Sustainable Urban Planning

What is Urban Planning?

Urban planning is the branch of architecture dealing with the design and organization of urban space and activities, including the physical arrangement of the cities and the condition they are in. Cities have employed planners to lay out their infrastructures for years and, like many professions, urban planning has developed over time to reflect the changes in our society and our planet.

Historically, urban planning was primarily concerned with the placement of certain things near other things (i.e. a waste treatment plant should be far away from an elementary school, but a park could be nearby). As the awareness of climate change has grown, and a general shift has been made to a more eco-friendly way of life, urban planning can now take sustainability to heart and begin building greenest cities from the ground up.

How can a city "Go Green"?

These days it’s hard to say exactly what makes a city “green”. As creativity and innovation thrive, new and better ways to live environmentally friendly are constantly being revealed. Any step in the right direction is a good one and, lucky for us, there are many ways for our cities to show their green sides.

Clearing the clutter

Urban sprawl is the uncontrolled spread of urban development into neighboring areas; much like organizing your closet or defragmenting your computer, putting stuff where it belongs can greatly increase the available space you have by maximizing the space you use. Urban planning that reduces sprawl is considered green because it increases the density of city infrastructure and fits the same amount of “city” into a smaller area. Cutting back sprawl can positively impact a city’s sustainability in a number of ways:

Wildlife Refuges

When a city is compact, land that would have otherwise been used by sprawl is left in a more natural state. This provides opportunities for wildlife habitat and also acts as a reserve for native plant species. Available wildlife habitat keeps wildlife and humans both safer, and interactions to a minimum. The forests and vegetation that grow on this land will also act as a natural water filtration system and a carbon sink.

The city of Seattle, Washington comprises over 54,000 acres of land; of this, more than 6,000 acres is green space. The city’s Urban Wildlife and Habitat Management Plan lays out guidelines for managing land such that crucial wildlife habitat is left undisturbed. Land that is considered to be of particular importance for wildlife is acquired by the city to prevent its development, and green spaces are linked whenever possible.

Food Security

In addition to threatening natural ecosystems, urban sprawl threatens farmland. As the need for growth in the city centre pushes the city limits outwards, productive farmland is bought up and developed for other uses.  This increases a city’s dependence on food grown out of town or overseas.  When food isn’t grown locally, it requires large input of energy (usually in the form of fossil fuels) to transport it to where it will be consumed. 

To help protect farmland, the Town of Oliver, BC, collaborated with Land and Water BC to create the Wine Village and Kettle Valley Railway Plan. The plan conceptualizes a compact, pedestrian-friendly village with mostly multi-family dwellings. Surrounding the village is fertile wine country, agrotourism to which is marketed by the village in order to give agriculture in the area a boost and ensure continued production.

Fossil Fuel Use

It’s not just food that uses up fossil fuels to get around!  When a city begins to sprawl, opportunities to take alternate forms of transportation begin to diminish. People become reliant on their cars to get around, since walking, cycling, or public transit are often no longer viable options. Air quality suffers, as does the health of the individual who is now hopping in their car instead of hopping on their bike.

BedZED, short for Beddington Zero Energy Development, is a multi-use planned community in London, England.  It includes both residential and commercial spaces, and has been built to be carbon neutral.  Ideally, workers in the office space would live in the residential buildings and be able to walk neatly to work. 

Affordability

Another unfortunate, and probably less thought-of, effect of urban sprawl is its effect on our pocket book.  Whenever new housing developments or commercial properties are built, the infrastructures to support them need to follow.  Tax payers end up footing the bill for extra roads, sewers, water, and electric that wouldn’t be necessary in a more compact city layout. 

In Vancouver, BC, zoning bylaws were amended in 2009 to allow a secondary dwelling structure on many previously single-family lots. The secondary “laneway” house can be as large as 750 square feet, depending on the size of the lot. Laneway houses can be used as guest houses, as in-law suites, or as rental properties to increase the homeowner’s income. 94% of lots outside of Vancouver’s downtown core were affected by the zoning change. The potential for increasing residential without rebuilding is huge, and all without creating the need for new roads or sewers.

