GC 2020
657 results found
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Trains, planes and ships: make us a mecca for developing and using green transportation technology.
Vancouver hosts a sizable international airport and a sizable international sea port. It's also a large end-node for rail traffic and trucking activities. In short, the city and transportation are deeply intertwined. In fact, all of that transportation, pumping its flow of goods and people in and out, is one of the major underpinning arteries that gives the regions its vitality and life. Cutting it off would not be a good idea, so why not enrich it and make it healthier instead?
Vancouver and its neighbouring districts also have a fine pool of technological prowess and academic capability in its…
9 votes -
Convert streets to mini parks, green linkages and/or open space
The conversion of streets/asphalt into mini parks with bike paths, green linkages and landscaping would optimize pedestrian and cycling access, and improves neighbourhood connections. Incorporate walkways, large trees, low shrub planting, furnishings and special features.
78 votes -
Rezone areas adjacent to commercial streets rather than displacing existing businesses.
Our network of commercial streets are generally the cultural heart of various Vancouver neighbourhoods. Currently, Vancouver is rezoning many commercial areas to accommodate higher density structures. This is a good ideas; however, this progress is slowly eradicating long-time businesses in commercial buildings. This is also eroding Vancouver's commercial property tax revenue.
I believe that (in more cases) the city of Vancouver should be rezoning the single family residences that surround these arteries instead. In many cases the houses are generic 'Vancouver Specials' and lowrise, 1950s style homes that were built to accommodate a vehicle-centric lifestyle. Many people are price out…
4 votesConcern for the continued viability of existing business is an important issue in Neighbourhood Centre and Corridor planning initiatives. However, rezoning residential properties to allow for commercial uses should be considered on a case-by-case basis (it could work in some areas, but not in others) and should proceed with caution.
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Street lights for the sidewalks, not just roads
Many of our streets are brightly lit at night while the sidewalks remain dark. Especially in areas with many seniors, like the West End, this discourages people from going out at night. Bring back street lights - for pedestrians - in our neighbourhoods.
2 votesPedestrian safety is a top priority. The Greenest City work will include directions to identify and address deficiencies in the network (e.g. missing sidewalks or curb ramps, need for improved pedestrian lighting).
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2 votes
This is a good idea for framing our ongoing engagement campaigns
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2 votes
Currently reviewing how this might work to create green jobs and advance sustainability.
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Local Green Grads Employment Site
One of our challenges is finding good people with green backgrounds to employ. Once people get certified (i.e. to a B-Corp standard) they could post open jobs and internships to a green jobs site run by the city. UBC SFU BCIT and other universities could encourage their graduates to create profiles on this one-stop-shop for green grads.
3 votesC3 committee is considering building a website / database along these lines. This would likely be Provincial or at least wider than just the City.
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Bike subsidies for low income individuals and families.
It's not always cheap to get a good bike, especially if you have a large household or want to use it for more than just cruising. Having subsidies would encourage more people to take that first step to leaving the car behind.
20 votesThis is a laudable idea, but one that is challenging for the city to undertake. It may be more appropriately handled at a provincial or federal level. The cost of bikes pales in comparison to the cost of cars, so other solutions that increase opportunities for affordable housing nearer people’s places of work will make it easier for residents to give up at least one family car and invest those significant savings in other modes of transportation.
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street end community gardens
The short streets on the end of a typical block are 66 feet wide just like the streets along the front of most residential properties.
What if we made them 33 feet wide which is wide enough for a laneway a sidewalk and some trees. The remaining 33 feet could be used for community gardens, pocket parks or leased for a standard residential lot. The lot would provide additional housing without changing the character of a neighbourhood.2 votesVarious options for creating new green spaces are being considered. Converting street ends into mini-parks is an idea considered in the Draft Greenest City Action Plan.
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Ban woodstoves through by-laws
Wood-burning fireplaces and stoves can emit substantial amounts of air pollutants (mostly particulate matter). Health Canada reports that the health-impacts of wood smoke include: eye, nose and throat irritation; headaches, nausea and dizziness; and it can cause or worsen symptoms for people with asthma or respiratory problems. The CIty could update its building code so that woodstoves are not allowed in new home construction or limit permitted appliances to advanced combustion technologies only.
58 votesCity of Vancouver is considering the possibility of a ban for all new residential construction. This idea is considered in the draft Greenest City Action Plan.
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5 votes
This is addressed by the planned green renovation strategy which will require upgrades to all buildings during the time of renovation, and also by the building labeling program which will require mandatory disclosure of energy performance and eventually mandatory performance standards.
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pick up garbage every 2 weeks instead of weekly
the bins are always picked up 1/2 filled.
4 votes -
A shared vision of sustainability
We need to work more to build ashared vision of what sustainability is and how it embraces culture and economy as well as ecology. What do we mean by 'sustainability'and how do we build resilience?
3 votesThis big picture framing questions are very important in the work of the greenest city.
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Inspire us to bicycle!
Get the VPD sting operations to lay off bicyclists. Hiding behind trees and handing out $167 dollar tickets to the people TRYING to make a difference does NOTHING to encourage a green city. Get on a plane and go see some other european cities where they GIVE free bikes for the citizens to use, and honour their rights of personal freedom...not make citizens live in fear. Go do something about the real OFFENDERS in Vancouver.
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14 votes
The City supports the idea of road / congestion pricing, and bridge tolls are one possible implementation. A regional (as opposed to a city) approach might work best, given travel behaviour, patterns of movement, and jurisdictional issues. This lies outside City jurisdiction, so our role is limited to advocacy; changes to Provincial legislation are required.
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Put Some Teeth into Tree Policy:Trees really are an essential cornerstone to our green future.
Trees really are an essential cornerstone to our green future. Very few strategies have as direct a relationship to carbon offset as does the planting of a tree. However to effectively achieve the planting of more trees (and protection of existing stock) will require a paradigm shift from the current passive City policy.
For example:
(1) The tree removal bylaw must be actively enforced in the manner that parking bylaws are with routine patrols and ticketing. Why not use the same active enforcement team? They are already out, patrolling resident neighborhoods. And the bylaw needs to be rewritten to put…7 votes -
Prohibit the use of outdoor space heaters on both residential and restaurant/cafe patios
I try to avoid businesses which use outdoor space heaters. Outdoor space heaters waste energy by producing heat which is quickly lost in the outdoors, and burn fossil fuels and directly contribute greenhouse gases.
23 votes -
Stop automated sprinklers
I've seen automated sprinklers spraying while it's raining! Encourage people to choose plants that will thrive knowing that summers are dry periods. Or at least accept less-than-perfect lawns for a couple months of the year. I notice this mostly around condos that just have small strips of grass. They should replace the lawn completely with alternate groundcover - nobody uses it as a lawn anyway.
15 votesSprinkling regulation enforcement is
part of Draft Greenest City Action Plan. -
Disclose the True Cost of Consumer Waste
Use Municipal business licencing regulatory power to reveal the hidden cost of waste production. Such a bold move could invoke a paradigm shift in the way commerce is conducted. As one example: if consumers had to pay the true environmental cost of a fast food meal, fast food would soon loose its appeal. Cheap price point consumption habits are the worse legacy of the 2o th Century. The City could use its business licencing powers to initiate an immediate turn around in the fast food industry gross over production and direct to landfill disposal of plastic and paper waste. Requiring…
3 votes -
19 votes
Great idea, but perhaps it should go even further: the goal should be to make walking, cycling, and transit even sexier than driving!
