Village Homes is a seventy-acre subdivision located in the west part of Davis, California. It was designed to encourage both the development of a sense of community and the conservation of energy and natural resources. A distinguishing feature is the natural drainage system.
The LEED-ND (Neighbourhood Development) designation is a catalyst for creating socially supportive, healthy neighbourhoods and promoting urban design excellence throughout the public realm in the Westhills Green Community.
“A community will soon be taking shape in North-East Calgary that breaks new ground. It is the first of its kind in Canada and will put Calgary on the map for innovative planning. Two features make the Saddleton community a leading edge solution: its Fused Grid plan and its rainwater/stormwater management system,” reports Fanis Grammenos. “The Fused Grid combines the geometries of inner city grids and of the conventional suburbs. This fusion results in retaining the best characteristics of each and none of their disadvantages while raising the quality of the neighbourhood environment.”
“There is a window of opportunity to do business differently because we know from experience that the old ways do not work. Changing the language is part of the process of advancing change,” stated Christianne Wilhelmson.
The current Liquid Waste Management Plan for the Metro Vancouver region was approved in 2002 and is to be updated every five years. Updating the Plan offers the opportunity to consider past progress and include actions to address new issues and opportunities.
In April 2008, the Metro Vancouver Board appointed the Metro Vancouver Liquid Waste Management Reference Panel. It will provide input on the discussion documents and on the subsequent Draft Plan. The Reference Panel concept is modeled on the Working Group approach which has been successfully implemented in the District of West Vancouver. “The Reference Panel will provide comments and advice on the strategies for updating the plan,” explained Director Marvin Hunt.
The Beyond the Guidebook Seminar in Novmber 2007 provided a timely opportunity to inform local government and land use practitioners regarding the emerging policy framework and senior government expectations for applying a 'Beyond the Guidebook' approach to land development and watershed management.
Management Forum has been working to establish a basin-wide Water Management Plan. The plan will ensure that there is enough water – for people and ecosystems – now and in the future.
The District has embraced ‘design with nature' as a philosophy for achieving integration of rainwater management and green infrastructure. Two projects in North Cowichan will be profiled as part of the Showcasing Innovation Series: the Echo Heights neighbourhood in Chemainus and the Stonegate subdivision.
In 2005, the Master Municipal Construction Documents Association (MMCD) published a Draft Green Design Supplement. The Green Design Supplement provides criteria and guidelines to design more sustainable (i.e. green) municipal infrastructure.
