ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses density bonusing in the context of Toronto's condominium boom, where this instrument has been around within the legislative framework since 1983. It argues that while the specificities of density bonusing in Toronto are particular in its legal and practical context. Density bonusing has its origins in betterment levies, which are direct taxes to recapture the wealth accruing to private landowners due to public investments in the built environment and other planning initiatives. The chapter deals with a general discussion of the condominium boom in Toronto which provides crucial context. It draws attention to density bonusing as a practice and the complexity of negotiation processes. Since 2005, the policy directives on the provincial level have come from two laws: the Greenbelt Act and the Places to Grow Act. Density bonusing has its origins in betterment capture policies which date back at least as far as Britain's 1909 Town Planning Act.