Where to start?

For the city that’s ready to make the first step, there are many resources available to help. British Columbia’s Ministry of Community Development has published an e-book, A Guide to Green Choices, aimed directly at communities looking to improve. The BC Climate Change Council offers Sustainability Facilitators and planners free of charge to local BC community governments.  Outside of BC, consultants such as PlanGreen will help communities establish policies and meet their environmental goals. 

What can I do?

There are lots of things you can do to help your community reach its green goals!

Contribute to infilling

Infilling is the process of increasing the density of a city by replacing or adding to existing developments. Infilling reduces urban sprawl and helps to prevent habitat loss and unnecessary infrastructure. You can help in a couple of ways:

• Consider a dwelling in a multi-family development, such as a condominium or a town-home.
• Give tiny houses a chance! In areas where lane-way houses are allowed, consider downsizing your life and living in a tiny house or a small house.  Seven hundred and fifty square feet may seem small, but a tiny house done right can pack a lot of house into a little space. Check out the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company to see floor layouts of dwellings under 900 square feet.

Make yourself more food-secure

Food security is a term that’s used when talking about how stable our food supply is. When food is shipped in from overseas, it is not a secure food system. Something like a fuel shortage or a political disagreement can disrupt shipment and leave us hungry. To help make yourself more food secure, try some of these ideas: 

• Support local farmers. Farmers markets are a great place to buy produce, and they’re a lot of fun, too. Supporting our local farmers ensures they are there when we need them.
• Grow your own food if it’s possible. Find a community garden, or dig a plot in your backyard. Even a container on your patio helps a little.  Looking for more space to grow or have space to spare? Maybe a yard-sharing program is for you. Yard sharing programs connect people who need space and people who have unused property. In Metro Vancouver, you can check out Sharing Backyards. 

Plan your commute

• Live as close to work as you can. If you can walk or cycle to work, you are not using any fossil fuels. You’ll find you also free up all sorts of time if your commute is suddenly cut in half.
• Use public transit if you can
• Is there an option for you to telecommute? Take it whenever possible, even if it’s only one day a week, every little bit helps.
• If you can’t manage without your car, carpool! If it’s an option for you, you could also consider vehicles that use alternate forms of energy, such as natural gas or electricity.     

Be part of the solution

Most importantly, get involved! It’s your community, make it into what you want it to be. Stakeholders of the Resort Municipality of Whistler, BC, together with municipal staff, created a document they called the Whistler Environmental Strategy (WES). While the Municipal Council didn’t endorse the project, the resulting document has still influenced the decision-making process within the municipality. Several areas of environmental concern outlined in the WES have been further investigated and included in budgets and plans. Your voice can only be heard if you say something.

Sources: Seattle.gov, Coach House Builders, Plan Green, CSCD, Infrastructure, Vancouver, Wallpapers, Tumbleweed Houses, Blogspot Image, Macleans, CSCD

Bixi Bikes Coming to Vancouver

We're thrilled to see progression in the plan to introduce Bixi bikes to Vancouver as the Velo-City Conference was attended late last month: 

Bike share is coming to Vancouver, and we must make it work

The international Velo-City conference is underway in Vancouver as of Tuesday morning and I arrived in time to hear an inspired talk by urban cycling advocate Gil Penalosa. Judging by the Twitter activity throughout the morning, Penalosa's message excited the full house in attendance at the Wall Centre. While Penalosa's full presentation — available here — is fast-paced and rich with detail, it was nicely summed up by an Australian delegate named Stephen Yarwood.

Given the way the Vision council have married themselves to the cycling issue, it was perhaps predictable that the site of the Velo-City conference felt like an offsite City Hall. Mayor Gregor hung around to do interviews while his chief of staff parked himself in front of the venue most of the morning. Even Penny Ballem paced around the site. The always affable Jerry Dobrovolny, Vancouver's Director of Transportation listened intently to Penalosa's speech, which he quipped might put him out of a job. Penalosa's message was to be bold, to be fearless in the face of public opposition, and to make cities as safe as possible for cycling with many miles worth of separated bike lanes. Vancouver, said Penalosa, has not been nearly bold enough when compared to cities like Chicago.The real star of the show that morning, however, were the over 600 Bixi bikes shipped in for the conference and parked in front of the Wall Centre convention facility. Bixi is the Montreal-based bike share manufacturer that will be providing the two-wheeled transport for Vancouver's bike share program. The operator for the Vancouver bike share will be the Alta company based out of Portland, Oregon.

