EcoDensity | Newly formatted Charter and Initial Actions

Newly formatted versions of the EcoDensity Charter and Initial Actions, which Council approved on June 10, 2008, are now available for download on the EcoDensity website: vancouver.ca/ecodensity

While the content has remained the same as approved by Council, the documents now contain graphics and have been formatted for easier reading.

Once again, to view the EcoDensity Charter and Initial Actions and for more information visit: vancouver.ca/ecodensity

Council Approves EcoDensity Charter

Vancouver City Council unanimously voted on June 10 to adopt the EcoDensity Charter.

The EcoDensity Charter commits the City to make environmental sustainability a primary goal in all city planning decisions - in ways that also support housing affordability and livability.

The first two actions to be implemented by the City immediately are:
1. Rezoning policy for greener buildings: Applications for new rezoning will need to meet a minimum LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver rating, or similar equivalency in green design. The City will also be expecting that energy performance, water efficiency and storm water use be considered.

2. Rezoning policy for greener larger sites: Changes to rezonings for land that is two acres or more. A number of sustainability measures will be required for these rezonings, and for sites with housing, a range of types and tenures must be considered to increase affordable housing opportunities.

Longer-term actions that will receive priority include: an interim EcoDensity rezoning policy; options for backyard/laneway housing; more options for secondary suites; and removal of barriers to green building approaches.

Council initiated the EcoDensity program in July 2006. The final Charter and Actions incorporated public input from a Special Council Meeting that lasted seven sessions, amongst numerous other public consultation opportunities.

To view the EcoDensity Charter and Initial Actions and for more information: vancouver.ca/ecodensity

Mount Pleasant | The City of Vancouver | Planning Our Future

The City of Vancouver has launched a number of initiatives aimed toward creating a better future for everyone in Vancouver. Most likely it is the presence of City Hall in Mount Pleasant that has Mount Pleasant as the Vancouver guinea pig with these collaborative steps with the Mount Pleasant community.

The City of Vancouver Mount Pleasant Community Planning Group has established the Mount Pleasant Community Liaison Group which meets regularly to share information about the various working groups and the progress being made, as well as issues and concerns of the local community.

Other Working Groups include the Mount Pleasant Heritage Working Group, and the Social Coordinating Group. The Heritage Working Group is in active discussion with the City of Vancouver over what constitutes Heritage, and the Mount Pleasant community is the framework from which tangible conversation stems. Rather than focusing solely upon physical structures and architecture, the conversations expand to include history of culture, the evolution and heritage of the working class neighbourhood, and the gathering places both current and of old, to name a few.

Angelo Ko from the City of Vancouver's Mount Pleasant Community Planning Program informs us that Local Historian and Author, Bruce Macdonald is leading a Walking Tour of Mount Pleasant organized by Proximity Arts on Sunday, February 10 and Saturday, February 16 at 2 p.m. For details of the tour and registration, please visit www.proximityarts.com. If you have any questions, please send email to info(at)proximityarts.com.

The Social Coordinating Group is focusing their efforts on Social Action to address the issues of homelessness, drug addiction, the four pillars program, harm reduction, and involving community members and organizations in creating, developing, and implementing successful strategies.

While no system is perfect, and this effort may seem fraught with errors or seem in vain at times, it is the slow wheels of change that drive progress and always have. Our voices matter now more than ever as we reach forward to an uncertain future, in particular according to many experts, including Vancouver's own Dr. David Suzuki. These warning signals are the catalyst for the City of Vancouver's launch of EcoDensity: A strategy of significant proportion that a municipality can implement to reduce the municipal ecological footprint.

More can be found in the discussion forums related to these various topics, and a variety of links to various participating sources. Lend your voice here online, or at the meetings. It's time we got involved.