service infrastructure is mature enough to support it, is not a viable option. At the "Reflections on Sustainability, Population Growth and the Environment" conference held at the University of Boulder in Colorado, it was concluded that "rapid urban growth is never able to sustain or support itself for an extended period of time". Without an economic backbone to build upon, communities born out of advantageous conditions and potential profitability rather than true developmental need have time and again resulted in unforeseen difficulties in the future, even outright disasters. For evidence of this, I only need to look out my front window.

The city of Atami is a picturesque coastal resort town of 150,000, nestled amongst verdant green mountains some two hours by car or 40 minutes by bullet train from central Tokyo.During the boom years of the Japanese economic miracle of the late 80's and 90's, Atami tripled in size, fueled by its location as an ideal bedroom community for the expanding urban middle classes. Thanks to favourable local government regulations and relatively cheap land prices, apartments, sprawling homesteads and entire communities sprang up overnight.

Growth and prosperity was everywhere, and despite having no real economy of their own besides tourism, Atami seemed a city on the rise. However, as the Japanese economy began to cool, the Atami town model began to experience problems. Soil erosion and drainage problems, caused by hastily removed forests and rerouted waterways began to damage homes and local infrastructure. Increased fuel costs, congestion on roadways and trains and increasing work demands in the struggling economy caused families to relocate closer to work. The tax base began to shrink and municipal revenue shortfalls began to collapse upon themselves. Those who could relocate did, leaving behind an aging population with increased health care and social service demands. The hastily constructed buildings, chic and modern in the early 90's, began to appear outdated and in need of repair, but with no viable economy of its own, Atami had little to offer young families or investors. In 2006, AtamiCity declared bankruptcy, and the city operations handed over to the central Japanese government. The city has been reduced to essential services only and user fees and charges have skyrocketed – a bag of garbage now costing the equivalent of 9 Canadian dollars to put curbside.

Now, this is not to say that such a fate awaits Brampton, and indeed civic planners have studied such cases to work towards preventing these situations from happening again. However, rapid growth is usually fueled by favourable development conditions, enthusiastic government support and a desire to act quickly, "to strike while the iron is hot" conditions more than apparent in Brampton.

It is under these circumstances that the long range vision of a sustainable, vibrant community is most often trampled under the shorter term gains and necessities of building properties. It is times like this that we must come together, in organizations such as Greenvisions, and remain diligent and watchful over how our cities future is determined, as the choices and steps taken today will have long reaching impacts for generations to come, and no amount of short term gain can be worth undermining that.