Tear, our last class was yesterday, any almost everybody showed up!! GO CLASS!
We were talking about City Development, and why they aren't sustainable. Basically, municipalities are "locked -in". They have a huge investment in current infrastructure, and it would cost too much money to change. When most suburbs were being developed in the 50's, they did not have a plan. Everything is connected: houses, roads, power lines, pipes, parks, sewers, EVERYTHING. To change one component would require changing them all, and this is simply too expensive, and would take forever.
People know this now, so they are coming up with new ideas and investing in sustainable infrastructure. A 100 year plan is necessary for ecological, social and economic well being. We should no loner be centered around cars.
Canada had come up with the Federal Gas Tax. The revenue is used by municipalities to fund sustainable infrastructure and planning capacity building ideas. However, the funds are only accessed through an integrated sustainability planning process. The plan needs to be realistic, and there are steps involved. First, community engagement is necessary. We could all do this very well based on all the useful knowledge Chris has taught us in class :) You need to understand the place you are to develop and then, create a plan, implement it and continually monitor the progress.
The problem with this is that there is usually not enough time to fully implement the idea. This means that small, non glamorous things may be put on the back burner in order to complete the politically urgent portions of the plan.
I found this lecture really interesting and we always hear about this "sustainable communities" and all the fancy things they are doing, but in reality the ideas may not be functioning.
It was also interesting to discover that the biggest drug problems occur in smaller, out of the way areas where children have nothing to do. I always thought it was a bigger problem in large cities, where drugs are easier to obtain. I didn't agree with the fact that mixed housing communities produce the less crime. In my hometown, there is a mixed housing area labelled "Smurf Village" because it consists of tall blue apartments, smaller blue houses, and larger family homes. The people who live in those apartments are low lifes, honestly, and so much crime is happening in there that the larger, richer families are vacating the area. Granted, a lot of crime for Riverview, NB is a couple of car break ins over 6 years yet there is a lot of domestic violence and drug use originating from the apartments.
On a lighter note, no body infiltrated my blue bin this week!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Presentations
It seems to me, from all the presentations over the past two weeks, that the healthiest community is a sustainable one. Most groups focused on areas that are creating community involvement by making greenspaces, work- living spaces or "co- housing" where everyone is living closer together. Is smaller better?
The community my group chose was the town of Okotoks, Alberta. Although we mentioned that becoming sustainable was a major focus of the town, we also showed how they were able to involve a lot of the residents. The town was expanding. I found it interesting there were no communities mentioned that came together to build a pulp mill, or an oil well. I'm sure they exist. A small town with a billion dollars worth of oil underneath them would band together to receive the largest possible profit, if it was on communal land. However, all examples, a few being Salt Springs, Milton and the co- housing project, were all about preventing mass expansion or losing environmental spaces.
It shows a shift is happening, a change in thought of the new generation. We are no longer focused on expanding and using all resources but rather, growing sustainably.
A few of the most interesting things mentioned in the projects were the Free Store, co- housing and charette process. I would really like to see how this Free Store works. I'm not going to lie, most of the crap I no longer use is, well, crap. I donate items to the Salvation Army because I figure that perhaps a homeless person would find the item acceptable for use or wear. My guess is that the store is based on moral decency, or shame. If you bring used goods into the store, the employees will be monitoring you. And seeing as how the population is so small, they will know who you are when you bring your holey underoos just to get rid of them!
On to co- housing. I wouldn't live there. I know that I am too superficial and private for that type of environment. Sure, I don't NEED my own lawnmower or guest room, but I want them. I also want a fenced in yard so that I don't have to talk to my neighbours. It seems a little university dorm like to me. I do enjoy the occasional block party, but it just isn't private enough...disease will spread.
The charette process seems a little fruitless to me due to the lack of participants. The idea is great, but I feel more of the citizens should want to participate for it to really make a difference. However, I suppose if the voice of a few is heard, it's better than none. There will be people who complain about the outcome, even though they didn't attend a meeting. Although, I don't remember ever attending a community meeting, I'm too busy watching my blue box.
The community my group chose was the town of Okotoks, Alberta. Although we mentioned that becoming sustainable was a major focus of the town, we also showed how they were able to involve a lot of the residents. The town was expanding. I found it interesting there were no communities mentioned that came together to build a pulp mill, or an oil well. I'm sure they exist. A small town with a billion dollars worth of oil underneath them would band together to receive the largest possible profit, if it was on communal land. However, all examples, a few being Salt Springs, Milton and the co- housing project, were all about preventing mass expansion or losing environmental spaces.
It shows a shift is happening, a change in thought of the new generation. We are no longer focused on expanding and using all resources but rather, growing sustainably.
