The Town of Gibsons has won the 2009 Energy & Climate Action Award in the Community Planning and Development category for development of the Upper Gibsons Neighbourhood Plan. The centerpiece of this neighbourhood plan is the new Upper Gibsons Geo-exchange District Energy Utility. The first of its kind in North America, this system, which will be owned and operated by the municipality, will provide renewable earth energy heating to all new buildings in Upper Gibsons, reducing GHG emissions from heating and hot water by an astonishing 96% (1,450 tonnes). This innovative project will result in energy cost savings of $350,000 annually and about 1/3 of that will be returned to residents as energy cost savings.
The District of Lake Country has won the award in the Corporate Operations category for the Lake Country Hydroelectric Generating Station, a low impact micro-hydro project that harnessed the power of the existing high elevation water supply system to produce clean, green energy. The municipally owned and operated hydro project, which is the first of this type to sell power back to BC Hydro, will produce approximately 3900 Megawatt-hours of emission-free, renewable electricity per year, enough to power roughly 400 homes.
Honourable Mentions were awarded to:
A record number of entries were received this year. Entries in the Corporate Operations category included Capital Regional District, Abbotsford/Mission, Colwood, Coquitlam, Dawson Creek, Richmond, Delta, Lake Country, Saanich and Whistler. In the Community Planning and Development category, entries included Burns Lake, Colwood, Gibsons, City of North Vancouver, Prince George, Port Moody and Sparwood.
This page is under construction. Please check back to view executive summaries of all applications. A brief description of each application can be found in the attachment at the bottom of this page.
Community Planning and Development - Honourable Mention 2009
Since the City of Prince George signed on to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Partners for Climate Protection, Mayor, Council and staff have been busy on many initiatives to reduce GHG and energy emissions. Aside from the important Integrated Community Sustainability Plan process, which is currently in Phase 2, the city and its partners have been involved in a very exciting Smart Growth on the Ground Project which has produced various related design and research outputs on energy including “A Preliminary Assessment of Renewable Energy Capacity in Prince George”.
In 2007, after completing an Energy and Greenhouse Gas Management Plan and signing on to the Climate Action Charter, Council adopted greenhouse gas reduction targets of 2% reduction from 2002 levels for community and 10% reduction from 2002 levels for corporate operations and met Milestone 3 by beginning its implementation of the plan. The city also prepared a unique integration report examining benefits and opportunities for integrating air quality initiatives with GHG and energy reduction initiatives.
The city’s partnership with BC Hydro in working with small and medium sized business to assess and reduce energy consumption is currently in its final stages with over 30 audits completed to date.
A recent CAEE award has allowed the city to implement a pilot incentive program to encourage new home customers to choose a Built Green certified builder and set an EnerGuide target rating for their new home. Meeting an EnerGuide rating of 82 will mean a $7,500 rebate directly to the new home owner. Also though the CAEE award, the city is working with the Northern BC Real Estate Board, with advice from Ministry of Energy Mines and Petroleum Resources and BC Hydro, to pilot a home energy assessment rebate program for homes being sold through a REALTOR® in agreement for allowing energy assessment information to be posted on MLS.ca.
Transportation related initiatives include the preparation of an Active Transportation Plan, and the Prince George Transportation Model (EMME), both which are planned to be brought together to create a sustainability plan allowing the city to plan and integrate a shift in transportation patterns to the more sustainable modes. Transit initiatives include Council’s approval to provide free transit on air quality advisory days (FreeFare for Clean Air) which is a first in Canada and establishing an anti-idling policy for transit buses. Numerous improvements to transit services, including U-Pass program, have resulted in a 12.6% annual increase in transit ridership.
The wide variety of important initiatives clearly show a strong city-wide dedication and commitment lead by our Mayor and Council in reducing energy and greenhouse gases and making Prince George more sustainable.The Resort Municipality of Whistler won the award in the Community Planning and Development category for development of the Whistler Athlete Village (WAV) as a compact, low-carbon resident-restricted housing community with an innovative district-based alternative energy system.
