According to Nora Beck, “the Rainwater-in-Context intiative urges modification because lot-level standards alone deliver lower overall performance than holistically-planned shared systems at the community or watershed scale. ”
“A large number of individuals in the community worked very hard over the last nine months to produce this plan. It is both a visionary statement and a practical tool that will guide decision-making as we move forward,” stated Kim Charlesworth.
“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. It is therefore up to a new generation to coalesce around a common vision for the future — a common vision deeply grounded in the pioneering efforts of the previous generation,” states Patrick Condon.
“It's altogether clear that the way we make our buildings and the way we arrange them, one in relation to the next, is responsible for at least 50 per cent of the greenhouse gas production currently,” states Patrick Condon.
“In any journey, it helps to start with a look back from where we once came. Various historical starting points could be studied, but the end of the Second World War marks the time after which cities changed the most. Many compelling reasons drove the crucial choices we made at that time,” writes Patrick Condon.
Streetcar cities were walkable, transit accessible and virtually pollution free while still dramatically extending the distance citizens could cover during the day.
Street systems either maximize connectivity or frustrate it. North American neighbourhoods built prior to 1950 were rich in connectivity.
For the average person, the most compelling destination for regular walking is the corner store. If a convenience store is located less than a five-minute walk from home, the average person will walk there many times a week.
The chaotic and tortured relationship between jobs and housing, and the impossibility of reasonably connecting them, forces overuse of energy.
The homogeneity of our residential landscapes — in many cases, fostering a residential monoculture that covers whole municipalities — has undercut ecological sustainability.