A few of the most interesting things mentioned in the projects were the Free Store, co- housing and charette process. I would really like to see how this Free Store works. I'm not going to lie, most of the crap I no longer use is, well, crap. I donate items to the Salvation Army because I figure that perhaps a homeless person would find the item acceptable for use or wear. My guess is that the store is based on moral decency, or shame. If you bring used goods into the store, the employees will be monitoring you. And seeing as how the population is so small, they will know who you are when you bring your holey underoos just to get rid of them!
On to co- housing. I wouldn't live there. I know that I am too superficial and private for that type of environment. Sure, I don't NEED my own lawnmower or guest room, but I want them. I also want a fenced in yard so that I don't have to talk to my neighbours. It seems a little university dorm like to me. I do enjoy the occasional block party, but it just isn't private enough...disease will spread.
The charette process seems a little fruitless to me due to the lack of participants. The idea is great, but I feel more of the citizens should want to participate for it to really make a difference. However, I suppose if the voice of a few is heard, it's better than none. There will be people who complain about the outcome, even though they didn't attend a meeting. Although, I don't remember ever attending a community meeting, I'm too busy watching my blue box.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Juuuuuddyyyyy
Judy Brownoff came to speak to our class a few weeks ago and although I found her sweater a little distracting, she was an excellent speaker. Judy is a municipal counsellor of Saanich, the municipality I spoke of in one of my very first blogs. It was super exciting to have her there because I know about a lot of what Saanich is doing on the sustainable community front.
One of Judy’s main points was the Saanich Official Community Plan, or OCP. This was a huge document which had outlines many of the principles of community engagement that we have been discussing in class. Although their approach was slightly different than ours, the main idea was the same. The OCP followed 10 general guidelines:
1. Understand the needs, values and concerns of decision makers & stakeholders
2. Manage expectations & Keep people informed
3. Get people involved early
4. Meaningful input, various ways
5. Plan for the unexpected.
6. Open to varied ideas & opinions
7. Deal with facts & perceptions
8. Surveys as a policy tool
9. The value of focus groups
10. Continual tending of the process
(Brownoff, Personal Communication, 2009)
I really enjoyed her outlook on community and that nothing can happen within a community without informing and involving people.
Counsellor Brownoff then proceeded to explain Saanich’s plan for a new wastewater treatment facility and had us do an exercise on how to influence change and peoples thoughts on this development. She actually involved us, and wrote down our suggestions. She seemed genuinely interested in what we had to say, it wasn’t just to keep us occupied. You could tell she was really gunho about how to get the community to focus their mind and ideas on this important project.
From all this, I learned that there actually are communities out there that are involved, and do want to participate and have their opinion heard. I bet that people in Saanich don’t put junk into their neighbours blue bins on recycling day.
One of Judy’s main points was the Saanich Official Community Plan, or OCP. This was a huge document which had outlines many of the principles of community engagement that we have been discussing in class. Although their approach was slightly different than ours, the main idea was the same. The OCP followed 10 general guidelines:
1. Understand the needs, values and concerns of decision makers & stakeholders
2. Manage expectations & Keep people informed
3. Get people involved early
4. Meaningful input, various ways
5. Plan for the unexpected.
6. Open to varied ideas & opinions
7. Deal with facts & perceptions
8. Surveys as a policy tool
9. The value of focus groups
10. Continual tending of the process
(Brownoff, Personal Communication, 2009)
I really enjoyed her outlook on community and that nothing can happen within a community without informing and involving people.
Counsellor Brownoff then proceeded to explain Saanich’s plan for a new wastewater treatment facility and had us do an exercise on how to influence change and peoples thoughts on this development. She actually involved us, and wrote down our suggestions. She seemed genuinely interested in what we had to say, it wasn’t just to keep us occupied. You could tell she was really gunho about how to get the community to focus their mind and ideas on this important project.
From all this, I learned that there actually are communities out there that are involved, and do want to participate and have their opinion heard. I bet that people in Saanich don’t put junk into their neighbours blue bins on recycling day.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
I Hate My Community
OK. Today was recycling day in my neighbourhood. I woke up at around 7am, dutifully separated the items in my blue bin, and hauled er' outside. I was getting ready for school and heard the truck go by, assuming everything was hunky dory. As a proceeded to leave for school, I decided to bring my blue bin back inside, so that my lovely lil' street was not obscured by my massive blue box. I noticed that the recycling men did not take everything and as I turned over my blue box, I started to swear.One of my neighbours, I have yet to uncover their identity, had decided to fill my blue box with all their unwantables/ non- recycables. It was the opposite of burglaring. They left me presents. A coffee maker, some mugs and a whack of styrofoam. Those bastards.
