A Local Example Of Sustainability

After viewing all the presentations as well as working on our own, which involved urban planning and sustainability, one local example really jumped out at me as it seemed to emphasize sustainability to the fullest. This example of sustainability was Dockside Green.

Dockside Green is a new and revolutionary development which is located near the downtown Victoria Harbour. There are many different features of this development that exhibit sustainability as the overall goal of dockside green is to contribute environmental efficiency into any area in which they can. They also further contribute to sustainability by creating dockside green as a closed loop system, which in theory uses waste from one source to fuel another. The buildings have also been designed to conform to a mixed use platform where they serve multiple purposes such as businesses and homes, thus keeping things contained within the area and contributing to less travel for individuals. Another key concept to dockside green is incorporating the triple bottom line into their development. This in turn creates a healthy community within dockside green while supporting economic/social aspects and minimizing the impact to the environment.

The power generation at dockside green uses a biomass system which is where wastes that are generated by the community are reused in a sense for heating purposes. This is an example of cradle to cradle as the waste generated by the occupants of dockside green is taken and used for another purpose, instead of being expelled into the ocean. The buildings also have many energy efficient techniques such as energy efficient appliances, compact fluorescent lighting and meters located in each of the rooms which monitor power use.

Another area that dockside green has made sustainable is transportation. Dockside green has invested into a car share program where one car is available for every 90 residents. There is also a mini transit system that will take people to key areas downtown and also bring them back. BC transit routes have also been incorporated into dockside green. There is also numerous artistic bicycle racks located throughout the community which promotes biking. The galloping goose trail runs through dockside which provides a suitable pathway for pedestrians to travel by bike throughout the city. Dockside green has been developed to be very pedestrian friendly and eliminate the use of vehicles in the area.

Another area of sustainability for dockside green is the building materials used. The environmentally friendly building materials used come from methods that use sustainable practices. The carpets used within the buildings are environmentally friendly and 100% recyclable. Also, there is bamboo flooring and cabinets used in the development which grows much faster and is not needed to be fully harvested when compared to traditional hard wood. The wood frames are made from triton wood, which is harvested locally in BC. A goal of the construction of dockside green is to reuse/recycle 90% of all construction wastes instead of throwing it away or burning it.

Dockside green has supported a mixed use in the development of their community. Buildings have been created to have both residential and commercial use. Also the development has applied to various incomes and ages in order to result in a more balanced community which all types of residents can live in. The community design of dockside green has been intended to encourage outdoor activities, interaction with neighbours and the overall support of local businesses. This can create a positive social capital that benefits sustainability.

Overall, Dockside green has focused sustainability into all aspects of the development. Whether it is the overall cradle-to-cradle power generation for the site, implementing environmentally friendly building materials or incorporating energy efficient design into their buildings, they all contribute. Transportation has been revolved around community interaction while promoting more “green” solutions such as walking, biking and carpooling. Also, the mixed use design of the buildings is a major factor which contributes to supporting local businesses, minimizing the needs for travelling by car, and increasing the social capital and interaction within the community. This platform created by dockside is a great example of sustainability within a community and I feel that when future developments are in the planning stage, they should take these principles into consideration which will create more tightly bound communities (socially and economically) while benefitting the environment at the same time.