I had the pleasure of having my first bike share experience, after I signed an insurance waiver and gave conference organizers a stamp of my credit card. To get access to a bike I simply inserted the card provided by Velo-City, waited a few seconds for the light to turn from red to green, and pulled the bike out while slightly lifting the rear of the bike from the seat. With my complementary Lazer bike helmet strapped on I took a short ride downtown. 

The Bixi bikes are beautiful machines. They are definitely more sturdy than your typical hybrid or road bike, and sport wide tires with a street-friendly tread. The seat is wide and comfy, something many casual riders prefer. 

The seat post – which I got a blurry image of – is easily adjustable, and thankfully you're not able to easily slide the seat and post right off the bike. That would be a big target of theft otherwise. 

My demo bike was a three-speed but the bikes on order for Vancouver's bike share will be a seven-speed bike to better manage our city's hilly terrain. The gear changer is located in the right half of the handlebar, and the left side has a small bell you can ring with your thumb when needed. There is a small amount of space over the handlebars to locate a small basket if necessary. 

The brakes are built into the wheel hubs, and while you're riding enough power is generated to run safety lights embedded into the frame of the bike, improving your visibility in traffic. Overall it's a solid and comfortable ride, but the slightly heavy frame had my quadriceps burning up a few hills. For all my Bixi bike images see this Flickr set... Read the full story at City Caucus

Bicycle sharing programs have been active in many cities throughout the globe, much like car-shares and other eco-transportation services that are new to Vancouver. As part of Vancouver's Greenest City Action Plan we are expecting to see a significant increase in bicycle transportation services and improvements. The increase in bikes and bike lanes pose a natural deterrent to motor vehicles as those that are inclined to choose cleaner modes of transportation can with ease, and those that prefer to utilize motor vehicles may chose to go elsewhere. The city's green transportation initiatives focus on walking, cycling, transit, and greenways. By designing streets with pedestrian priority, expanding the bicycle network, improving public transit, and increasing public green space, one can imagine a healthier, greener city in the future. Bixi is expected to be active in Vancouver by 2013.


Watch here to learn more about Velo-city Vancouver:

Sources: City Caucus, Bixi, Vancouver Greenest City, Velo-city, Vancity Buzz, UBC Transportation

Troc-Exchange: A Vancouver Bartering System To Reduce Waste

Inspired by an exchange in Europe, Christine and Yvan Saché developed Troc-Exchange.com, a values-driven Craigslist-style website in Vancouver that returns revenue to charities that create environmental changes. The program targets two significant areas of impact: to reduce excess waste and support environmental improvement.

Collaborative consumption is a worldwide trend that TIME Magazine has named as one of the 10 Ideas That Will Change The World. Programs such as Zip Car are popping up all over the world as individuals support this idea. Sharing and trading goods are simple ways to get rid of things you no longer use and acquire things you want without having to add to the products on the planet. Through this type of exchange we can reduce waste and protect our environment.

Bartering is the core of the Troc-Exchange concept. The website's platform is designed to encourage the exchange of goods and services but also provides alternative options to donate or purchase. Individuals can post ads for free and participate in clothing swaps to allow people to see a variety of items at once and make exchanges in person.

Their largest clothing swap was on April 21st at the Projecting Change Film Festival where 100% of the proceeds went to Surfrider Vancouver to help beach clean up on Earth Day. We encourage you to contact them for more information on upcoming swaps and let them know your level of interest so these events can grow.

