Choosing a Neighbourhood

When it comes to choosing your next home, perhaps the biggest question is deciding where you want to live. Whether it's old or new, urban or suburban, in a big city or a small town, the neighbourhood you live in will affect your quality of life, affordability and the environment for years to come.

To help you select your next neighbourhood, start by looking for some of the following features:

• A village atmosphere - Does it have safe, pleasant streets for walking, meeting the neighbours, or where your children can play safely?
• Value for the money - Consider long-term expenses, such as the energy savings that a smaller house with shared walls, like a townhouse, can bring, or living where you only need one car, or none at all.
• A safe, active neighbourhood - A mix of homes, shops and offices means that the neighbourhood is active throughout the day and evening, allowing people to look out for each other. This is also a neighbourhood where cars move slowly. A place where daily trips can be made on foot, bike or bus - Living where work, schools, shopping and recreation are close enough to walk, ride your bike or take the bus to can mean spending less time in traffic, not to mention being good for your health and pocketbook! Less car use is also better for air quality and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
• A neighbourhood that preserves the countryside - When land in the neighbourhood is used efficiently, rural and natural areas outside it are preserved and costs to preserve its services are lower.
• A neighbourhood you can stay in, year after year - A neighbourhood with a wide variety of homes lets you stay close to where you've put down roots, even as your age, income, family and housing needs change.

To determine whether your next neighbourhood meets these and other criteria, try asking yourself a few simple questions, including:

• Can I use my car less or not at all?
• Can I save money in the long term by living here?
• Could I stay in the neighbourhood if my housing needs change?
• Is it easy to get to know my neighbours and local shopkeepers?
• Is it a safe, pleasant place to walk?
• Have natural areas in the neighbourhood been preserved?
• Is land used efficiently?