“It’s the cheapest bus on the road and B.C. Transit is hoping it also proves to be the most efficient.”
That was the opening line of an article from VicNews.com yesterday that talked about how Victoria will be testing out a new double-decker hybrid bus, the first of its kind in North America. The article also listed that BC Transit was the first to introduce double-decker buses to North America, so it is fitting that they would be the first to bring in a hybrid version. The buses cost an extra $250,000 but increase fuel efficiency by 10 – 12%.
This is a great step towards planning for sustainable communities. One of the key aspects to a community being sustainable is to have an effective public transit system, and a double-decker bus definitely helps decrease the number of cars on the roads. The fact that it is a hybrid also helps reduce the environmental footprint by decreasing green house gas emissions by 10-12% compared to a regular double decker bus.
I think that this is an innovative move by the City of Victoria which once again shows how Victoria is a leader in Canada with respect to sustainable practices. Coming from Calgary I have realized how important an effective transit system is for a big city. Although Calgary has an LRT, it does not provide access to most of the city which excludes thousands of people from using it from day to day. Also, there are no double-decker buses in Calgary, and I do not recall seeing any hybrids at all. Calgary does have a much greater population than Victoria so there are bound to be transport issues there. However I think Calgary can learn a lot from the way Victoria does things with respect to anything to do with sustainability.
Although Calgary and Victoria are a long way apart, on a National scale we are all interconnected. Therefore it is important that cities learn from each other if we want our community – our national community – to flourish and become better as a whole.
Source:
Roszan Holmen. VicNews.Com. March 12, 2009. Accessed March 13, 2009, from http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/victorianews/news/41042079.html
Friday, March 13, 2009
Go Green or Go Home... If you can afford it
After our class discussion yesterday I began to wonder about how the current economic situation in North America would affect the sustainability movement. We learned in class that community planning for the short term, quick pay-back building practices actually end up yielding less profit overall and do not help the community build in a sustainable fashion. This is the case for numerous cities that are suffering from urban sprawl and dependence on the automobile. However in the tough economic times we are in today where thousands of people are losing their jobs across the continent, it seems to me that the higher cost, sustainable building practices would be even less appealing to developers who are trying to cut project costs in any way possible.
When I first started thinking about how this economic situation may set the sustainability movement back, I couldn’t help but realize that it was these thought processes that got us in the situation we are in today. Through short term planning and trying to cut production costs communities have become single use neighborhoods that less and less people are able to afford. It has been shown that once people can no longer afford these single family homes that the community rapidly deteriorates, sometimes to the point where the community is seen as unsafe. What once was a hot new fancy place to live is now a hotspot for crime and drugs (on a per capita scale).
As was discussed in class, I believe that this economic situation could be a good thing for the sustainability movement for the fact that the market will force a change in the way we do things. It is becoming evident that fewer people can afford the massive single-family homes in the suburbs and commute to work every day, and that more long-term planning will be absolutely crucial for communities to survive. One initiative that the Canadian Government is undertaking to promote sustainability is the Federal Gas Tax. This fund could provide developers huge opportunities to gain funding if they choose to invest in sustainable practices.
I now believe that the sustainability movement has reached a point where it is big enough that the difficult financial situation will actually help the movement. There is so much information available today on how to build in a more sustainable matter and it has been proven that these communities return higher profits to investors in the long range that developers will have to make a change in order to sustain both themselves and the communities they build.
Go Green!
When I first started thinking about how this economic situation may set the sustainability movement back, I couldn’t help but realize that it was these thought processes that got us in the situation we are in today. Through short term planning and trying to cut production costs communities have become single use neighborhoods that less and less people are able to afford. It has been shown that once people can no longer afford these single family homes that the community rapidly deteriorates, sometimes to the point where the community is seen as unsafe. What once was a hot new fancy place to live is now a hotspot for crime and drugs (on a per capita scale).
As was discussed in class, I believe that this economic situation could be a good thing for the sustainability movement for the fact that the market will force a change in the way we do things. It is becoming evident that fewer people can afford the massive single-family homes in the suburbs and commute to work every day, and that more long-term planning will be absolutely crucial for communities to survive. One initiative that the Canadian Government is undertaking to promote sustainability is the Federal Gas Tax. This fund could provide developers huge opportunities to gain funding if they choose to invest in sustainable practices.