The City of Castlegar has won the 2008 Energy Action Award in the Corporate Operations category for energy efficiency innovations in its new city hall and throughout operations. Castlegar's new municipal hall saves over 50% of the energy of a conventional building, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 29,000 tonnes annually. The City's operational GHG-reduction activities include composting, recycling, residential water meters, biodiesel for fleet vehicles, no-idling, solar-powered pedestrian lights and re-use of treatment sludge for landscaping compost. Two communities were presented with awards in the Corporate Operations category at the September.
The awards are organized annually by the Community Energy Association in partnership with the Province of British Columbia, Union of British Columbia Municipalities and BC Hydro. "The awards celebrate leadership of local governments taking action on climate change and energy. This year's winners demonstrate that energy planning, energy efficiency and renewable energy are possible desirable no matter where you live in the province," said Dan Rogers, Chair, Community Energy Association.
Honourable Mentions were awarded to:
• District of Squamish for their Community Energy Action Plan, including Sustainability Block.
• District of Saanich for its Municipal Carbon Neutral Reserve Fund.
11 Finalists for the 2008 Energy Action Award
The main energy saver was design of a geothermal well. In addition, the building design has incorporated a number of other features including:
- building control systems for switching off lights automaticallyat the end of the day, and daylight photo sensors dimming lights automatically according to the amount of sunshine,
- thermally broken window frames with no heat loss.
- energy efficient elevator that uses 25% less power to operate than normal elevators;
- sun tunnels to provide natural light to the upper floor walkway;
- energy efficient glazing
- insulation at R-40;
- heat air exchanger
- one water temperature only for all washroom fixtures.
In addition the new building has used other environmentally friendly features including low-flush toilets, environmentally friendly recycled roof material and xeriscape landscaping.
The Building has received a 2008 FortisBC PowerSense Award for an organization that promotes or demonstrates leadership in energy efficiency design or practice.
The City has also begun other corporate initiatives on its GHG reduction program. The City has begun a public composting facility this year. It has approved a curbside recycling program to start September 1, of this year. It has applied for an ICSP funding grant to review the City's landuse and development policies. It has commissioned a Water Sustainability Management Plan and has begun installing residential water meters as a fundamental step towards water conservation. In addition the City has also undertaken new corporate processes designed at reducing our GHG. Public Works is now using a mix of bio-diesel fuels with conventional fuels for fleet vehicles. The City has established a No-Idling policy and has encouraged other members of the community to follow suit. The City has begun to mix the Treatment Plant sludge with wood chips to produce Class B compost that is suitable for City landscaping requirements. The City has also begun to install Pedestrian Crossing solar powered lights for the first time in the City and the City is retrofitting all municipal buildings such as the firehall with energy efficient lighting.
All of the above has developed very quickly for our small City and we believe it is a good example for other small municipalities just starting on their own path to GHG reductions .
Over the past decade the Civic Facilities Division has partnered with BC Hydro Power Smart to undertake many individual energy improvement projects, including lighting upgrades, building energy management system installations, ice plant efficiency improvements and heat recovery, and separately building envelope/roofing insulation upgrade projects. Although these projects all resulted in substantial energy reductions, it was decided a more comprehensive energy management program which would involve getting all staff to buy in to energy management would be a substantial benefit for the city.
In late 2007 the City of Prince George formally partnered with BC Hydro under their Energy Manager Program and hired the firm Energy Advantage Inc. to act in the capacity of Energy Manager. This followed the city producing an Energy and Greenhouse Gas Management Plan, having a One-2-Five Energy Diagnostic completed, and partnering with Direct Energy for natural gas procurement flexibility. The One-2-Five Energy report identified that the city could save from $250,000 to $350,000 yearly in energy savings through improved energy management.
The energy manager project is now in its' first year 3rd quarter with executive and working groups identified, capital and operating budgets set up, energy audits completed on 12 major facilities, a new energy policy being developed, and initial work completed on identifying reasonable payback projects to tackle first. We will be capping off the first year of work by producing a Sustainable Energy Management Plan.