I've met my neighbours, they all seemed super nice and I can't think of anyone hat would have done this. I though our community was getting along fine,then one person ruins it for everyone. Now I have to stand guard by my blue box every other week. I feel disconnected from my community now because I suspect EVERYONE...My eye is on the old lady across the street....
Stay tuned as I hone my detective skills!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
So, as usual, I was reading the Goldstream Gazette and I came across some news about a teaching community garden at the Westshore Centre for Learning, just down the street from RRU. The teaching garden is educating children about small, food security gardens. Three schools: Belmont Secondary; Colwood Elementary; and Westshore Centre will be the ones involved in the growing and cultivating the garden. This should increase the networking and social capital between the schools and decrease and rivalry between them.
Schools, from what I remember, are always in competition with each other. I grew up in a tri- city type area and if my school had decided to start a garden, the other two schools would either have sabotaged our garden or built a bigger, better garden. There would be no collaboration liek there is between these three schools.
The focus is great: teaching young children about food security, something that should have been done a long time ago. The garden is calling for volunteers, yet this is the first I've heard of it. They should have engaged the community more fully by providing information to the people that live in it. The garden has mainly applied for outside grants to fund it, instead of asking the surrounding neighbourhoods for help.
If the Westshore Centre can do it, hopefully RRU will be next!!
Schools, from what I remember, are always in competition with each other. I grew up in a tri- city type area and if my school had decided to start a garden, the other two schools would either have sabotaged our garden or built a bigger, better garden. There would be no collaboration liek there is between these three schools.
The focus is great: teaching young children about food security, something that should have been done a long time ago. The garden is calling for volunteers, yet this is the first I've heard of it. They should have engaged the community more fully by providing information to the people that live in it. The garden has mainly applied for outside grants to fund it, instead of asking the surrounding neighbourhoods for help.
If the Westshore Centre can do it, hopefully RRU will be next!!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
While reading the Goldstream Gazette, I came across an article about a new development in Langford. The municipality plans to build 2819 residential houses, 450 senior units, 700, 000 ft2 of commercial business space and 32, 000 ft2 of institutional space, all at the base of Skirt Mountain. They are labelling this as a `sustainable community`. All buildings will be done to LEED-NC standard and 40% of the space will be dedicated as green space such as parks. There will also be an ecological interpretation centre and an attempt to restore the wetlands will be made.
As with the principles of community participation, all the necessary, superficial information was given at an open house, with more visual concepts rather than verbal. Also, a proposed budget of 1.7 BILLION dollars was mentioned. OK, what ? Honestly? 1.7 billion dollars? Granted, some of the funding they say will go towards the ecological restoration of Skirt Mountain, which I see as being pretty fair since the development will destroy it.
As with the principles of community participation, all the necessary, superficial information was given at an open house, with more visual concepts rather than verbal. Also, a proposed budget of 1.7 BILLION dollars was mentioned. OK, what ? Honestly? 1.7 billion dollars? Granted, some of the funding they say will go towards the ecological restoration of Skirt Mountain, which I see as being pretty fair since the development will destroy it.
With all the new housing projects going up, this one does aim to preserve 50% of the natural ecosystem, as they aim to build within the existing environment, not tear it down and start over. One of the main reasons that this project is even being proposed in that Langford is responsible for providing the new housing with the growing population in the Capital District, it's actually a mandate. There was little objection to go ahead with it at the preliminary planning committee meeting and the builders are not required to build any low income homes either.
Because this is a "green space" the property owners are not required to contribute to the ALR fund.
Members of the existing community are not very pleased; however, their voices aren't being heard. Because it's private property, they have no say as to whether the owners decide to build or not. The new homes will be near or next to Florence Lake, blocking the view. Others would like to see the property designated as a conserved ecosystem area.
Hopefull, in 20 years when this huge project is finished, the people liging there will be involved in any decisions and want to prevent the land fomr expanding and conserve more of the naturally occuring ecosystems there.
Friday, January 23, 2009
B.C. Healthy Communities
So, two guest speakers, Jodi and Todd came to class. They were from BC Healthy Communities, a municipal government association dedicated to improving, well, the health of communities. They want collaboration among members of an area to work upon their strengths and build a place where everyone feels safe. This place should also encourage people to learn and feel connected to their place.
I'm not going to lie, I had trouble understanding what exactly BC Healthy Communities does. I know they help facilitate relationships and help people make decisions about the places they live, but actual concrete things they have accomplished, I'm still a little vague on.
Having a healthy community includes things such as: food security, transportation, housing, and the general sense of well- being an individual has about the place they live.
