A community of more than 25,000 people, the University of Victoria is a case study for green buildings and compact growth. Over the past five years, UVic has been able to transition from an incremental approach in planning and resource management to a water-centric approach that is much more holistic and integrated –– the new business as usual.
Westhills is British Columbia's largest LEED-Neighbourhood Development pilot project, with design elements and community initiatives that create and nuture a strong sense of community; and a plan that incorporates leading-edge environmental technologies.
We seem to be building larger and larger homes for smaller and smaller families. Even if our homes are built to be energy-efficient, this still means larger spaces to heat, and more resources to build these larger homes.
When the Corporation of Delta hosted the first event in “Showcasing Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver: The 2007 Series”, there was considerable interest in learning more about a checklist of environmental, social and economic elements has evolved into a Sustainable Template for Development.
When UniverCity hosted the third event in “Showcasing Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver: The 2007 Series”, this provided an opportunity to talk about the vision that is guiding development of this high density community atop Burnaby Mountain.
Consistent with the direction provided by the 'Cowichan Basin Water Management Plan', the City of Duncan in June 2007 adopted a new Official Community Plan that establishes expectations for implementation of green infrastructure standards in conjunction with redevelopment and densification.
According to Marcy Sangret, Sunstone Community at Delsom in Delta will be a mixed use, pedestrian friendly community which will include, a neighbourhood commercial centre, park areas and a pathway system. This development illustrates how the Sustainable Template for Development has been applied through a collaborative process to achieve a ‘design with nature' outcome.
Compact, complete communities provide people with opportunities to live, work, learn and play in vibrant, mixed-use neighbourhoods. By creating compact communities, we can absorb new residents and jobs without sacrificing our quality of life, environment, or the fiscal health of our towns and cities.
Under the umbrella of the Celebrating Green Infrastructure Program, the first in the Showcasing Innovation Series was hosted by the District of North Vancouver in May 2006. The focus was on what the District believes it can systematically accomplish on-the-ground, at a community scale, through Eco-Industrial Networking. The emphasis in “showcasing innovation” was on the approach the District is developing through the Maplewood Community Plan to facilitate changes in how land is developed and/or redeveloped.
The second in the Showcasing Innovation Series was hosted by the City of Surrey in June 2006. The focus was on what the City believes it can systematically accomplish on-the-ground, at a watershed scale, now and over the next 50 years by building on the East Clayton experience.