Energy-saving project: This project included boiler upgrades, dehumidification system component replacement, and enhanced digital building controls. The existing mid-efficiency boilers were upgraded to advanced high-efficiency boilers. In addition to enhancing the heating capacity in order to satisfy periods of increased demand, the boiler upgrade also designed to reduce annual energy consumption by 2500 GJ. The existing twin screw chiller was replaced with a centrifugal chiller capable of performing heat recovery. The new chiller performs mechanical refrigeration to condense and dehumidify the pool natatorium air. In the process, waste heat is recovered by the dehumidification system and recycled for supply air and pool water heating. By minimizing reliance on outdoor makeup air and recovering waste heat, the chiller was improved overall air quality and designed to reduce energy loss by 4800 GJ. In addition, the digital automated building controls were upgraded to integrate all system components and to ensure that energy savings are achieved. The system enhancement includes software upgrade, installation of new Ethernet system, site controllers and process control units.
The advantage of adopting a process-based green building policy lies in its inherent flexibility and adaptability to diverse circumstances. This enables the RDN, which builds and maintains an extremely wide range of facilities, to include all new construction in its green building policy. This flexibility also allows the RDN to prioritize energy efficiency and life-cycle costing, two key elements of the policy:
1. Based on the urgent need to mitigate climate change, all new construction will optimize energy efficiency and minimize greenhouse gas emissions. Starting in 2010, efficiency measures will achieve a 50% reduction in tonnes of CO2 equivalent relative to the Model National Energy Code. This will increase incrementally until 2030, at which point the RDN is committed to building carbon neutral facilities.
2. The RDN will use the life-cycle costing approach to reveal the long-term savings associated with up-front investments in efficiency.
With this policy the RDN will increase the number of green buildings in the region, and lead the transition toward the development of more high-performance buildings.
Over the last few years, the opportunity for the RMOW itself to develop the Whistler Athletes Village neighborhood has presented a unique confluence of these two core capacities - corporate leadership and neighborhood design. Building on our record of progressive energy management as well as our broader corporate commitment to systems-based sustainability objectives, this particular opportunity has led a number of new corporate innovations: the development of a unique new resident neighbourhood (one of 27 LEED-ND pilot projects in Canada), the creation of a waste-heat powered municipal energy utility, and the installation of an progressive district energy system that will service the space heating and hot water needs of more than 375,000 ft2 of new construction while reducing our communities dependence on carbon-based energy sources.
As demonstrated by the wide variety of proactive energy and emissions planning, policies and actions outlined within this application, and as uniquely evidenced by our development of the Athlete Village District Energy System in particular, we trust that you will find our corporate operations worthy of consideration for the CEA Energy Action Award for Corporate Operations.
The Community Energy Association was pleased to receive 12 outstanding submissions from local governments across BC for the 2007 Energy Aware Award. The executive summaries of the applications are attached below at the bottom of this page.
The winners will be announced at the Union of BC Municipalities banquet on September 27, 2007.
As a result of Burnaby's EnergyFit retrofit program, the City has saved $360,000 in electricity and natural gas costs during the two-year implementation period, and is expected to conserve 4,022,980 kWh of electricity and 23,836 GJ of natural gas on an annual basis.
This reduction in natural gas alone will result in a corresponding reduction in CO2 emission in the amount of 1,296 tonnes per year. To complement the City's civic upgrades, a three year education program was also undertaken to motivate staff to turn off their lights and computer monitors when not in use, reduce vehicle idling, and minimize other unnecessary forms of energy use.
The Climate Change Initiative comprises nine individual action plans which definespecific strategies for reducing Delta's contribution to global warming and mitigating itsvulnerability to climate change:
1. Building Efficiency Plan2. Green Fleet Management Plan3. Infrastructure Improvement Plan4. Urban Forest Management Plan5. Education and Training Plan6. Flood Management Plan7. Natural Areas Management Plan8. Sustainable Development Management Plan9. Community Outreach and Education Plan
The District of Elkford, population 2,400 intends to demonstrate to communities of a similar size
that given the drive and commitment of a co-ordinated team of Council and staff, that smaller
communities are capable of exhibiting leadership and innovation within the realm of energy
related projects on a par with larger communities.
The District has undertaken the following projects, all of which demonstrate the commitment and
leadership of our Council and staff to energy reduction, by employing the latest technologies
available to us.