I started wondering about how living in a healthy community factors into sustainability. I had some trouble at first, but after some thought, I came up with a few ideas.
If somebody feels connected with the place they are at, and is able to help make decisions about their community, then they will have more desire to protect it. If a whole group bands together and demands access to public transportation, they will accomplish a lot more than one person working alone. A committee who opposes the destruction of their community park will prevent it from being torn down.
Most of what we did in class that day was about emotions and thoughts whereas I am more oriented towards facts and figures. I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around it.
I'm still working out some more thoughts, and will keep adding!
I'm not going to lie, I had trouble understanding what exactly BC Healthy Communities does. I know they help facilitate relationships and help people make decisions about the places they live, but actual concrete things they have accomplished, I'm still a little vague on.
Having a healthy community includes things such as: food security, transportation, housing, and the general sense of well- being an individual has about the place they live.
I started wondering about how living in a healthy community factors into sustainability. I had some trouble at first, but after some thought, I came up with a few ideas.
If somebody feels connected with the place they are at, and is able to help make decisions about their community, then they will have more desire to protect it. If a whole group bands together and demands access to public transportation, they will accomplish a lot more than one person working alone. A committee who opposes the destruction of their community park will prevent it from being torn down.
Most of what we did in class that day was about emotions and thoughts whereas I am more oriented towards facts and figures. I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around it.
I'm still working out some more thoughts, and will keep adding!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
LEED
Recently, I've come to understand what LEED Certification means and have noticed that many buildings around Victoria are of Leed standard. There is even a LEED certified building store just down the street from Royal Roads.
While browsing current news events, I came across some interesting information about the LEED AP (accredited professionals) standards being increased . It is now more difficult for businesses to become certified and existing LEED AP's now have the option of obtaining a higher, more prestige level of certification. Now, there's all these AP+, random letter+ requirements and such.
I'm not entirely sure what all these levels are for. There is honestly about 9 or 10 different stages of LEED. The way I see it, you're either green, in the middle or not. I don't think the type of company you are should matter, there needs to be some type of ISO standards implemented for LEED certification. Actually, every new building should be built according to LEED platinum regulations and exsisting infrastructure should be upgraded.
Rant of the day.
While browsing current news events, I came across some interesting information about the LEED AP (accredited professionals) standards being increased . It is now more difficult for businesses to become certified and existing LEED AP's now have the option of obtaining a higher, more prestige level of certification. Now, there's all these AP+, random letter+ requirements and such.
I'm not entirely sure what all these levels are for. There is honestly about 9 or 10 different stages of LEED. The way I see it, you're either green, in the middle or not. I don't think the type of company you are should matter, there needs to be some type of ISO standards implemented for LEED certification. Actually, every new building should be built according to LEED platinum regulations and exsisting infrastructure should be upgraded.
Rant of the day.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Saanich
So, first post! Yea!
Anywho, it was mentioned in class that the Municipality of Saanich is considered one of the greenest municipalities in Canada. I found this interesting as I recently attended an open forum on sustainability issues in Saanich, when the Al Gore presenter came to the public school there. They are actually doing some pretty interesting things.
According to their website, this district is the official walking and cycling capital of Canada and their natural waters are protected and conserved. They are planning on making livable communities, where everything, from your work, doctor's office and neighborhood park in within walking distance of your home. Urban village I believe is the word.
The community is also planning on reducing the amount of waste per household, the amount of potable water and electricity used and obviously, reduce their GHGs!
So far, they have developed an urban forest strategy, a tree protection bylaw and a plan for removing invasive species from the surrounding ecosystems. Honestly, they're doing a stand up job and should probably get an award of sorts.
All this info can be found at http://www.saanich.ca/municipal/docs/pdfs/strategicplan.pdf
See you next week!
~Heather
Anywho, it was mentioned in class that the Municipality of Saanich is considered one of the greenest municipalities in Canada. I found this interesting as I recently attended an open forum on sustainability issues in Saanich, when the Al Gore presenter came to the public school there. They are actually doing some pretty interesting things.
According to their website, this district is the official walking and cycling capital of Canada and their natural waters are protected and conserved. They are planning on making livable communities, where everything, from your work, doctor's office and neighborhood park in within walking distance of your home. Urban village I believe is the word.
The community is also planning on reducing the amount of waste per household, the amount of potable water and electricity used and obviously, reduce their GHGs!
So far, they have developed an urban forest strategy, a tree protection bylaw and a plan for removing invasive species from the surrounding ecosystems. Honestly, they're doing a stand up job and should probably get an award of sorts.
All this info can be found at http://www.saanich.ca/municipal/docs/pdfs/strategicplan.pdf
See you next week!
~Heather
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