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Vancouver, Bc Sets Goal To Be The Greenest City In The World
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Nov 13 2011 12:00 AM | mariaandrea in Green Living
In 2007 the city of Vancouver, BC coined the term "EcoDensity," which describes urban development in terms of ecological sustainability: More people in less space living in ways that minimize the ecological footprint. This translates to innovative ways to produce and transmit energy, efficient greenspaces and reduced reliance on fossil fuel powered transportation methods, among other things.
Vancouver is a stunningly beautiful city located on the west coast of Canada, surrounded by sparkling water, mountains and forests. Incorporated in 1886, the geography of the city - located on a peninsula - forces density. The city itself is just 44 square miles with a population of close to 650,000 people. More live in the surrounding metro area of towns and suburbs.
To meet the challenges of a densely packed population, Vancouver builds dedicated bicycle lanes and discourages the use of cars in its downtown core, has rooftop gardens, uses the heat generated by untreated sewage to heat one of its neighborhoods and strongly encourages carbon neutral construction and public transportation. In short, the city has taken aim at being the greenest city in the world by 2020, according to an article in the Seattle Times.
Not everyone agrees the goal can be met, and one of the costs of being green is a high cost of living, a scarcity of some services and a difficulty for some services to keep up with a growing population, and a large homeless population. As a large port city, Vancouver serves as a hub for tons of fossil fuel driven trucks carrying cargo to and from the harbor.
But, even working to attain the goal will yield results and should help to serve as a model to other cities.
Vancouver is a stunningly beautiful city located on the west coast of Canada, surrounded by sparkling water, mountains and forests. Incorporated in 1886, the geography of the city - located on a peninsula - forces density. The city itself is just 44 square miles with a population of close to 650,000 people. More live in the surrounding metro area of towns and suburbs.
To meet the challenges of a densely packed population, Vancouver builds dedicated bicycle lanes and discourages the use of cars in its downtown core, has rooftop gardens, uses the heat generated by untreated sewage to heat one of its neighborhoods and strongly encourages carbon neutral construction and public transportation. In short, the city has taken aim at being the greenest city in the world by 2020, according to an article in the Seattle Times.
Quote
"Vancouver recently announced its desire to become the world's greenest city by 2020. As such, Western Canada's urban hub has set ambitious goals to turn itself into a living laboratory for all things sustainable. The city is moving to reduce solid waste by 50 percent, cut residents' carbon footprints by a third and dramatically increase public transit, walking and bike use. It is packing citizens in more densely, trying to encourage more locals to grow food and generally urging lighter living on the land."
Not everyone agrees the goal can be met, and one of the costs of being green is a high cost of living, a scarcity of some services and a difficulty for some services to keep up with a growing population, and a large homeless population. As a large port city, Vancouver serves as a hub for tons of fossil fuel driven trucks carrying cargo to and from the harbor.
Quote
"We are not going to be the greenest city in the world by 2020," says Price. "The northern Europeans will have something to say about that. But, depending on how you define it, we stand a reasonable chance of attaining that title in North America."
But, even working to attain the goal will yield results and should help to serve as a model to other cities.
