Time for Green Act in Ontario
Environmental groups are converging on Queen’s Park this morning to encourage the creation of a Green Energy Act for Ontario, … Continue reading Time for Green Act in Ontario
Category: Planning and Environmental Management
Greater Vancouver’s Leadership in Smart Growth Slips
Analysis of census data finds recent decline in Greater Vancouver’s compact, walkable neighborhoods
Despite impressive growth in pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods in some parts of the region, Greater Vancouver’s overall smart-growth record slipped in recent years, according to a new analysis by Seattle-based think tank Sightline Institute. From 2001 through 2006, the share of new urban and suburban growth that went into compact, walkable communities declined and the amount of land developed to accommodate new residents increased, compared with the 1990s.
Continue reading “Greater Vancouver’s Leadership in Smart Growth Slips”
Graduate finishes career as superintendent of Banff National Park
Jillian Roulet graduated with her Master’s degree in Planning from the University of Waterloo and pursued a career with Parks … Continue reading Graduate finishes career as superintendent of Banff National Park
UniverCity development – The First “Living Building” in Metro Vancouver
Finally, a new 11,000 square-foot child-care centre SFU Community Trust plans to develop stands to be the first ‘Living Building’ … Continue reading UniverCity development – The First “Living Building” in Metro Vancouver
Taking Green Higher
As the recipient of APA’s inaugural National Planning Excellence Award for Innovation in Green Community Planning, UniverCity deserves special recognition … Continue reading Taking Green Higher
An Innovative Solution to Managing Stormwater and Mosquitoes
May 2008 – UniverCity, the sustainable residential community on Burnaby Mountain near Simon Fraser University installs innovative windmill powered aerator … Continue reading An Innovative Solution to Managing Stormwater and Mosquitoes
When it comes to water, Alberta can easily sink to have-not status
In periods of changing climate, winners can quickly become losers — and vice-versa, especially when it comes to the ready … Continue reading When it comes to water, Alberta can easily sink to have-not status
Trees Ontario Grows its Profile at 2nd Annual Green Living Show
This past weekend Trees Ontario attended the 2nd annual Green Living Show which was held at the Direct Energy Centre … Continue reading Trees Ontario Grows its Profile at 2nd Annual Green Living Show
Ontario’s greenbelt a model for the world
The loss of prime agricultural land near cities due to urban sprawl is bemoaned the world over as a modern … Continue reading Ontario’s greenbelt a model for the world
Ontario Smart Growth Network
The Ontario Smart Growth Network brings together
organizations that are working to stop urban sprawl and promote
sustainable, compact and healthy communities across Ontario.
Smart growth
is nothing less than a radical shift in how we approach urban
development.
It is only
radical because much of the status quo is so abysmally poor.
For much of the past half century we have been creating
car-dependent sprawl environments and sacrificing community values for large homes and
backyards.
Times are
changing. Rising oil costs alone will necessitate a
completely different style of urban form. But the change
is also being driven by public desire to live in accessible and
walkable communities.
Smart growth
is a return to urban villages.
We define an urban village as “a place that has
almost everything you need on a daily basis and you can walk to
get there”. A village includes a
centre for local stores, services and restaurants; schools, daycare and
healthcare; and formal and informal recreation areas. It
has the density to support all these services within a walkable
community.
Visit their web site: http://www.smartgrowth.on.ca
Roof top food gardens in Saskatoon
I recently became involved in a group called ROOTED: An Organization towards Sustainability (Facebook Group) at the University of Saskatchewan. Continue reading Roof top food gardens in Saskatoon
Green Shores – A Sustainable Approach to
The Green Shores project promotes sustainable use of coastal ecosystems
through planning and design that recognizes the ecological features and
functions of coastal systems.
Visit the web site: http://www.greenshores.ca/