I now believe that the sustainability movement has reached a point where it is big enough that the difficult financial situation will actually help the movement. There is so much information available today on how to build in a more sustainable matter and it has been proven that these communities return higher profits to investors in the long range that developers will have to make a change in order to sustain both themselves and the communities they build.
Go Green!
Food Fair
An interview in this week’s Monday Magazine called “Seeding the Future” talked about the upcoming regional food-security forum, Food Matters! This is the third annual forum of its type, and it will take place Friday, March 13. There will be a series of workshops “ranging from increasing food access for low-income households to the expansion of the FoodRoots program and the possibility of a downtown market,” as well as keynote speakers such as farmers and land managers from surrounding communities.
The interview was with Linda Geggie, organizer of Food Matters!, and she was asked five questions pertaining to what the forum would cover. Basically the event is trying to highlight the achievements over the past few years and plan for the future of the food on Vancouver Island. Geggie said that they hope to gain knowledge from local seniors on things like gardening and food preservation, both of which have seemed to become lost arts but are now making a comeback.
I think this Food Matters! forum would be a wonderful opportunity to get involved in the community and expand one’s social capital. There will be numerous local land owners with lots of knowledge on important issues regarding local food production, and people can learn a lot as well as talk about what they feel is important for Vancouver Island’s food security. The forum runs 2-7 p.m. Friday, March 13, at the Burnside-Gorge Community Centre, and admission is $15.
Source: Threlfall, J. Seeding the Future. Monday Magazine. Victoria, BC.
The interview was with Linda Geggie, organizer of Food Matters!, and she was asked five questions pertaining to what the forum would cover. Basically the event is trying to highlight the achievements over the past few years and plan for the future of the food on Vancouver Island. Geggie said that they hope to gain knowledge from local seniors on things like gardening and food preservation, both of which have seemed to become lost arts but are now making a comeback.
I think this Food Matters! forum would be a wonderful opportunity to get involved in the community and expand one’s social capital. There will be numerous local land owners with lots of knowledge on important issues regarding local food production, and people can learn a lot as well as talk about what they feel is important for Vancouver Island’s food security. The forum runs 2-7 p.m. Friday, March 13, at the Burnside-Gorge Community Centre, and admission is $15.
Source: Threlfall, J. Seeding the Future. Monday Magazine. Victoria, BC.
Monday Monday
I was thinking about ways in which I could expand my social capital within Victoria, and I realized something that was very obvious: Monday Magazine. Monday Magazine is a weekly newspaper for Greater Victoria that is focused around entertainment and current events in and around Victoria, as well as some more global scaled issues. For the most part this newspaper discusses entertainment oriented topics, but it also talks about and lists a variety of community events that are going on.
In the issue for March 12 – 18, 2009, I found numerous articles that related to social networking opportunities as well as community engagement initiatives. One of the main stories was about an interview with Ken Kelly, general manager of the Downtown Victoria Business Association (DVBA). The interview talked about how the Downtown had changed in the past few years, and how the DVBA plans to address changes in the future through listening to the public and business owners. All throughout Monday Magazine are bits of information that promote community based events such as an activities calendar, a community section, letters to the editors and several other smaller articles and interviews with local community members discussing various community events. I realized that this newspaper could prove to be a very valuable tool when searching for events that would get someone involved with his or her community.
Source: Monday Magazine. March 12-18, 2009. Victoria, BC.
In the issue for March 12 – 18, 2009, I found numerous articles that related to social networking opportunities as well as community engagement initiatives. One of the main stories was about an interview with Ken Kelly, general manager of the Downtown Victoria Business Association (DVBA). The interview talked about how the Downtown had changed in the past few years, and how the DVBA plans to address changes in the future through listening to the public and business owners. All throughout Monday Magazine are bits of information that promote community based events such as an activities calendar, a community section, letters to the editors and several other smaller articles and interviews with local community members discussing various community events. I realized that this newspaper could prove to be a very valuable tool when searching for events that would get someone involved with his or her community.
