Alberta Report: Green dream for “sustainable community” takes root in Calgary suburb
Echo Haven in the Rocky Ridge area of Calgary, Alberta has attracted national attention because of its low-impact, healthy and affordable principles.
Echo Haven in the Rocky Ridge area of Calgary, Alberta has attracted national attention because of its low-impact, healthy and affordable principles.
The three objectives or learning outcomes in featuring East Clayton were: provide the sustainability context; review the implementation experience for private and public rainfall capture systems; and reflect on lessons learned.
According to David Grigg, the neighbourhood plan for the northeast area of the UBC South Campus includes an innovative rainwater management system for underground storage of rainwater runoff and pumping to sustain summer baseflow in an environmentally sensitive creek channel.
At the Metro Vancouver Water Balance Model Forum, hosted by the City of Surrey in March 2009, the City shared and reflected on the Grandview Heights and South Newton experience related to implementation of green infrastructure.
“In 2004, the City of Stratford in Ontario approved a secondary plan for a future city expansion based on an evaluation of three plans, one of which was the Fused Grid. In 2006, CMHC initiated a supplementary case study to assess the potential for reducing or eliminating rainwater runoff from the development area,” reports Fanis Grammenos. “The question for this analysis was to assess to what extent street layout, amount and distribution of open space, and building form affect the post-development runoff resulting from the impermeable surfaces that urban development creates.”
When the Township of Langley hosted the second event in “Showcasing Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver: The 2007 Series”, this provided a timely opportunity for other Metro Vancouver municipalities to learn about how a ‘water-centric’ approach is changing the way that land is developed in Langley.
When UniverCity hosted the third event in Showcasing Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver: The 2007 Series, those who attended were primarily interested in learning about the precedent-setting plan for rainwater management and watercourse protection. UniverCity is a pioneer application in North America of ‘adaptive management’ in a local government setting.
The Hawthorne project is a 230 house suburban neighbourhood development in the City of Nanaimo. The project illustrates how a green value approach has been implemented. The Hawthorne project represents approximately half of the City’s annual new home production.
The Center for Neighbourhood Technology promotes the development of more livable and sustainable communities by enhancing the value of hidden assets and undervalued resources inherent in the urban environment.
The Partners Forum in March 2007 provided a timely opportunity for Partners to share success stories and lessons learned in implementing green infrastructure. “While considerable research has been done in the natural environment, very little has been in an urban setting anywhere in North America. We have installed 60 tree canopy climate stations across the North Shore,” stated Richard Boase.