CASE STUDY

Initial Research by: Desiree Theriault

Continued Research by: Samantha Miller

Edited by: Nicole Brekelmans

Case study compiled in 2017

 

Project:  Vancouver: Greenest City

Type of Urban Strategy: Green Cities, Sustainable Design 

Type of Project: Action Plan

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia

Date Designed/Planned: 2009

Construction Completed:  Goal: 2020 (long term goals: 2050)

Designer: The Greenest City Action Plan

 

In 2009, the city of Vancouver decided to make a drastic change in the way the city was progressing and living. Since then, the city has worked to make Vancouver one of the most liveable cities in the world, creating dense neighbourhoods that have become a model for a lot of cities around the globe, with some of the cleanest air and water out of any urban city. The Greenest City Action Plan was put into place in an attempt to make Vancouver the greenest city in the world by 2020, with long term goals in terms of climate and renewables by 2050. More than 35,000 people from around the world have participated in the development of the GCAP, through their smart use of social media, online communication and face-to-face workshops. 

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The goals put in place in the GCAP include strategies of climate and renewables, green buildings, green transportation, zero waste, access to nature, clean water, local food, clean air, green economy, and a lighter footprint. 

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“Huge wealth can be created even as you make people healthier, reduce the sickness that comes from particulates in the air and the cancer that comes with it...more and more city leaders are coming to that conclusion... it’s why Vancouver set a goal of obtaining 100% of its energy from renewable sources by 2050.”

-John Kerry, US Secretary of State

(City of Vancouver, 2015)