Density by Design - The EcoDensity reality
Vancouver’s much debated EcoDensity Charter will finally be put before city council for ratification next month. Not a policy document, but rather one that influences policy, the charter describes itself as ‘a contract between the city and its citizens, both current and future.’
It expands on and enshrines environmental strategies previously laid out in Vancouver’s Climate Change Action Plan, including the principle that “the most important long-range strategy for managing housing and transportation related green-house gas emissions in an urban context is land use planning for higher density, mixed-use, walkable communities -frequently referred to as smart growth.”
The charter realigns the emphasis of previous planning exercises from livability [which in Vancouver has long been associated with the preservation of privacy and access to views] to environmental and social sustainability - and places some of the responsibility on individual neighbourhoods and communities for formulating their own vision.
Even with Vancouver’s international reputation for ‘livable density’, this is a necessary exercise. Research has shown that the city has the lowest per capita green house gas emissions of any major city in North America at five tonnes per person per annum, yet this is still twice that of a typical European city, and three times the level necessary to achieve climate stabilization.
Interestingly, although not surprisingly perhaps, the five tonne per annum figure lies between two extremes - 1.5 tonnes per person per annum for the densely populated downtown core, and six tonnes per person per annum for the single-family neighbourhoods on the fringes of the city, where green design would improve the figures, but wouldn’t bridge the gap.
The numerical evidence is clear that, with current technology and economic conditions, carbon neutrality, or even the emission levels necessary for climate stabilization, are not achievable without increased density. Density brings with it economies of scale, the opportunity for mixed use and cost effective transit, and the possibility for developing symbiotic relationships for energy, water and waste.
Equally clear, however, is that EcoDensity will only succeed in Vancouver [and elsewhere] if it goes beyond pure numerical ambition to embrace community consultation, respect neighbourhood character, embody design quality, and provide public amenity. Before the charter has even been ratified, some [see Viewpoint page 56 ] believe that EcoDensity is off to a shaky start.
Jim Taggart, MRAIC Editor .Print this article | Send by e-mail