Source: Monday Magazine. March 12-18, 2009. Victoria, BC.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
When Public Engagement Fails
Throughout this course and the various blogs in which I have posted, the general tone has been strictly positive with respect to the success of community engagement and participation. Every news story I have researched has discussed the positive outcomes resulting from public consultation and the achievement of outcomes that the community fully or for the most part supported. The article I read today held a different tone, and it proved to be rather interesting.
“Activists are threatening to take Langford to court over what they say was a flawed public hearing for the south Skirt Mountain development.” (Goldstream Gazette, 2009) This was the opening line from a story on the front page of the Goldstream Gazette from last week. This article talked about the outrage that resulted from a public hearing in which the community felt their concerns were not addressed. The City of Langford wants to rezone and develop some land around Skirt Mountain; some people in the community approve of the development but some also oppose it.
The people who oppose the development felt as if there should have been a mediator at the meeting in order to maintain order. Some feel as if the Mayor of Langford interrupted certain people while they were trying to speak and that he used his position to intimidate them when they brought up points he disagreed with. The Victoria Island Community Forest Action Network (VIC FAN) has since sent a letter to the city threatening to sue if another more appropriately handled public hearing is not held.
This event shows that there can be times when simply holding a public hearing does not settle everything. There can be disagreement between sides, and it is therefore sometimes necessary to have an unbiased mediator to ensure all affected parties are heard. The City feels as if they acted appropriately while some citizens/organizations feel different. The article also noted that the City is open to schedule another public hearing to address this conflict, which shows one positive thing from this situation in that decision makers are willing to at least listen to the community when there are disagreements.
Original Article:
Hill, E. (2009). Activists demand new Skirt Mtn. public hearing. Goldstream Gazette, Victoria, BC.
“Activists are threatening to take Langford to court over what they say was a flawed public hearing for the south Skirt Mountain development.” (Goldstream Gazette, 2009) This was the opening line from a story on the front page of the Goldstream Gazette from last week. This article talked about the outrage that resulted from a public hearing in which the community felt their concerns were not addressed. The City of Langford wants to rezone and develop some land around Skirt Mountain; some people in the community approve of the development but some also oppose it.
The people who oppose the development felt as if there should have been a mediator at the meeting in order to maintain order. Some feel as if the Mayor of Langford interrupted certain people while they were trying to speak and that he used his position to intimidate them when they brought up points he disagreed with. The Victoria Island Community Forest Action Network (VIC FAN) has since sent a letter to the city threatening to sue if another more appropriately handled public hearing is not held.
This event shows that there can be times when simply holding a public hearing does not settle everything. There can be disagreement between sides, and it is therefore sometimes necessary to have an unbiased mediator to ensure all affected parties are heard. The City feels as if they acted appropriately while some citizens/organizations feel different. The article also noted that the City is open to schedule another public hearing to address this conflict, which shows one positive thing from this situation in that decision makers are willing to at least listen to the community when there are disagreements.
Original Article:
Hill, E. (2009). Activists demand new Skirt Mtn. public hearing. Goldstream Gazette, Victoria, BC.
Monday, March 2, 2009
NOTICE OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION!!!
I was skimming through the Goldstream Gazette a few weeks ago and found a wonderful example of community participation. While reading the "Community Calendar" section of the paper, I saw two large "NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING" boxes on the bottom half of the page. I see these notices all the time, but I never really take a good look at them nor pay any attention to them at all. After recently completing my case study assignment for ENSC 409, these notices caught my attention.
During my case study on the Bridgeland-Riverside community of Calgary, Alberta, I learned that the community had engaged in a public forum in which the community had decided what they should do with an old hospital site. The community decided to build a new multi-use development with the site, and they are currently in the final phase of development for the project that was voted on by the community. The notices from the Goldstream Gazette was not for the same type of decision to be made, but rather for public hearings regarding bylaws for the City of Langford in which all community members were encouraged to attend. The hearings were regarding amending zoning bylaws for new developments planned for Langford, which was somewhat similar to my case study.