As a small, northern community with limited financial means, the District of Houston's focus is
ON-THE-GROUND initiatives that make a difference to quality of life for residents, all the while
ensuring that our environmental impact leaves a pristine and sustainable community for our
children. Current "green" initiatives include:
The Naramata Water System was developed over a number of decades to service
both agricultural and residential water needs. Prior to 2007 the Naramata Water
System relied on a mixture of upland creek water blended with water pumped
from Okanagan Lake. As the upland creek source provides poor drinking water
a new pump station and treatment facility was commissioned in 2007 to provide
residential water solely from Okanagan Lake.
Equipment for the Naramata Treatment plant was purchased according to full
life cycle cost assessment including power consumption. The model of UV
reactor chosen was the most power efficient. A heat pump, using the latent heat
in the treated water reservoir, heats and cools the building.
Planned pipe twinning will supply treated lake water to residents and untreated
upland creek water for agricultural properties. This twinning will eventually
save significant energy from pumping and treatment.
The RDOS commenced a Water Ambassador program for the Naramata Water
System and a Low Flow Toilet Rebate both of which reduce the water consumed
and energy used by the system.
Municipalities are in a unique position to lead by example and to work with community
partners and the public to garner support and galvanize action to contribute to the
reduction in global climate change. The City of Richmond has been developing and
implementing a range of innovative initiatives in an effort to accelerate the transition
towards a more sustainable community. The design and construction of the Hamilton and
Sea Island Fire Halls demonstrates a commitment to sustainable development. The
objectives of this project were to:
The new Hamilton and Sea Island Fire Halls are complete and the objectives have been
met. This project exemplifies energy awareness through design and construction that
other municipalities and the community at large have the potential to learn from.
The Surrey Central Transit Village Plan is envisaged as a Transit-Oriented Community, or TOD,
developed in the heart of Surrey Central. The Plan integrates both land use and transportation
strategies to create a vibrant downtown centre, fusing both a distinctive public space strategy of
high quality streets and the development of a major civic square or plaza.
The opportunity exists, specifically in Surrey Centre, for a new urban ‘heart' which includes
finely scaled grid of streets combined with an enhanced public realm, functioning within a broad
mix of urban uses, in a compact walkable and sustainable community. The Plan's
implementation will encourage residents, students, workers, and visitors to choose green modes
of transportation wherever possible.
In 2004 the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) embarked on a program to
develop and establish a new Regional Solid Waste Management Plan (RSWMP). Public
consultation and involvement through the establishment of a Public Advisory Committee
(made of volunteers from the general public), a Technical Advisory Committee
(consisting of staff from member municipalities, waste management businesses and
Ministry of Environment representatives) and many public consultation meetings were
integral to the development of the plan.
Based on a 5-R strategy of waste reduction, reuse, recycling, recovery and residual
management this plan, which was developed with a holistic systems approach that
identified initiatives to be applied to the entire waste stream, was adopted by the TNRD
Board of Directors on June 14, 2007.
Implementation initiatives are now being developed. The TNRD recently received FCM
Letter of Intent funding approval for a feasibility study to explore and identify options to
handle relatively small volumes of municipal solid waste and recyclable materials from a
very large geographic area. Initiatives will be identified to reduce hauling inefficiencies
through a combination of utilizing technological solutions, such as installing compaction
equipment at transfer stations and/or on collection vehicles, reducing the number of
transfer stations and establishing recycling facilities at transfer stations. A five year goal
is a 30% reduction in the amount of landfilled solid waste. Projected is a 25 to 50%
reduction in transport distances and transportation fuel consumption.
Although Ucluelet is a small community of only 1800 people, we believe our development
policies have made a difference in terms of creating sustainable energy consumption and
prevention of climate change through the use of policies within Ucluelet's Official Community
Plan. Although it is not uncommon to see sustainable policies in OCP's, we believe Ucluelet is
unique in terms of its ability to implement sustainable energy policies on abroad scale. Rather
than submitting one particular project, the District of Ucluelet would like to submit the following
sustainable energy initiatives which have been implemented as land use policy:
The District of Vanderhoof ‘Community Energy Plan' sets out a strategy in which all residents can participate and help our community reach ‘greener' goals, including, among others, energy efficiencies and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. If we all do our part, we can look forward to a ‘cleaner' energy future and a commitment to support a strong community in terms of energy conservation and efficiency now and for future generations."
