AdminGreenest City Planning Team
(Admin, CG2020)
My feedback
113 results found
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408 votes
Provincial jurisdiction.
An error occurred while saving the comment To publicly answer MaryEllen’s question, this idea is being discussed because someone pitched it and others wanted to talk about it. Having a presence on the site does not mean that the City supports the idea or is being held to the ideas being proposed. (See the "how your input will be used" section here: http://www.talkgreentous.ca/how_to.php)
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32 votes
Included in the Draft Greenest City Action Plan.
An error occurred while saving the comment NOTE: Greg's idea "Restrict sidewalk watering" has been merged with this one.
"It's so annoying seeing people wasting water on the sidewalk. Use a broom! Let's have a fine of at least $100 for this nincompoopery."
AdminGreenest City Planning Team
(Admin, CG2020)
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52 votes
The City recently began implementing 30-km/h speed limits on local street bikeways.
Other measures may require changes to provincial legislation. In these cases, the City’s role will be to advocate for appropriate changes to the legislative framework around cycling.
An error occurred while saving the comment Note: Alexandre V.'s idea "Network of Rapid Bike Lane" has been merged with this one.
"A lot of us love riding bicycles, but hate stopping at light and stop signs. Let's minimize stops and increase safety: Switch stop signs to the crossed intersection when possible; Create new bikes lanes where few lights will need to be crossed, like Cornwall, 4th & 6th Ave."
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113 votes
Point taken that adjusting costs of different travel modes to support more sustainable choices is a good idea. The City will continue to review parking fees to better reflect street value and market demand, and the Greenest City Plan adds a more explicit environmental lense to this work. Transit fares fall outside City jurisdiction, and there are multiple factors to consider. Fares are an important revenue source for TransLink; at the same time, it is important that prices are affordable and equitable.
An error occurred while saving the comment NOTE: Sarah Isaacs' idea "Work with Translink to reduce transit fares" has been merged with this one.
"I live in the city of Vancouver but commute to a neighbouring city to work. When we relocated our office we attempted to get a group transit pass, but many people found it was cheaper to drive. This was especially true for those who carpool.
For those who work in Richmond, Burnaby, etc., parking fees can be as low as $0. If you already own a car, the only cost of commuting by car is the cost of gas.
When the city devises incentives to encourage public transit, I hope they will consider the growing number of 'reverse commuters'. The current price of public transit is a serious disincentive."
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49 votes
This idea is not in the draft Greenest City Action Plan but may be contemplated in other areas of City work.
An error occurred while saving the comment NOTE: alicia chaa's idea "vertical farming" has been merged with this one.
"greenhouse skyscrapers ,,fitting in with the esthetics of glass condos ,,except they are productive rather than consumptive!!
Advantages of Vertical Farming
Year-round crop production; 1 indoor acre is equivalent to 4-6 outdoor acres or more, dependng ... moregreenhouse skyscrapers ,,fitting in with the esthetics of glass condos ,,except they are productive rather than consumptive!!
Advantages of Vertical Farming
Year-round crop production; 1 indoor acre is equivalent to 4-6 outdoor acres or more, depending upon the crop (e.g., strawberries: 1 indoor acre = 30 outdoor acres)
No weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods, pests
All VF food is grown organically: no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers
VF virtually eliminates agricultural runoff by recycling black water
VF returns farmland to nature, restoring ecosystem functions and services
VF greatly reduces the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface
VF converts black and gray water into potable water by collecting the water of
evapotranspiration
VF adds energy back to the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible
parts of plants and animals
VF dramatically reduces fossil fuel use (no tractors, plows, shipping.)
VF converts abandoned urban properties into food production centers
VF creates sustainable environments for urban centers
VF creates new employment opportunities
We cannot go to the moon, Mars, or beyond without first learning to farm indoors on
earth
VF may prove to be useful for integrating into refugee camps
VF offers the promise of measurable economic improvement for tropical and subtropical
LDCs. If this should prove to be the case, then VF may be a catalyst in helping to reduce or even reverse the population growth of LDCs as they adopt urban agriculture as a strategy for sustainable food production.
VF could reduce the incidence of armed conflict over natural resources, such as water
and land for agriculture"An error occurred while saving the comment NOTE: Brenna's idea "Build stacked floor farming buildings" has been merged with this one.
"Build new buildings for growing produce, with stacked floors that are purposed to have soil on the floor areas for growing produce. Air temperature is monitered and air kept as fresh as outdoors. This building idea will create giant greenhouse land, whle ... more
Build new buildings for growing produce, with stacked floors that are purposed to have soil on the floor areas for growing produce. Air temperature is monitered and air kept as fresh as outdoors. This building idea will create giant greenhouse land, while taking up less space."
