Given the realities of climate change and fossil fuel dependency, many local governments are looking for ways to reduce the impact of their communities in regards to carbon dioxide emissions, and reducing the use of fossil fuels altogether.

What is EcoDensity?

Why develop this Charter / What challenges is the Charter responding to?

EcoDensity is a concept or idea that emerged in 2006 in Vancouver as a city-wide dialogue on how to address critical environmental, social, and economic issues affecting citizens of current and future generations. Of concern are depleting resources, a large ecological footprint, urban sprawl, climate change, and expensive housing. More specifically, the discussion focused on how urban form and sustainability intersect, and the ways in which density, design, and land-use can be used as effective tools to make Vancouver more sustainable, livable, and affordable. The dialogue diverted other sustainability issues outside of the scope of land-use/design/density to other City departments. The focus of the initiative is reducing GHG emissions, improving quality of life, and ensuring that there is sufficient and diverse affordable and social housing available to meet current needs and growth predictions. The idea is that strategically located and well-designed density can help reduce the City's overall ecological footprint and provide better choices for its residents. However, the emerging Charter does not stand alone - it is an action-oriented extension and development of existing policies and plans, such as the CityPlan (which was only recently approved in 1995 by City Council). It should be noted that the EcoDensity Charter is building upon an already increasingly dense City. The City of Vancouver, which is part of the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), has 575000 of the 2.1 million residents of the region and comprises 20% of its overall growth. Although the Charter is encouraging greater compaction, there is already a movement in that direction as Vancouver has been slowly densifying since the 1970s.

On June 10th, 2008, after two years of public debate and dialogue, the EcoDensity Charter (http://www.vancouver-ecodensity.ca/webupload/File/ecodensity-charter-low.pdf) and its Initial Actions (http://www.vancouver-ecodensity.ca/webupload/File/actions-FINAL.pdf) were approved unanimously by City Council. To date, the Charter's Priority Actions of Laneway Housing (http://www.vancouver-ecodensity.ca/content.php?id=47), Secondary Suites in Apartments (http://www.vancouver-ecodensity.ca/content.php?id=51), and Basements in Single Family Areas (http://www.vancouver-ecodensity.ca/content.php?id=50) have been approved by Council. Removal of Barriers to Green Buildings (http://www.vancouver-ecodensity.ca/content.php?id=49) is the last of the priority actions to be approved. The first two actions that were immediately implemented are Rezoning Policy for Greener Buildings and Rezoning Policy for Greener Larger Sites.

Scope of the Policy

The scope of work for the EcoDensity Charter can be broken down into content, process, and coordination or linkages. The initiative emphasizes densifying and greening neighbourhoods outside of the downtown peninsula through ‘gentle' (infill development), ‘hidden' (laneway housing), and ‘invisible' (secondary or basement suites) forms. The policy consists of a Primer, Charter, Toolkit, and an Action Plan to aid in the implementation of its goals. The Initial Actions act a stepping-stone, setting out immediate concrete objectives to be approved by Council and implemented. The Terms of Reference provide immediate and longer-term actions of the Charter. The policy's scope also involves public consultation for the public, designers, academics, developers, and other stakeholders as part of its commitment. Extensive public consultation occurred during the development of the Charter, but will continue as different actions get drafted and put into motion. The policy also links back to prior commitments and policies, such as the CityPlan, and is therefore situated in context of a larger framework. The Action Plan will determine how the scope of the policy may change with time as it is further developed and implemented.

Process for policy development

The following details the history of the EcoDensity Charter, providing an outline of the process for its development.

July 2006 – Council supports the development of an EcoDensity Charter, Toolkit, and a spring 2007 EcoDensity Forum
Fall 2006- Preliminary consultation with interest groups
November 2006 – Council approves Terms of Reference
December 2006 – Development of the EcoDensity Primer
February – May 2007 – Public launch of EcoDensity Initiative and website; EcoDensity Fair; Speaker Series; Workshops on Draft Charter and Ideas (including Youth, Community Visions Committee, Community Conversation).
June 2007 – EcoDensity Forum
December 2007 – February 2008 – Public consultation on Draft Charter and Initial Actions
February – April 2008 – Special Council Meeting to receive input on Draft Charter and Initial Actions
June 2008 – EcoDensity Charter and Initial Actions approved by Council

Consultative Approaches to
Policy Development / Implementation

The EcoDensity planning program, since its establishment in 2006, has created an on-going city-wide public dialogue on the relationship between urban form and sustainability. A myriad of meetings, forums, and fairs were held during the two years leading up to the approval of the Charter that engaged citizens from various neighbourhoods, as well as experts, academics, and industry leaders in often contentious and interesting debates. The resulting Charter incorporates broad perspectives and multiple voices, as well as a commitment to public engagement, consultation, and ownership. The public participation that occurred in the formation of this document is commendable, however, it is important to note that although the consultation process was extensive, not all views may be represented in the final product. Short and long term planning, as well as new actions will continue to be added to the Charter; whether the public will be consulted in an equally extensive manner is yet to be determined. Some decisions regarding the built environment are made at the city-level, such as zoning bylaws, while other decisions involve communities and neighbourhoods in a more specific manner and require local consultation and planning. The scale may therefore determine the level of public involvement. Proponents assert that decisions made with regards to the Charter reflect and strengthen the aims and policies of the CityPlan, which has been developed to incorporate the needs and concerns of the citizens of Vancouver. The following summarizes how the public was directly involved in the development of the Charter, as well as the ways in which the public will continue to be consulted during its implementation.

