environment

‘It’s time to talk about urban density’

In an editorial in the February 13th National Post newspaper, Mayor Sam Sullivan is calling on municipalities as well as senior levels of government to open the debate on increasing urban density as a way to address global climate change.

“Instead of telling Canadians to simply check the air pressure in their tires to ensure better mileage, or put energy efficient light bulbs in their suburban homes, we should also be talking about how better urban planning and densification of our cities can significantly reduce our impact on the environment,” Mayor Sullivan writes.

“It’s time to talk about urban density”

National Post
February 13, 2007
As mayor of one of Canada’s biggest cities, Vancouver, I am frustrated with the nature of the debate on global climate change in this country.

Over the past several months, I have watched as environmental organizations, government agencies and the media provide advice on how Canadians can make small changes to our lifestyles, yet continue living in a fundamentally unsustainable fashion.

Instead of telling Canadians to simply check the air pressure in their tires to ensure better mileage, or put energy efficient light bulbs in their suburban homes, we should be talking about how better urban planning and densification of our cities can significantly reduce our impact on the environment.

Source: National Post, Page A08, Feb 3, 2007
Byline: Allison Hanes
Cutting industry’s greenhouse gas emissions, scientists and environmentalists insist, is the single most important way to curb the extreme weather, melting ice caps, rising sea levels and other doomsday predictions surrounding climate change.
However, energy-conscious building codes, good urban planning, tough vehicle-emissions standards and well-insulated homes are all essential policy changes that need to take place internationally, nationally and locally to slow the pace of global warming.

Source: The Globe and Mail Thu 25 Jan 2007
Byline: Gary Mason, gmason@globeandmail.com
While Mayor Sam Sullivan’s Eco-Density initiative hasn’t produced much excitement locally, it’s drawing attention elsewhere.
The program, which promotes increasing density as a means of reducing our collective impact on the planet, is the subject of a lengthy and mostly positive examination in a recent issue of Planning, a highly influential magazine put out by the American Planning Association.
Densification, of course, is not new. It has been tried elsewhere in North America with mixed to little success. People have become accustomed to their sprawling single-family dwellings and don’t like the idea of anything cramping their lifestyle. But because of the debate now raging around climate change, the timing may be right for densification initiatives that are predicated on the need to reduce our “ecological footprint.”

Source: American Planning Association, Jan 2007

Vancouver has been praised as one of the most livable cities in the world, and Larry Beasley, who recently retired as the city’s planning director, has now become a proselytizer for high-density living. Meanwhile, Vancouver is getting ready to go to the next level. Mayor Sam Sullivan is convinced that density is ecologically responsible and must be actively promoted. Last June, he launched the “EcoDensity” initiative, which promotes high-quality densification as a way to reduce the city’s ecological footprint. A big problem with density, though, is its unpopularity. Planners may not be czars, but they still have tools. Many cities begin by increasing density in new developments, particularly on former industrial land where there are no existing residents who are likely to object. Both Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver have had great success with this approach.

Vancouver brings the concept of eco-density to North America.

Vancouver loves density. The downtown population has doubled to 85,000 in the last 20 years; most of those residents live in slender, green glass towers sorrounded by snow-capped mountains and ocean views. Shops, community centers, restaurants and parks are within walking or biking distance, and on a sunny day the seawall along the Pacific Ocean attracts parents pushing strollers, bikers, runners, and roller bladers of all ages and income levels.