The City of Dawson Creek has won the 2006 Energy Aware Award as a result of exemplary commitment, leadership, and vision in energy planning and implementation. The City has been recognized for its outstanding efforts to shift toward efficiency and renewable energy. Two communities were presented with Honourable Mentions at the October 26, 2006 annual Energy Aware Awards: 1) Township of Langley for its LEED certified Civic Centre, and 2) City of Victoria for its Dockside Green Development.
In 2005 we were impressed by both the quality and quantity of applications...and the savings that they achieved.
Below are links to the 2005 Energy Aware Award applications.
To see the winning application from the City of North Vancouver, Click here.
The Task Force approached the British Columbia Energy Aware Committee (EAC) to partner with them on the implementation of a “Community Energy Planning” (CEP) process. Although it would be rare for a small community of 3,000 people to undertake a CEP process, Bowen Island Municipal Council felt the project was important and approved a financial expenditure to support the process.
Over the next decade, implementation of this $6.4 million program will guarantee to:
The Plan and its strategies are based in a solid understanding of how much energy is used for what purposes in the city. In identifying a municipality’s power and influence in community energy use, it provides all cities with a realistic and responsible roadmap to reduce energy usage.
Check out the news release for background on the winner and the honourable mentions.
The Centre has realized energy savings 43% better than the Model National Energy Code for Buildings (MNECB) and is being certified under the Canada Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The Centre has received numerous awards and has been featured in a number of publications, showcasing Kamloops’ leadership in sustainable planning.
The following submission presents how TransLink/GVRD, the Cities of Burnaby, New Westminster, and Vancouver, and Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST) have begun to address this short-coming by planning, designing and constructing a greenway suitable for zero emission commuters (cyclists, pedestrians and bladers) as part of Transport Canada’s Showcase Program for CO2 reduction demonstration projects at a total cost of $17 million dollars to all of the partners.
The municipality of Dawson Creek has recently completed a baseline energy study for municipal operation as a first step in a larger process designed to identify, understand, and address energy issues throughout the community. In general, overall targets and specific solutions will be informed by rigorous analysis, and the municipality will be considering changes in operating practice, infrastructure, and policy as potential ways of addressing identified energy issues.
The City of Dawson Creek received an Honourable Mention at the 2005 Energy Aware Awards for this work.
The project has a number of benefits to Revelstoke:
The new operations building is a showcase of sustainable design.
The Municipal / Private Landfill Gas Utilization Project provides an example of developing a unique approach to local governance in order to achieve community goals such as clean air and healthy cities in an environment of fiscal restraint.
This twenty–year green energy project involves a partnership between two local governments, The Corporation of Delta, and the City of Vancouver; and two private organizations, CanAgro Produce Limited and Maxim Power Corp. The project consists of beneficially utilizing landfill gas (LFG) from the City of Vancouver’s Vancouver Landfill in a co-generation application, for the purpose of generating electricity and heat. The electricity will be sold to B.C Hydro as “green” power and the heat will be utilized in the form of hot water by a South Delta greenhouse.
The project’s substantial commitment in infrastructure is financed by the private sector, while both municipalities will receive environmental, social and economic benefits from the co-generation proposal. Maxim Power Corp (“Maxim”) will provide the $8.5 million financing required for the 2.5 -kilometer pipelines and co-generation plant. In return for providing the LFG, the City of Vancouver will receive approximately $250,000 to $300,000 annually, while Delta will receive between $80,000 and $110,000 in new tax revenue. CanAgro Produce Limited will receive a secure low cost heating source from the co-generation plant located on its property. B.C. Hydro will purchase all of the electricity under its Green Energy Program, introduced in April 2001.
In addition to the generation of revenue, the project will result in replacing non-renewable fossil fuels with methane from LFG to heat CanAgro’s greenhouse. This will reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by an estimated 30,000 tonnes a year, equivalent to taking the Greater Vancouver Transit Authority’s fleet of 1,100 diesel buses off the road for two months. Energy from the project is equivalent to providing the annual energy requirements to approximately 5,000 homes.