An error occurred while saving the comment @ Arthur & alicia chaa, those two ideas have been merged.
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11 votes
Several years ago the City devleoped water saver kits to help people conserve water. Look for clothes line kits to be ready for distribution in 2011.
An error occurred while saving the comment Note: Beverley Watt's idea "Clothes line" was merged with this one.
"Why not set up a clothes line project where the public is educated about the cost saving measures when not using a dryer. SPEC could be a location where the info is available and the clotheslines or drying racks could be purchased at a low cost."
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Increase residential density to achieve efficient land use and high walking/cycling/transit mobility
32 votesAs the City reviews land use policy and development bylaws through Community, Central Area, and City-Wide planning programs, opportunities for increased residential density (particularly in walkable neighbourhoods with good transit connections) are actively pursued (in balance with concerns for neighbourhood character and community involvement in city building decisions at the neighbourhood level).
An error occurred while saving the comment Note: ripley's idea "Increase Residential and Commercial Density by Eliminating Regulatory Barriers" this idea has been merged with this one.
"High-density, walkable development is clearly better for the environment and more affordable than suburban low-density layouts. Why, then, do Vancouver zoning bylaws mandate freestanding houses in most of Vancouver?
Eliminating maximum building heights and other artificial limits to density would allow for a more vibrant, environmentally friendly, and affordable Vancouver - at **** cost! Limiting high-rise development to the downtown core (and only a few small pockets outside this area) reduces housing supply, increases the cost of living in Vancouver, and ultimately forces many people into low-density suburbia.
The current zoning map of Vancouver can be found at http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/currentplanning/coloured_zoning_map.htm
Note that almost all of Vancouver is still zoned like the ***** of Surrey or Coquitlam: freestanding, low-density suburbia. This is unacceptable for a city that prides itself on being eco-friendly.Further reading: Harvard professor Ed Glaeser has studied the link between low-density zoning and housing unaffordability, and his paper "The Impact of Zoning on Housing Affordability" can be found at http://www.economics.harvard.edu/pub/hier/2002/HIER1948.pdf"
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196 votes
Included in the Draft Greenest City Action Plan.
An error occurred while saving the comment Note: Gwendal's idea (below) has been merged with this one.
"Voluntary Water metering for homes: Include a Water Consumption meter at the shower head too
Not only should we have a whole house water meter. But we could have mini water meters for our showers included in Water saving kits from the city."
AdminGreenest City Planning Team
(Admin, CG2020)
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3 votes
Port Metro Vancouver is under Federal jurisdiction. The City of Vancouver works with Metro Vancouver, Environment Canada, Port Metro Vancouver to advocate for shore-power. This idea is included in the Draft Action Plan.
An error occurred while saving the comment Note: markedinred's idea (below) as been merged with this one,.
"Regulations for pollution spewing cargo ships
The ships in Vancouvers harbour create a ridiculous amount of pollution just from sitting there stationary. In one day one cargo ship produces the same amount of polution as about 10,000 cars. This is unacceptable and if we found a greener solution to his ... more
The ships in Vancouvers harbour create a ridiculous amount of pollution just from sitting there stationary. In one day one cargo ship produces the same amount of polution as about 10,000 cars. This is unacceptable and if we found a greener solution to this it'd make a huge positive impact to our air quality."
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8 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Note, this idea has been merged with Raymond's idea
the city can use recycled asphalt for sidewalk and street repairs,
The city can use recycled asphalt for sidewalk and street repairs instead of using new asphalt.
This would help reduce the need to make more new asphalt.
An error occurred while saving the comment Note: This has been merged with Brian Counihan's idea
"Reduce Bitumen (refined crude) consumption through Asphalt Recycling and Efficient Pavement Design"
The City consumes a large amount of oil in paving its streets with asphalt, which is a mix of stone and bitumen. Bitumen is made from refining crude oil. The City's asphalt plant keeps a stockpile of asphalt for re-use, with proportions of up to 5% used in some new mixes, however other municipalities have a much more comprehensive recycling program. For example, the City of Brisbane in Australia paves its streets with mixes using up to 80% reclaimed asphalt, and has been doing so for over a decade. Implementing such practices reduces both consumption of fossil fuels and waste production.
Consumption can also be reduced by efficiently designing the pavement to minimise the thickness of asphalt required. Current practices rely mostly on historical thicknesses not the application of modern design techniques.
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14 votes
The City does not have jursidiction in this area, though the best way to send price signals to discourage the use of air conditioners may be through sales tax administered by the provincial government.