I thought it was interesting that I always see these large advertisements scattered around town but never really think to pay attention to them. I guess this is because I have changed communities so many times over the past few years that I never really feel too in-touch with my community. However after researching the Bridgeland-Riverside community, combined with what I have in ENSC 409 so far, I realised that my say can have a bearing on potential decisions within the community. The notices stated that "all persons who believe that their interest in property is affected by the proposed Bylaw will be afforded a reasonable opportunity to be heard or to present written submissions" regarding the Bylaw changes. This shows that the community wants to have your input, as well as the input of any other affected parties, when it comes to making decisions within the community. The notices both clearly indicated where and when I could participate in the public hearings, and have somewhat inspired me to pay more attention to my community!
Source: Goldstream Gazette. February 18, 2009. City of Langford: NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING. pg A13.
During my case study on the Bridgeland-Riverside community of Calgary, Alberta, I learned that the community had engaged in a public forum in which the community had decided what they should do with an old hospital site. The community decided to build a new multi-use development with the site, and they are currently in the final phase of development for the project that was voted on by the community. The notices from the Goldstream Gazette was not for the same type of decision to be made, but rather for public hearings regarding bylaws for the City of Langford in which all community members were encouraged to attend. The hearings were regarding amending zoning bylaws for new developments planned for Langford, which was somewhat similar to my case study.
I thought it was interesting that I always see these large advertisements scattered around town but never really think to pay attention to them. I guess this is because I have changed communities so many times over the past few years that I never really feel too in-touch with my community. However after researching the Bridgeland-Riverside community, combined with what I have in ENSC 409 so far, I realised that my say can have a bearing on potential decisions within the community. The notices stated that "all persons who believe that their interest in property is affected by the proposed Bylaw will be afforded a reasonable opportunity to be heard or to present written submissions" regarding the Bylaw changes. This shows that the community wants to have your input, as well as the input of any other affected parties, when it comes to making decisions within the community. The notices both clearly indicated where and when I could participate in the public hearings, and have somewhat inspired me to pay more attention to my community!
Source: Goldstream Gazette. February 18, 2009. City of Langford: NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING. pg A13.
CEPs for Langford and Colwood
I stumbled accross an article in The Goldstream Gazette a few weeks ago that showed some signs of communities engaging with the public to reduce the city's environmental footprint. The cover story from February 20th talked about how the Cities of Langford and Colwood were planning to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The plans were aimed to meet provincial targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 33% by 2020 through implementing individual community energy plans, or CEPs.
CEPs look at individual communities'transportation, buildings, infrastructure and energy supply and distribuition and attempt to lower the greenhouse gases which they emit. The plans are partially funded by provincial gas tax money, as well as some partnerships with BC hydro and the Ministry of Community Development for funding. Both cities will require various forms of community input in order to effectively decrease their GHG emissions; currently the cities plan to work with universities and developments to achieve GHG reductions, and in some cases actually go off the grid or produce power and sell it back to the grid.
The City of Langford has already started its CEP, and has allotted $40,000 to broaden its scope. The City plans to share its CEP with other municipalities, which is also a part of the broader community participation; one group helping another related group to achieve the greater common goal of a healthier environment. Langford plans to fully implement their CEP within six to eight months, and it will also "include a brochure for politicians to help them understand what a CEP is, as well as templates of [their] plan" (Goldstream Gazette, 2009).
Source:
Dove, A. (2009). Langford, Colwood craft energy plans. Goldstream Gazette.
CEPs look at individual communities'transportation, buildings, infrastructure and energy supply and distribuition and attempt to lower the greenhouse gases which they emit. The plans are partially funded by provincial gas tax money, as well as some partnerships with BC hydro and the Ministry of Community Development for funding. Both cities will require various forms of community input in order to effectively decrease their GHG emissions; currently the cities plan to work with universities and developments to achieve GHG reductions, and in some cases actually go off the grid or produce power and sell it back to the grid.
The City of Langford has already started its CEP, and has allotted $40,000 to broaden its scope. The City plans to share its CEP with other municipalities, which is also a part of the broader community participation; one group helping another related group to achieve the greater common goal of a healthier environment. Langford plans to fully implement their CEP within six to eight months, and it will also "include a brochure for politicians to help them understand what a CEP is, as well as templates of [their] plan" (Goldstream Gazette, 2009).
Source:
Dove, A. (2009). Langford, Colwood craft energy plans. Goldstream Gazette.
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