The driving force to incorporate sustainability features into the development of the northeast sector of Coquitlam came from Council in the early 1990s. Over a period of time, both City staff and Council became increasingly interested in "doing something different" with a large parcel of land earmarked for intensive development with challenging features, such as steep terrain, abundant water features and a near-pristine environment.
The City undertook a series of studies to investigate the feasibility of various development strategies, all of which formed the background to the development of the winning Official Community Plan (OCP). Further studies are underway to finalize other high-level requirements for the site, such as master plans for integrated watershed management, alternative road standards, transportation plans etc. Neighbourhoods have been identified, and a phasing strategy for implementation of the plan is under consideration.
These studies will lay the foundation for the development of more detailed neighbourhood plans, initiated by landowners and following the policies defined in the OCP. Their preparation will involve an extensive stakeholder consultation process.
On July 31, 2000, Coquitlam Council made a formal commitment to building more sustainable and energy efficient communities with the adoption of the Northeast Coquitlam OCP. Over the next 20 years, this long range, comprehensive plan will guide development of a livable, transit oriented community of 24,000 people providing opportunities not only for the protection of the area's significant environmental assets but also for a diverse mix of housing types, commercial, retail, and community leisure services offering viable transportation choices for future residents.
The Northeast is a unique area within Coquitlam, and indeed, Greater Vancouver. From a regional planning perspective, the area is recognized as one of the largest rural and undeveloped portions of the region lying west of the Pitt River. As part of the region's Growth Concentration Area, the City, and Northeast Coquitlam in particular, contains a significant land base outside of identified protected and environmentally sensitive areas that can be contemplated for future urban development.
By recognizing both these planning challenges and opportunities, Council realized that an OCP for the area was an important tool to address growth management issues and supported a comprehensive planning process for the area. Along with extensive public involvement, this process included background technical reviews on environmental issues, terrain and watershed management, housing demand, transportation, land use, utility services, and financial feasibility.
At the heart of the planning process and the OCP are the following principles that embody the central elements of sustainability and community energy planning.
Linked to each principle was a set of practical strategies that were employed in developing, evaluating and selecting a preferred land use, transportation and servicing concept for the area. The plan operationalizes these principles through a set of comprehensive plan policies and implementation strategies.
Coquitlam Council recognized that land use and transportation planning, site planning, neighbourhood and building design can have profound effects on energy efficiency and energy-related air emissions. Major components of the development concept are consistent with the goals and objectives of encouraging more energy efficient neighbourhoods and buildings. These include:
The proposed, intensely urbanized village area of the overall concept seeks to ensure that Northeast Coquitlam develops in a manner that is compact, transit-supportive and ultimately more sustainable and energy efficient. This area becomes the "heart" of a complete community within which amenities are clustered. A variety of residential types and densities within the area ensure that housing opportunities exist for a broad cross section of people in the community. Institutional, commercial, and retail uses, along with their associated range of employment opportunities, are easily accessible to residents.
In many respects, the development concept for Northeast Coquitlam represents a significant departure from conventional approaches to suburban community design. The basic composition of the community, for example, includes a much broader range of closely integrated land uses and more variety in housing types and densities.
To assist the planning process, a Geographic Information System-based evaluation model, INDEX, was used to evaluate potential land use options against a set specific liveability and resource efficiency indicators. These indicators were developed during the planning process, and were useful when evaluating each issue relative to the achievement of the six overall planning principles. Energy consumption, waste generation, capital, operating and maintenance costs of infrastructure, air pollution, auto dependency, housing mix and the proximity to and availability of key community services such as transit, shopping, parks and open space was measured for each land use option. This helped identify the "village concept" as the preferred land use option for Northeast Coquitlam.
For a benchmark comparison, the same indicators or measures were calculated for an existing City community that had developed in a more conventional pattern nearly 20 years ago. For nearly all indicators, the model demonstrated a marked improvement towards sustainability in the village concept over the conventionally planned subdivision.
