Rossland
The British Columbia provincial government is working hard to be recognized as the greenest of all the provinces, with carbon taxes and sustainable transportation initiatives. The latest move is a mixed blessing for municipalities.
In looking for "solutions to climate change", local governments are being invited to seek solutions that "make their communities more environmentally sustainable".
Once the legislation comes into force, local governments will be required to include greenhouse gas emission targets, policies and actions in their Official Community Plans and Regional Growth Strategies.
They will also be able to use development permits to promote energy and water conservation and the reduction of greenhouse gases, and encourage alternative transportation options for off-street parking. Developers who are building small housing units (29 square metres or less) will be exempt from paying Development Cost Charges. Local governments will have the ability to waive or reduce these charges for green development including small lot subdivisions and affordable rental housing.
Many of these initiative are already being used in progressive municipalities, with auditing of greenhouse gases and efforts towards water conservation two of the big ones.
The City of Rossland is in the process of reviewing their development cost charges, and will incorporate exemptions or discounts for smaller units. Rossland already uses building permits as a mechanism for requiring water conservation upgrades such as water meters and low flush toilets.
At times this blog is an appropriate outlet for my professional activities, but for the most part, I try to stick to offering commentary on what I see in the world around me particularly when it comes to Urban Design and Engineering. In the past two years while writing on this blog, I've come to realise the importance of community and neighbourhood in my job - Creating places for people to live and interact, and designing services such as roads, water networks and sewer systems to support a higher quality of life all comes back to community and neighbourhood.
As an Engineer, I'm often in the firing line for my designs, policies, suggestions or other commentary on various issues. It's hard not to stereotype those who choose to make a sport out of asking questions and generally objecting to everything in sight. I do believe that dissent is a critical part of decision making, either for offering an alternative viewpoint or for galvanising the supporters on a particular issue. But dissent, just like decision making itself, needs to be undertaken with respect for community. There are real people involved, real issues that affect real lives. Part of my job is to build bridges between those who make the decisions and those who disagree with the decisions.
As I write this I have a draft post sitting of to the side - One that I feel needs to be said, one that many people I know won't want to hear. I wrote this as a substitute for tonight, kind of my way of not saying what I need to say.
Peace.
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