CASE STUDY

Initial Research by: Karissa Noselski

Edited by: Samantha Miller & Nicole Brekelmans

Case study compiled in 2019

 

 

Project: Dockside Green 

Type of Urban Strategy: Sustainable Design, Smart Cities 

Type of Project: Industrial reclamation / Community redevelopment 

Location: Victoria, British Columbia

Date Designed/Planned: 1989

Construction Completed:  2006 + ongoing

Designer: PWL Partnership

 

Dockside Green is a progressive mixed-use neighbourhood in Canada, designed for self-sufficiency. A sustainable master-planned community, Dockside Green is the first of its kind in North America to meet LEED platinum standards. Design features include a central interactive wetland, green roofs and natural stormwater filtration, extensive onsite water collection and reuse, as well as wastewater treatment mechanisms, and a central biomass energy system. The design focuses on a triple bottom line approach, with social, economic, and environmental elements all instrumental in the success of the project.

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Located on the harbour-front in Victoria, British Columbia, the community currently boasts variety in residential housing units (including affordable housing) and retail spaces on land that was once dominated by industry. The development is not yet complete, with only 25% in operation, but plans for a full-build out are planned, with the intention to be constructed over the next decade. Even so, the development has caught the attention of the media as a precedent for 'complete communities' in North America and even around the world. It stands as a uniquely Canadian example of what collaborative efforts can achieve in the journey to sustainability. Final plans include connection via an active transportation network to the rest of the City of Victoria, water access points, and boat docks in addition to a variety of new community amenities.