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21 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Note, this idea has been merged with Heba Y.'s idea "Plug-in hybrid/electric vehicle rebates"
"Introduce strong rebates with the help of the Provincial Government to encourage the purchase of electric and plug-in hybrids. Set a target of 1 in 15 of all vehicles in the city to be plug-in/hybrid/electric by 2020.
Ontario offers rebates of between $4,000 and $10,000 to every consumer buying a plug-in hybrid car and battery electric car we can do better. Free parking for these vehicles would be an incentive as well." -
64 votes
Vancouver’s Solar Homes Pilot is offering $4300 towards the cost of solar hot water systems in Vancouver – this is roughly 50 per cent of the cost of a system. The funding is available to 30 homes on a first come, first served basis. In order to qualify for the rebate, your system must be installed by December 31, 2010.
Beginning January 1, 2011, we will be offering $3,000 towards the cost of a qualifying system. Systems must be installed by February 15, 2011.
Will consider extension of program to other areas/technologies.
Details here: http://vancouver.ca/sustainability/SolarHomes.htm
An error occurred while saving the comment Pls note Shawn O'Neill's idea "Encourage small scale solar and wind power" has been merged with this one.
"Remove the confusion with BC Hydro net metering and allow the grid to be self-powering, lowering the demand for large-scale power as the city grows. Allow residents to sell their power back to the grid, reducing home ownership costs in an already expensive city. The less power needed the more can be sold to polluting neighbours!"
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9 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment [submited via email by Patrice Allen]
"I would recommend banning leaf blowers altogether. Also all the other gas and electric powered gardening equipment that can easily be manually, quietly accomplished with rakes, edging tools, hand mowers, shears etc."
An error occurred while saving the comment @ Carolyn & Paul thanks for submitting your idea. I moved it into the reduce greenhouse gas emissions category because not only are they quiet, they have no greenhouse gas emissions. A win win!
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133 votes
Implementation of the City’s streetcar plan (http://vancouver.ca/streetcar) might help to enable this, by providing dramatically improved transit service to Granville Island.
An error occurred while saving the comment [Submitted via mail by Penny Perry]
"Granville Island is a Federal project but the City could encourage the building of a carpark off the Island and the use of mini trollies on the existing rails on the Island."
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29 votes
The draft Greenest City Action Plan will include directions to explore pedestrian-only and pedestrian-priority streets, but specific locations likely won’t be identified until later (e.g. as part of the transportation plan update).
An error occurred while saving the comment [Submitted via mail by Penny Perry]
"The VAG patio with live music and a view across the closed Robson Street to the Courthouse is a treat. I suggest keeping that block of Robson closed. People get used to change. It is the initial change that makes them unhappy."
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44 votes
Financing tools (currently under development) may encourage building owners to improve the performance of their buildings
An error occurred while saving the comment The idea "Improve funding for energy reduction and retrofit incentives" proposed by dashamstyr was merged into this one. Here's their description:
"Last year, my wife and I reduced our household energy usage by 30% - the result of an expenditure of nearly $1000 all told. In return, we received ~$200 in incentives from BCHydro programs.
It's great to get the encouragement, and we happen to be able to afford the cost, but these incentives are really little more than a token. If we are going to convert people who weren't already going to work to reduce their footprint, the program must provide incentives that recoup a larger portion of people's expenses. The program must either be better funded, or the incentives restructured so that people and business have a real reason to participate. Some specific ideas are:
1) Reduce scope - Since money is limited, provide a larger incentive for a few key actions rather than tiny amounts for every possible retrofit.
2) Pay over a longer time-scale - Spread the financial hit over a longer term by giving participants a percentage reduction in their energy costs, rather than a one-time payment."
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1 vote
While not specifically addressed in the draft Greenest City Action Plan, this strategy will be consider as a means of promoting conservation
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1,073 votes
Low footprint food choices are not the same as vegan food choices in all cases, the analysis is more complex than this. Generally a low footprint diet is local, seasonal food, and limits consumption of red meat, dairy, and some grains. Low footprint food choices are included in the draft Greenest City Action Plan and will be discussed through community engagement activities.
An error occurred while saving the comment This idea has been moved to the "lighter footprint" category since that working group is exploring ways to encourage lower environmental impacts through lifestyle choices. Encouraging vegan options fits better with this category.
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16 votes
Using public school buildings as a shared community resource after hours seems like a sensible way to get better use from existing resources. However, it should be noted that his item will require further consultation and partnership with the Vancouver School Board.
An error occurred while saving the comment @alter e-girl. Making better use of our existing buildings is a great strategy. It was probably filed in "off-topic" since it crosses more than one target and doesn't fit well in any. I moved it into "encourage shorter vehicle trips" since schools are usually located in existing neighbourhoods. Maximizing their use could reduce traveling distance to evening activities. What do you think?
