SUSTAINABLE URBAN LANDSCAPES Site Design Manual for BC Communities Copyright © 2003 All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means without per- mission in writing from the authors. Published by the University of British Columbia James Taylor Chair in Landscape and Liveable Environments Patrick Condon, Chair www.sustainable-communities.agsci.ubc.ca Written by Patrick Condon, Joanne Proft, Jackie Teed and Sara Muir Graphic concept by Angela Gonyea Research and production assistance by Katherine Isaac, Chris Midgley, Sherry LaRue, Peter Williams, Justen Harcourt, and Geoff England Copy edited by John Ingram and Joanne Richardson Cover Illustration by Ramsay Worden Architects, Ltd. Cover Printing by 3S Printers Revisions for Version 1.5 by Shana Johnstone and Dolores Altin Based on research and design resulting from the Headwaters Project, the Southeast False Creek design charrette, the Burnaby Mountain Community design charrette, and the Riverwalk on the Coquitlam consultant team charrette. Condon, Patrick M. Sustainable urban landscapes: site design manual for British Columbia communities Includes bibliographical references. Copywrite UBC James Taylor Chair in Landscape and Liveable Environments. Graphics and text may be used in other documents so long as they are unaltered and attributed. All other uses constitute a violation of copywrite law. SUSTAINABLE URBAN LANDSCAPES Site Design Manual for BC Communities Version 1.5 August 2003 Financial support for this publication was generously provided by: Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Ministry of Water, Land, Air Protection Women’s Services Environment Fisheries and Oceans Pêches et Ocèans Canada Canada Canada Affordability and Choice Today Program Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation CONTENTS 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 7 PREFACE PART ONE 8 SETTING A CONTEXT 8 Introduction 10 Water 12 Air 14 People 16 Policy and Planning 24 Charrettes: A Process for Integration 26 Southeast False Creek 32 Burnaby Mountain Community 38 Riverwalk on the Coquitlam 42 East Clayton PART TWO 50 A DESIGN METHOD 50 Taxonomy of Urban Sites 54 Charrette Strategies 55 District A - D 61 Corridor E - H 67 Block I - K 73 Parcel L - O PART THREE 78 A DESIGN APPROACH 80 Six Guiding Principles 86 Design Guidelines 87 District 1 - 14 103 Corridor 15 - 26 117 Block 27 - 32 127 Parcel 33 - 43 CONCLUSION 140 APPENDIX 143 SUSTAINABILITY CHECKLIST REFERENCES 150 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS e acknowledge all those who Members of the Headwaters/East Midgley, Sherry LaRue, Peter Williams, Whave participated in the devel- Clayton Implementation Charrette in- Justen Harcourt, Geoff England, Ivy opment of this manual and all initiatives clude: Tzur, Michael Enns, Dolores Altin, Myles leading up to it. Without their vision, Mackenzie and Shana Johnstone. Finally, dedication, and valuable time this City of Surrey: How Yin Leung, Wendy Whel- Patrick Condon took leadership in estab- manual would not have been possible. en, Francisco Molina (Planning); Eric Emery lishing the goals, objectives, scope, and (Engineering); Jean Lamontagne (Parks, Recre- Special acknowledgement is given to the ation and Culture); John Strandt (Fire); Gerry graphic language of the project. He also Headwaters Project Partners for pro- McKinnon and Dale Hadden (Operations) reviewed and edited all drafts produced viding generous funding and advisory Department of Fisheries and Oceans: Barry by the project team. support. These partners include: the Chilibeck Real Estate Foundation of British Co- BC Hydro: Allan Grant East Clayton Community: Norman Alexander, *Government resource management agencies lumbia; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; support the development and application of 6 Amar Bains, Elsa Watts (Citizen Advisory Com- 7 Environment Canada; the Georgia Basin mittee) low impact development principles and design Ecosystem Initiative; the Canada Mort- Developer: John Turner (Progressive Con- standards in new communities. In addition to supporting innovative sustainability pilot projects Foreword gage and Housing Corporation; the struction) such as the East Clayton/Headwaters project, Federation of Canadian Municipalities Engineering Consultants: Sudu Vatagotagom- many of these agencies also have decision-mak- Affordability and Choice Today Program; bura, Jane Farquarson (Earth Tech Canada) ing roles with respect to the four case studies Designers: Bob Worden, Doug Ramsay (Ram- the Agriculture Investment Foundation presented in Part One. These studies are provid- say Worden Architects Ltd.); Stacy Moriarty ed strictly for the purpose of illustrating different (Agriculture Canada); the Ministry of (Moriarty/Condon Ltd.); Patrick