In addition to fighting waste, the vision of Troc-Exchange.com is to raise funds for associations and foundations of volunteers that are working for the well-being of the planet. The company is funded by sponsors and 50% of their revenue goes to environmental organizations which include groups in Vancouver and worldwide. Their Vancouver chapter is also 100% volunteer run.

The team at Troc-Exchange believes when you participate in this system your are defending the environment for today and for our children tomorrow.

Learn more at Troc-Exchange.com - About

Swap Day with Troc-Exchange

Farm-To-Table: Local Sustainability

Farm-to-table (or farm-to-fork) is a food movement that promotes the traditional use of that which is closest to you. Farm-to-table advocates utilize as many local ingredients as possible, often directly from farmers in their areas or from businesses that carry local products. This sustainable approach not only results in fresher, more natural products but also helps to support local communities and economies.

This season on Top Chef Canada, 26-year old Carl Heinrich of Sooke, BC won the renowned title of Top Chef with his farm-to-table approach.

"Heinrich is deeply committed to the farm-to-table culinary philosophy. And in Top Chef Canada's final episode, Heinrich cashed in: the competitors were able to raid the garden of Hockley Valley for fresh ingredients with which they would prepare their final meal. 'Being from Toronto, I was also at an advantage in that I was able to say exactly which producer I wanted my product from.'" - Calgary Herald

Earth Friendly Farm-to-Fork Living

A low carbon diet refers to making lifestyle choices to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions caused by energy use. It is estimated that the U.S. food system is responsible for at least 20 percent of greenhouse gases. But the 20 percent only counts from direct sources of GHG emissions. Indirect sources, such as demand for products from other countries, are often not counted, so an accurate percentage would be much higher than 20 percent. A low carbon diet minimizes the emissions released from the production, packaging, processing, preparation, and waste of food. A low carbon diet includes eating less industrial produced food in general, eating food grown locally and seasonally, eating less processed and packaged foods and reducing waste from food by proper portion size, recycling or composting.

Farm-to-table refers to, in the food safety field, the stages of the production of food: harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, sales, and consumption. Farm-to-table also refers to a movement concerned with producing food locally and delivering that food to local consumers. Linked to the local food movement, the movement is promoted by some in the agriculture, food service, and restaurants communities. It may also be associated with organic farming initiatives, sustainable agriculture, and community-supported.

Many farm-to-table advocates work hard to spread the word and to show others the importance of finding the freshest ingredients, while attempting to educate their customers about the link between farmers, farm communities, ancient food-production practices, and the food we eat. The public backlash against genetically-modified organisms in our food supply has added a note of political activism to what had been, until recently, a largely aesthetic movement. Farm-to-table restaurants may buy their produce directly from farmers, usually local. In a few cases, the restaurants and farms may be owned and operated by the same people. Restaurants who choose to buy from local food producers regularly yield healthier, better quality meals for their customers. 

This movement has arisen somewhat simultaneously with the increased knowledge and recent changes in attitude about food safety, food freshness, food seasonality, and small-farm economics. Advocates and practitioners of the farm-to-table model frequently cite as their motivations the scarcity of fresh, local ingredients; the poor flavor of ingredients shipped from afar; the poor nutritional integrity of shipped ingredients; the encroachment of genetically modified foods into the food economy; the disappearance of small family farms; the disappearance of heirloom and open-pollinated fruits and vegetables; and the dangers of a highly-centralized food-growing and -distribution system.

In the last few years the number of farm-to-table operations has grown rapidly. Recently, some food and agriculture writers have begun to describe a philosophical divide among chefs: the "food-as-art", or, in some cases, "molecular gastronomy” camp have increasingly focused on "food made strange", in which the ingredients are so transformed as to be surprising and even unrecognizable in the final food product. The farm-to-table chefs, on the other hand, have increasingly come to rely upon extremely fresh ingredients that have been barely modified, sometimes presented raw just a few feet from where they grew. Generally, the farm-to-table chefs rely on traditional farmhouse cooking with its emphasis on freshness, seasonality, local availability, and simple preparations.

