Environmental Planning: Greening by Doing

Plan Environmental Planning: Greening by Doing The "green planning" theme sponsored Green ways allowed us to look at the same thing from eleven sessions and one mobile workshop. another perspective. This was demon Planning for pedestrians and bicycles has The sessions mainly addressed planning strated in one session that examined developed into a sophisticated and spe watershed planning (which transcends practice, but academia was also well rep cialized field, and has moved well beyond resented. The sessions, many of which traditional planning boundaries and per wishful thinking to detailed planning and were standing-room only, covered a wide spectives). In another session, natural success. Ottawa's vaunted bikeways and range of interests that fall into three broad habitat planning in eastern Ontario tran pedestrian paths provided the focus of categories: sustainable development; scended not only local but international three sessions on the integration of these greenways and bikeways for cycling and boundaries, using the "Algonquin to alternative transportation modes into the walking; and tools for green design. Adirondacks" area as a base for planning. urban fabric. A panel described how two Sustainable development very different cities- Ottawa and Kelowna Sometimes the planning tool is the pres -identified and resolved policy, planning, entation format itself: One green design As shown by three conference sessions, and design issues for travel by "two session took participants through the the hot topic in sustainability is how to wheels or two legs." A walking tour of planning of a high-growth rural road make it happen. central Ottawa showed off "concrete" corridor near Ottawa, and then had par For example, what does a sustainable examples of bicycle facilities, both ded ticipants rank capital projects for the community look like? Garrison Woods, icated and shared-use. Tour walkers also corridor. Another used a workshop format the award-winning CFB Calgary re-use, saw how road and bridge rehabilitation to guide participants through the design and the proposed Southeast False Creek has incorporated bicycle- and pedestrian of conservation strategies for a large redevelopment in Vancouver, showed friendly designs. natural space outside Ottawa. Finally, two other sessions showed how public-private what could be achieved with the right A third session looked at how greenways partnerships were used as tools to develop combination of techniques, ideas, backers and bicycle paths responded to public parks and open spaces in Victoria and and consultations. needs and acceptance. A survey of public attitudes in Toronto and Windsor showed Toronto, and to conserve sensitive lands in A related question concerns how we major developments in Edmonton. measure progress on a city's sustainability that, with improvements to bicycling goals. Hamilton has used extensive public facilities, bicycling has become an The "green theme" speakers showed just input to design practical indicators that attractive travel choice in both cities. A how far environmental issues have come are updated every few years. Speakers study in Surrey found that, statistically, in planning circles. " Green " is now a stressed that indicators had many other the perception that greenways lead to mainstream (dare we say maturing?) roles, including a role in plan formulation, increases in crime was not justified. subject, taken seriously by developers and but that the indicators had to be tailored Moreover, greenways actually increased policy-makers alike. Of course, there to a city's individual circumstances. property values in some neighbourhoods. remai ns much to do to give planning decisions the full benefit of the environ To many, the goals of "climate change" Tools for green design mental perspective. Underlying all green and " sustainable development" are inter Five sessions demonstrated how different presentations were two themes: the changeable. The third session examined "tools" could be applied to various actual practice of green planning, and the how the Vancouver and Ottawa regions aspects of green planning and design. importance of partnerships. Planners took are acting locally to achieve global goals Sometimes the best tools were those that home lots of practical, "can-do" strategies regarding climate change, and how they and techniques. have given special attention to over coming institutional barriers. The session also explained how the emerging federal Nancy Smith presence in urban affairs presents planners with both challenges and opportunities. Coordinator of the "green planning" theme The theme of sustainability was rounded David Kriger, MCIP out by a highly successful mobile workshop on identifying sustainable Assistant coordinator neighbourhoods (please see the article by Jeff Lehman and Allison Christie in this M s. Smith thanks Lynn Bricker, Mary Anne issue of Strong, David Miller, Sandy Hay and David Kriger for their assistance in developing this .

Load more