FLASHBACK TO 2010: How city design can help save the planet: Patrick Condon’s Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities
Note to Reader:
In 2010, The Tyee online magazine published a series of excerpts from Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities: Design Strategies for the Post Carbon World, a book by Patrick Condon. Using the Vancouver Region as his case study, the book compares and contrasts the problems and progress of this region with those of other North American urban areas. Of particular new importance is how city form affects the production of planet-warming greenhouse gases.
Patrick Condon explains this relationship in an accessible way, and goes on to show how conforming to seven simple rules for community design could literally do a world of good. Each chapter in the book explains one rule in depth, adding a wealth of research to support each claim.
“Seven Rules is a comprehensive guide to how to save the planet by building communities sustainably, with numerous informative charts, tables and illustrations. The Tyee’s excerpts merely offer a sampler of Condon’s thinking. Readers who are intrigued by what they read here will be well rewarded by absorbing the entire book,” wrote Tom Barrett in an article that began the series.
Seven Rules for Right Here, BC’s Lower Mainland
“Right now the Lower Mainland of British Columbia leads any other region in both Canada and the United States in reversing the rush to global climate collapse,” wrote Patrick Condon in an exclusive article to conclude The Tyee series.
“This is because more people in our region prefer to live in walkable, diverse, jobs rich, dense neighbourhoods, than ever before. And as the distance between people, jobs, recreation, and education shrinks so too does our individual production of greenhouse gases.”
Do all of this for the kids
“It is therefore up to a new generation of citizens, professionals, and elected officials to coalesce around a common vision for the future — a common vision deeply grounded in the pioneering efforts of the previous generation, and in the tangible physical realities of the place where we live.”
“These seven rules, and the ‘Streetcar City’ principle to which they all somehow connect, are my own personal best shot at such a vision.”
“There are many others. Let the debate continue. But let us also start building the sustainable region right away. Let’s start Monday. There is no time to lose.”
Water-Centric Planning
“Of the seven rules, two of them are about water: Create a linked system of natural areas and parks, and lighter greener cheaper smarter infrastructure.”
“This book is my attempt to ‘put it all together’ with ‘water at the heart of community design’,” states Patrick Condon.
To Learn More:
Links to each article in the series are found in a set of stories posted elsewhere on the Green Infrastructure community-of-interest. To access the set, click on the links below:
- Patrick Condon’s Rule 1 for sustainable communities: Restore the streetcar city
- Patrick Condon’s Rule 2 for sustainable communities: Design an interconnected street system
- Patrick Condon’s Rule 3 for sustainable communities: Locate commercial services, frequent transit and schools within a five-minute walk
- Patrick Condon’s Rule 4 for sustainable communities: Locate good jobs close to affordable homes
- Patrick Condon’s Rule 5 for sustainable communities: Provide a diversity of housing types
- Patrick Condon’s Rule 6 for sustainable communities: Create a linked system of natural areas and parks
- Patrick Condon’s Rule 7 for sustainable communities: Invest in lighter, greener, cheaper, smarter infrastructure.
To order a copy of the book, click on Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities: Design Strategies for the Post Carbon World.