Do your part and support local farmers! It is not only beneficial to the earth, it is also beneficial for the health of your families. 

xo ginny

Carl Heinrich:

Hailing from the small town of Sooke, BC, Carl Heinrich is the 26-year-old executive chef at Marben restaurant in Toronto. Although young, he has been working in kitchens since he was 13 years old and is extremely driven and accomplished for his age. Strong support from family and early mentors encouraged Carl to enter the culinary world. During his time at Stratford Chef School, Carl worked at a restaurant as a chef de partie and completed a summer stage for Daniel Boulud in New York City. After graduating, he took up an offer to return to New York and work at Daniel’s busy bistro in Midtown for nearly four years. Motivated by a desire to move back to Canada and be closer to family, Carl accepted a position at db Bistro Moderne in Vancouver where he worked alongside Top Chef Canada season one winner Dale MacKay. Carl's stages over the years include time at Camille's West Coast Fine Dining in Victoria, Marron Bistro in Toronto, Gramercy Tavern and Daniel in New York, Georges Blanc, La Regalade, and Le Comptoir in France and Alain Ducasse' Le Louis XV in Monaco. Carl now lives in Toronto, a city and a culinary scene he loves, where he learned the benefits of farm-to-table and nose-to-tail cooking. Inspired by ingredients and driven by French technique, Carl aims to make approachable but refined food. - Food Network

Sources: Ginny Blogs, Post City, Hockley Valley Resort, Calgary Herald, Farm-to-table, Vancouver Sun

Eating Green Across Canada: Vancouver

With more restaurants in British Columbia offering menus made with locally grown and organic ingredients than just about anywhere in Canada, it's not surprising that Canada's most eco-friendly province is littered with eco-friendly dining options. In BC it seems that eating healthy and organic is so ingrained in the culture most restaurants need not even specify that they do. Here are a few that go that extra mile in the "greenest city" of Vancouver.

  

Aphrodite's Cafe and Pie Shop

3598 West 4th Avenue

Vancouver, BC, Canada

(604) 733-8308

www.organiccafe.ca

Known for, but not exclusively serving, pies, Aphrodite's has been specializing in being green for over ten years. They aim to ensure that their menu has the smallest ecological footprint possible. A varied bill of fare serving such staples as vegetarian chili, salmon burgers, and turkey potpies, Aphrodite's dessert menu is as rich and delicious as their mains serving over a dozen different flavors of pie including wheat and gluten-free options.

Pair Bistro

 

3763 West 10th Ave.

Vancouver, BC, Canada

(604) 224-7211

www.pairbistro.ca

Hard to know what comes first here - a love of food, or a love of planet Earth. The two are so systematically intertwined that it almost seems that eating green and eating well were as nature intended, and Pair Bistro has tapped into that knowledge. Part oyster house, wine bar, restaurant, and place to chill and unwind, Pair offers seafood, BC oysters, and game all served to its clients while in partnership with farmers, ranchers, and fishermen who have a trusted understanding and connection with the soil, their livestock, and the sea.

Mainly Organics Pizza

 

861 Denman Street

Vancouver, BC, Canada

(604) 688-3380

www.mainlyorganicspizza.com

Located in the heart of downtown and specializing in pizza with whole wheat, organic white, or gluten-free crust (thick or thin) and served with organic ingredients. They also serve organic pastas. 

Organic Lives

 

1829 Quebec Street

Vancouver, BC, Canada

(778) 588-7777

or

451 Granville Street (Chopra Yoga Center)

Vancouver, BC, Canada

(604) 424-9422

www.organiclives.org

With multiple locations, Organic Lives is best know for its juice bar smoothies. With a strong emphasis on the link between eating green and nutrition, they also have an online store as well as offering workshops on how to cook green and become more earth conscious when it comes to one's diet.

  

Corduroy

 

1943 Cornwall Avenue

Vancouver, BC, Canada

(604) 733-0162

www.corduroyrestaurant.com

Serving mostly pizzas and pastas this Kitsilano watering hole also serves up special events of every kind and is a fun and relaxing place to kill time. Their menu serves up food that is made from fresh, local, and organic products and ingredients.