Some key sustainability benefits of the proposed land use plan for Northeast Coquitlam over the more conventional suburban approach include:
The OCP includes specific policies outlining Council's support for planning, design and construction of energy efficient neighbourhoods and buildings along with several strategies related to land use and transportation planning, energy supply options, building design and site planning aimed at reducing energy consumption. Specific energy efficiency and conservation policies are listed below.
This plan provides an opportunity to work towards building a community that is more socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible and sustainable than typical post-war suburban communities. The planning framework contained within the OCP responds to the increasing recognition of significant economic, environmental and social costs associated with current growth management issues such as urban sprawl, traffic congestion, water and air pollution, loss of affordable housing, energy conservation, loss of open space and areas of high environmental sensitivity and the loss of social contact in communities. By taking the bold step of adopting this framework which is at the core of the new Northeast Coquitlam OCP, Coquitlam Council is committing itself to take an active role in working towards a more sustainable and energy efficient future.
As reference guide for other BC communities, policies described in the Northeast Coquitlam OCP specifically aimed at ensuring energy efficiency and conservation are as follows:
a) The City promotes the following strategies which support the planning, design and construction of energy efficient neighbourhoods and which are intended to guide implementation of this plan, particularly the development of neighbourhood plans.
i) Land Use Strategies
ii) Transportation Strategies
iii) Energy Supply Strategies
iv) Building Design and Site Planning Strategies
In December 1998, the City of Surrey Department of Planning and Development entered into partnership with a number of stakeholders with the aim of demonstrating more sustainable community development standards "on the ground."
The East Clayton Neighbourhood Concept Plan was the first and most important part a larger work known as the Headwaters Project.
Developed by the City in conjunction with UBC's James Taylor Chair (Professor Patrick Condon), the Pacific Resources Centre, and a multi-constituent advisory committee, the East Clayton Neighbourhood Concept Plan is the first time sustainability principles have been used as the basis for a sizable new suburban community. The East Clayton area includes over 560 acres of land and will eventually provide homes for over 13,000 people.
A key feature of the approach is to concentrate on the process of resolving competing sustainability imperatives as much as the outcome.
Through a series of design charrettes (workshops), various stakeholders worked together to ensure that each of their priorities are fairly accounted for and represented. Since final designs incorporate the values of all those partaking in the process, they are likely to be smarter and to be seen as inherently 'fairer' than conventional designs generated by a more limited range of people.
In previous work with Surrey City Council, the James Taylor Chair helped produce a list of seven design principles for sustainable communities. At the outset of the East Clayton project, Council agreed to support the application of these principles to the development's design. "Since this meant we had to make so many changes to the conventional development standards, we thought that a four-day, multi-stakeholder design charrette was the best way to go", says Condon.
The individuals at the design table were either vested with sufficient authority to negotiate new standards "on the fly," or they were delegated to represent larger constituencies (such as local landowners). The charrette structure guaranteed that the local landowners' interests were represented, and it enabled a group of local individuals to appreciate how the underlying principles and features of the East Clayton plan came together to form a highly mixed-use and sustainable community. Carefully developed and strictly enforced guidelines helped to facilitate the charrette process.
They are:
1. Build capacity for integration through shared awareness and determination to act jointly.
2. Involve early on (preferably at the beginning) those people, agencies, and organizations that can influence plan policy and development standards (including their implementation).
3. Share information equally.
4. Share resources across mandates for mutual gain.
5. Build confidence in the process, in plan policies, and in alternative development standards.
6. Ensure the direct involvement of municipal staff.
7. Gain access to the necessary technical expertise.
8. Deal with issues efficiently.
More than anything else, the East Clayton Neighbourhood Concept Plan is a "green infrastructure" plan. East Clayton will be one of North America's most significant examples of an integrated system of green streets and affordable sites. Parks, playgrounds, and natural areas are essential and integral components of this system. East Clayton has narrow streets, and roadways that throughout the site use one-third less blacktop than standard suburban sites. Storm water management will enable natural infiltration to occur, thereby minimizing runoff and avoiding detrimental downstream flooding events. Yard and street infiltration devices will eliminate nearly all downstream consequences of development. East Clayton also shows how a combination of efficiencies can dramatically decrease site infrastructure costs while also reducing dependence on the automobile.
