What are we doing about it?
We are faced with unprecedented growth in the Puget Sound Georgia
Basin, yet with the same natural resources. We cannot increase
the amount of land we have, move mountains or build in hazardous
areas. This creates both challenge and opportunity for all of
us.
Can
we use more elegant urban design that fosters multiple forms of
development and transportation and encourages community involvement,
while preserving the functioning and value of natural lands such
as forests, prairies and farms?
New population creates pressure to provide all the infrastructure
and services people need: housing, commercial space, industrial
areas and office space, with supporting roads, sewer and water
lines, energy, schools, hospitals and other social services. The
physical siting of buildings puts pressure on recreational lands
and the natural green spaces we love to experience.
Broad land use planning decisions, as well as the push for sustainable
and innovative solutions such as product stewardship, green building,
green urban design, and product development without toxic chemicals,
can help our communities develop without causing them irreparable
harm.
Regional Responses to the Sustainability Challenge
World Urban Forum
In June 2006, Vancouver hosted the 3rd World Urban Forum. This
UN sponsored event was an international opportunity to discuss
urban sustainability issues like housing, infrastructure and economic
development.
It has brought together decision-makers, public and private institutions
and experts from around the world to discuss urban challenges.
This has been an opportunity for the Pacific Northwest to showcase
sustainable approaches to managing population growth.
It is also provided an opportunity to showcase the growing number
of sustainable businesses, from alternative energy to recycling
technologies and more. The forum will also provide an opportunity
for local businesses and communities to learn from other sustainability
innovations from around the world.
New Tools for Combining Economic and Ecological Analysis:
Life Cycle Assessment and Ecological Economics
In 2003, The City of Seattle co-sponsored The International Life
Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Management Conference –
A Bridge to a Sustainable Future, along with the United Nations
Environmental Program, the American Center for Life Cycle Assessment,
the US EPA, and the Washington State Department of Ecology. This
green conference brought together LCA practitioners from the Pacific
Northwest with their colleagues from around the world, to share
methods and cases of sustainability planning and design in manufacturing,
energy systems, transportation, housing, and supply chain management.
In 2005, the United States Society for Ecological Economics held
its national conference in Tacoma, Washington. Ecological economics
is an interdisciplinary field integrating ecology and economics,
which includes ecological costs and benefits into more traditional
economic modeling and computations. The conference addressed timely
issues such as valuing Puget Sound, Green Development and Toxics
and Economic "disservices."5
New Deal for Cities and Communities (Federal Canada)
The federal government of Canada has committed to providing a
new source of funding to cities and communities (through the transfer
of federal gas tax over the next five years). In British Columbia,
the three levels of government entered into an agreement in September
2005 that will see $635 million transferred to local governments
over a five-year period for infrastructure to encourage more sustainable
environmental outcomes – reduced greenhouse gas emissions,
cleaner water and cleaner air.
New Federal Transportation Legislation (Federal U.S.)
Since 1991, the federal transportation act (originally called
the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, then reauthorized
as the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century), has supported
a multimodal approach to meet regional transportation needs. Multi-modal
approaches emphasize a cross section of transportation options
including rail, bus, cycling, monorails, walking, tele-commuting,
carpooling, car sharing and classic single occupancy vehicles.
The legislation includes funding for programs such as public transit,
bicycle and walking infrastructure and programs, and clean air
projects.
State and Local Growth Planning and Management
"Smart Growth" strategies in both BC and Washington
encompass these elements:
- Growth Management
- Land Use Planning and Urban Design
- Economic Incentives
- Demand Management Practices (creating the demand for innovative
products and services)
- Watershed and Integrated Natural Resource Management
Washington State adopted the Growth Management Act (GMA) in 1990-1991,
requiring a comprehensive approach to managing growth. The Act
requires:
- Adoption of local and regional plans to manage growth
- Designation and protection of environmentally critical areas
- Consistency between jurisdictions' local plans, and consistency
between plans and development regulations, so that adopted policies
guide our day-to-day actions
More recent amendments have integrated GMA with other environmental
regulations such as the State Environmental Policy Act, to streamline
the processes without compromising the protections. Please see
the Urbanization
and Forest Change indicator for more detail regarding the
GMA.
Regional Growth Management (Provincial Legislation)
Since the Spring of 2002, two more regional districts in the
Georgia Basin region (Capital Regional District and Fraser Valley
Regional District) adopted regional growth strategies (RGS). A
RGS is also currently underdevelopment in the Squamish Lillooet
area – the region that includes Whistler and other areas
that will help host the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
A Regional Growth Strategy provides a regional planning framework
for encouraging growth management, to build more compact, complete
communities and to protect resource areas (e.g. farmland) and
green space.
Working with their member municipalities and senior levels of
government, regional districts with Regional Growth Strategies
have established more specific policies and initiatives to deal
with a number of issues including transportation, air quality,
water quality, economic development and parks.
Sustainable Washington
In 2002, Governor Locke issued an Executive Order on Sustainable
Practices by State Agencies, requiring all Washington State agencies
to plan how to become sustainable in their environmental impacts
within one generation. In 2005, Governor Gregoire issued a follow-on
Executive Order requiring state agencies to follow green building
practices, reduce petroleum use and other energy use, and reduce
paper use.6 A report
from the Governor's Sustainability Advisory Panel's recommends
future changes, as well.7
Actions in the Puget Sound Region
- Adoption of Habitat Conservation Plans to protect endangered
species and other environmental function.8
- Recent adoption of 100 year conservation vision by a local
land conservancy, which identifies specific areas for ecosystem
preservation.9
- The Puget Sound Regional Council is working to create a Regional
Economic Strategy that promotes "clean technology"
companies, and to promote a high quality of life as an important
foundation to the region's economy.10
Other Initiatives in Innovative Planning, Infrastructure
and Development
Georgia Basin
- Vancouver has successfully implemented policies aimed at encouraging
residential development downtown (brownfield redevelopment,
densification and provision of public amenities). According
to the Sightline Institute, 62 percent of Vancouver's residents
live in compact neighborhoods.11
- Using The Natural Step sustainability principles, the Resort
Municipality of Whistler has developed a 2020 comprehensive
sustainability plan.12
- The Design Centre for Sustainability at UBC, the Real Estate
Institute of BC, and Smart Growth BC have been working together
to help communities develop and implement neighborhood plans
that are consistent with Smart Growth principles. Called "Smart
Growth on the Ground," this collaborative planning process
has already been undertaken in Maple Ridge and is now underway
in Squamish.
- Windmill and VanCity Enterprises are the developers working
on the "Dockside Green" project with the City of Victoria. An
exemplary redevelopment project located close to downtown, this
11.6-acre brownfield site will be transformed into a mixed-use
redevelopment focused on achieving outcomes with respect to
all three aspects of sustainability: social, economic and the
environment.
- Various Non Governmental Organizations, different levels of
government, engineers, and the development community are involved
in initiatives to develop "green" infrastructure guidelines
such as narrower roads, traffic calming and stormwater management
using natural landscaping.
Puget Sound
The following links may provide helpful information and are located outside
the EPA.gov domain. 
- The Port of Bellingham is acquiring and cleaning up neighboring
Georgia Pacific waterfront property and the mouth of the Whatcom
Waterway. This will allow the Port to restore ecosystem functions,
and expand future Port operations in a less sensitive area.
Learn more about the New
Whatcom Master Plan.15
Population Health