I lived in Seattle for a few years.  Seattle reduced the total volume of storm water leaving streets simply by reducing paved surfaces and planting trees. It not only resulted in lower future operating costs, but it also ended up cleaning air and beautifying neighbourhoods.  End result is roads like these :-

Notice the centre heavily landscaped centre median?  In Redmond, WA almost all 4-lane roads are decorated with a landscaped median.  Another benefit is that it creates a perception of narrowness and acts as traffic calming.  Bike lanes are off road, for cyclists’ safety. 

Here’s a view of another road that not only shows the landscaping that goes on the median, but also the heavy landscaping they do to screen parking lots from main roads.  This is a highly commercial area.  Compare this to our commercial areas, like Steeles Ave.

This is how buildings are screened from main roads. That way even highly urban areas get a very ‘foresty’ feel.

I worked in one of these buildings for five years.  Notice the setback and landscaping around buildings. 

Another road showing landscaped median, trees screening the building and landscaping and trees screening the parking lot. 

The above view shows something else as well.  Parking lots in that area are designed such that each row of parking is divided by a landscaped median.  With time parking lots get a forest canopy and start to feel like parks, instead of concrete slabs. 

Another parking lot, another road with median and another building screened by trees. Notice how pleasant the sidewalk becomes in this case. You get trees on both sides providing you with shade. 

Yet another parking lot illustrating my point.  There seem to be just as many trees as cars (if you include trees along the parameter). 

As already mentioned, all these pictures are from a densely populated highly urban area.  However, they all show that all urbanization do not have to look same.

Milton should adopt some of these ideas to set itself apart from all other municipalities in the GTA.