Condon (UBC types of charrette design processes and outlining Community, Aboriginal and Women’s James Taylor Chair in Landscape and Liveable lessons learned from each. Their inclusion in this Services; the Ministry of Agriculture, Environments) document in no way condones the acceptability Fisheries and Food; and the Greater Facilitators: John Blakney and Jennifer Craw- or sustainability of any subsequent development Site Design for BC Communities ford (Pacific Resources Centre Ltd.) proposals resulting from the design charrettes. Vancouver Regional District. Represent- Environmental Consultant: Helmut Urhahn atives from each of these partnering (Tera Planning) organizations formed the Headwaters Advisory Committee,* which is gratefully Authorship acknowledged for its strong direction This design manual was produced in a and leadership. We especially thank Erik spirit of collaboration and teamwork by Karlsen (Chair), Scott Baldwin, Ron Ber- members of the James Taylor Chair under trand, Melody Farrell, Sophie King, Rob- the guidance of the Headwaters Advisory ert Hicks, Vince LaLonde, Paul Lee, How Committee and the City of Surrey’s De- Yin Leung, Kelvin Neufeld, Mark Salerno, partment of Planning and Development. Kim Stephens, and Marielou Verge and Joanne Proft was project lead and co- Councillor Judy Villeneuve. ordinated the development of all parts We would also like to thank the Head- of the manual. She was primary author waters Project Team for its efforts and of the Policy and Planning section and expertise in bringing the concepts and the Southeast False Creek, Burnaby ideas of the Headwaters Project into Mountain Community, and East Clay- reality by developing the East Clayton ton charrette case studies. Jackie Teed is Neighbourhood Concept Plan. Team recognized for her contributions to the members include: City of Surrey Plan- Riverwalk case study and for her cre- ning, Parks and Engineering Staff; Pacific ative work on the design guidelines in Resource Centre Ltd.; Ramsay Worden Part Three. Jackie “reverse engineered” Architects Ltd.; Reid Crowther and Part- the charrette case study strategies from ners Ltd.; and Helmut Urhan and Terra Part Two into the design guidelines and Planning Ltd. distilled them into their coherent format. Finally, we would like to thank Sara Muir is recognized for her careful participants of the East Clayton imple- work in producing the Introduction, mentation charrette, who produced the Air, Water and People sections, and for draft East Clayton Land Use Plan in an her assistance on the design guidelines. intensive four-day charrette event. The Angela Gonyea is acknowledged for her involvement of these individuals and creativity in establishing much of the agencies was crucial to the acceptance of graphic language embodied in the book the seven sustainable planning prin- illustrations as well as for producing ciples across a wide range of stakeholder many of the diagrams found throughout interests, and their incorporation into the the book. Additional thanks are given to Land Use Plan. research assistants Katherine Isaac, Chris PREFACE agencies. The plan for East Clayton, as well as the process by which it was derived, represent a significant departure from status quo standards of planning and development. Its component parts were conceived as an integrated set he Site Design Manual for BC of strategies that were to be applied T Communities is rooted in several re- holistically to the East Clayton site. For cent and extensive efforts to develop al- example, the effectiveness of the pro- ternative development and engineering posed ecological infrastructure system standards for the design of new (and for – which is intended to secure ecosystem function – depends upon the integration 6 the retrofit of existing) communities in 7 British Columbia. With the cooperation of the street network and reductions in impervious surface areas throughout the of citizens, government organizations, Foreword and related agencies, these efforts have site. Similarly, issues of density, land-use been motivated by a shared belief that integration, and street connectivity are integrated processes and principles are expected to reduce automobile depen- crucial ingredients in the development dency while having a positive influence of more sustainable communities and on neighbourhood walkability. The Plan’s individual performance standards urban regions. and guidelines are to be understood as It is within our reach to create mutually supportive and symbiotic ele- Site Design for BC Communities regions that can be maintained in the ments of a larger whole. In this respect, future and that are healthy for all living the Headwaters Project offers one solu- things. Certain new and, in some cases, tion for meeting our need