The East Clayton Neighbourhood Concept Plan benefits both the environment and the people who will live within it. This mixed-use plan means that, if they so choose, people can live, work, and play in the same community throughout their lives. Units will cost 20 to 30 per cent less than a standard home in the same area, and secondary suites will provide a mortgage aid for homeowners while providing good housing for lower income families. Jobs will be located close to homes, and home-based work opportunities will be provided in the region's first live/work area located outside of the centre city. Finally, a "Rapid Bus" will connect all residents to major employment, shopping, and cultural centers to the east and west.
The East Clayton Neighbourhood Concept Plan offers a blueprint for sustainable development, and is now influencing the development of "lighter, greener, cheaper, smarter, and complete communities" throughout the Northwest.
More information on the East Clayton Neighbourhood Concept Plan is available from UBC's James Taylor ChairThe City of North Vancouver was presented with the award for their proposed redevelopment of the Versatile Pacific lands.
In 1998 the City, in co-operation with Terasen and BC Hydro, funded a feasibility study for a district heating system to serve the Lower Lonsdale / Versatile Pacific site and the Central Lonsdale area. The study included a consideration of the use of ocean-source heat pumps, hydrogen and wood residues to provide renewable energy.
In a press release issued at the time, the Energy Aware Committee said that "this project provides an excellent example of a sustainable community providing a broad range of employment opportunities within walking distance; a bus transit hub; a passenger rail station; close proximity to skiing, hiking and other outdoor sports; as well as numerous restaurants and a movie theatre".
[picture availability?] Mayor Jack Loucks and some City of North Vancouver council members received the Energy Aware Award from Don Rankin, Terasen ' Manager for Municipal Relations and EAC member, during the annual convention.
The winning study explored the technical issues of a possible district heating system in some detail, and outlined a preliminary business case.
"As a technical planning tool, the study has remained robust," said Bill Susak, a City of North Vancouver planner in October 2000. "We're still working hard, though, on the nuts and bolts of the business case and implementation plan".
Since winning the award, the City has adopted a medium to long-term implementation strategy, which focuses on creating the conditions under which a district heating system can develop over time rather than embarking on a major 'big-bang' project. In the City-owned areas of Lower Lonsdale, new developments must now be built ready for connection to a future district heating system.
One of the most common barriers to urban sustainability is the way in which a large number of minor decisions made over long periods of time can collectively create an urban form and infrastructure that makes future energy efficient innovations uneconomic. To ensure the viability of a future district heating system, the City now requires that all new buildings in the district energy zone be constructed with an internal hydronic system, and prohibits the use of electrical heaters as the primary heating source. Each building must have an internal boiler that can be replaced when the district heating system is eventually constructed. By taking these simple steps now, the City is altering urban form and infrastructure at minimal cost and creating the conditions under which sustainable development can occur in the future.
The move is not without opposition. The City of North Vancouver Council rejected a representation by a developer who considered these conditions to be an overly onerous burden. The same developer subsequently abided by the novel requirements; importantly though, Council has demonstrated the will to stand by its commitment.
"Without a doubt, the capital cost for a building installed with a hydronic system is higher than one without," Susak frankly admits. "And with the current spike in natural gas prices, it's difficult to say how the total life cycle costs will compare to electrical heating. But the cost of natural gas relative to electricity should fall in the future, and then the case for district heating will become compelling again".
Susak and his colleagues spend much of their time trying to convince skeptical developers that conforming to the City's requirements for a district heating system is worthwhile. "Part of the problem is that all the costs fall to the developer whereas the future cost savings will fall to the buyer", says Susak.
To ease some of the difficulties involved with offering developers incentives to invest in the area, the City soon hopes to cement a strategic alliance with Terasen Services Inc., which has committed to provide, at no cost to the builder, a boiler for buildings that are designated to be part of the future district heating system.
This means that a convenient mechanism will exist for a builder to help create the 'captured' heating market without having to buy a significant component of a building's hydronic system. In addition, it means that both the central plant and the distribution system costs can be deferred to a future time when it makes optimal economic sense to invest in the components that tie the system together.