UN-Habitat: I'm a City Changer

"I'm a City Changer is a global movement to share and spread individual, corporate, and public initiatives that improve our cities."


Join us as we share our stories and work together to achieve resilient, productive, green cities throughout the globe. 

Share your story today!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

10 Reasons to be a City Changer:

"21st Century Challenges are in Cities

With over half of the world’s people living in cities, urban areas are the focus point of the impact of rapid urbanization, globalization and climate change.

World Population is growing

Global population in cities will reach 60% by 2030 and 70% by 2050. The number of cities with more than 1 million inhabitants has exploded to over 450, more than 20 of which are ‘megacities’, with a population of more than 10 million.

For No Slums

1 billion people of global population reside in sub-standard housing and informal settlements that lack adequate shelter and basic services. By 2020, an estimated 889 million urbanites across the world will reside in slums and squatter settlements characterized by an absence of any formal urban planning.

For Facing Climate Change

Urban population growth and changing consumption patterns put tremendous pressure on our limited resources. There is mounting evidence of the risks posed by climate change for urban areas and their growing populations which affect water supply, physical infrastructure, transport, ecosystem goods and services, energy provision, industrial production and economies.

For Fewer Emissions

Urban mass concentration entails that cities are consuming most of the worlds’ energy and are responsible for about 70 per cent of total emissions of our planet.

Urban Areas are an Economic Opportunity

Urbanization and urban density brings value. A compact and well-planned city offers businesses a comparative advantage in terms of competitiveness and employment. Poor and disadvantaged persons living in cities are more likely to be lifted out of poverty than their rural counterparts.

Cities are the Future of Younger Generation

Globally, young people aged 15-24 years represent 18 per cent of the world's population. 85 per cent of the world’s young people live in developing countries, where they often comprise a large portion of their communities. An increasing number of young people around the world are growing up in cities – especially in the fast-growing cities of sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America. In many cities around the continent, more than 50 per cent of inhabitants are under the age of 24.

Cities are Creative and Productive

Cities are the engines of wealth creation and innovation, with the 40 largest urban mega-regions accounting for 66% of global economic activity and 85% of all technological and scientific innovation. Cities capitalize on their economies of agglomeration and scale to deliver opportunities for livelihood generation across all strata of the socio-economic pyramid.

We Love Cities

Cities are the place where our life goes on, our community and where we are related with each other.

It is the Time to Change

If we work together, we can achieve better cities for all. It is the time to start changing; now is the time for City Changers."

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about renewable energy - Knowledge Is Power! For more information go to www.endeavorscorp.com or write to us at info@endeavorscorp.com if you have questions or want to get involved. Have a green day! 

"One man's trash is another man's treasure" - and everyone's greener Earth!

This #ecoMonday we're highlighting a company that is taking waste removal head on and going green with it - 505-Junk.

The locally owned Vancouver business prides itself on recycling as many items as possible and donating any reusable items to charities throughout Vancouver.

With countless tweets and posts of rescued items, these young entrepreneurs have caught our attention and we encourage everyone to go green and save waste!

505-Junk co-founders Scott Foran (left) and Barry Hartman in Tsawwassen, BC - Photo: South Delta Leader

About 505-Junk

505-JUNK is a full service junk removal business in Vancouver, British Columbia. No job is too big or too small for us and we strive to offer the best customer service at all times.

Our goal is to recycle as many items as possible and to donate any reusable items to charities throughout Vancouver. Contact us today at (604)-505-5865.

The process is simple:

1.) Call us at (604)-505-5865 to book an appointment. We will give you a 2-hour window on a specified date.

2.) A team of 2 will phone 15 minutes prior to arrival on the scheduled date. They will remove all your wanted material, and will always clean up afterwards.

3.) The following business day, you will receive a copy of your total weight along with an invoice by your choice of e-mail, mail, or by phone.

4.) You are now junk free!

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about renewable energy - Knowledge Is Power! If there is something else you'd like to know write to us at info@endeavorscorp.com and we'll do our best to address it for you! For more information go to http://www.endeavorscorp.com/ or write to us if you want to get involved. Have a green day!