Public Consultation in the Development of the EcoDensity Charter

December 2007-February 2008 – Public Consultation on Draft Charter and Initial Actions
EcoDensity Forum held on June 23rd, 2007 at Eric Hamber Secondary School. Forum brought together the Mayor, members of City Council, and Vancouver residents to discuss the Draft EcoDensity Charter, overview of the process, and ideas presented to date. Thousands of ideas have been incorporated into the development of the Charter.
On May 23rd, 2007 the Environmental Youth Alliance, together with the EcoDensity Team and the Youth Outreach Team of the City of Vancouver, led a youth consultation on the EcoDensity initiative.
The EcoDensity Fair held on March 3-4th, 2007, allowed approximately 1000 visitors to provide feedback and ideas on the Charter.
Between March and May 2007 the City of Vancouver invited luminaries from across North America to participate in the EcoDensity Speaker Series.
On May 26th of 2007 a community conversation was organized and facilitated by City staff at the Hellenic Community Centre.

Consultative Approaches to the Implementation of the Charter

Traditional and creative approaches will be taken to consultation, education, engagement and dialogue with the public, while addressing the needs of future or unrepresented voices.
City leadership will be balanced with neighbourhood-level influence, capacity-building and ownership.
The voice, values, aspirations, and approaches of neighbourhoods will be respected and fostered.
In creating an Eco-City, the formation of Eco-Neighbourhoods will be encouraged. As such, neighbourhoods will be challenged to meet the commitments of the Charter and share the responsibilities of their city and future generations.

Commitments

The Ecodensity charter functions as a commitment to current and future generations to the goals of environmental sustainability, affordability, and liveability. The Charter embodies an action-oriented approach using the key tools of density, design and land use to address imminent challenges (such as Climate Change, environmental degradation, and the end of cheap energy) facing the City of Vancouver.

These goals are further expounded upon and expressed through the Charter's eight commitments. The first six outline the objectives of the Charter, whereas commitments 7 and 8 represent the means by which to achieve the commitments 1-6. A summary of the commitments and their aims have been summarized below. Click here for a more detailed description of the Charter commitments (http://www.vancouver-ecodensity.ca/webupload/File/ecodensity-charter-low.pdf).

An Over-arching Environmental Priority
- Using strategic density, design, and land use as tools in all city planning decisions.
Toward an Eco-city
- Use strategies such as transportation, green energy, affordable housing, public realm and community amenities, arts and culture, heritage, health and safety, urban agriculture and local food access, social planning, and economic development with density, design, and land use to achieve environmental, social, economic, and cultural sustainability.
A Greener, Denser Pattern
- Create mixed-use, walkable, bicycle-friendly, affordable neighbourhoods and promote ‘gentle', ‘hidden', and ‘invisible' forms of density in line with neighbourhood identity and sense of place.
More Housing Affordability, Types, and Choices
- Support and facilitate greater housing affordability and diversity
- Recognize the value provided by existing affordable housing stock and low income housing
Greener and Livable Design with a "Sense of Place"
- Create density that marries meaningful architecture and significant ecological performance.
- Design new density to achieve both sustainable, timeless design, and respect for authentic neighbourhood values/identity.
- Combine heritage conservation and sustainability.
- Design sites and buildings to consider microclimates, replicate natural systems and functions, and minimize waste.
- Incorporate extensive natural and designed green features in creative ways, on sites and on/within buildings.
- Apply ecological ‘best practices' for public realm and infrastructure design to achieve sustainable, beautiful, safe, accessible, adaptable, and engaging streets, parks, and public places.
- Design city and neighbourhood patterns to enhance urban food production, access to local food, and waste reuse and recycling.
Greener and Livable Support Systems
- Ensure amenities, services, and infrastructure needed are provided in a timely way relative to the population levels they serve.
- Advance and achieve sustainable district energy systems at all scales.
Neighbourhood Voice, Neighbourhood Responsibility
How Will the City Use This Charter and Meet Our Commitments

Connection to Other Policies, Initiatives, and Commitments

The EcoDensity Charter embodies and builds upon previous commitments put forth by the City of Vancouver to create more a inclusive and healthy environment for its citizens. The Charter unites several visions, providing clear objectives, strategies, and tools with which to proactively create change and to implement the City's goals for the future. Below are excerpts from three policies and plans that demonstrate a connection to the EcoDensity Charter.

VANCOUVER'S MISSION STATEMENT:

" To create a great city of communities which cares about its people, its environment and the opportunities to live, work and prosper."

VANCOUVER'S CITYPLAN:

" As the region grows and there is increased pressure on our environment, the City will give priority to actions that protect the environment… Residents want lower and modest income families to be able to live in the City… People will have more opportunities to live in their neighbourhoods as they pass through various ages and stages of their lives."

VANCOUVER'S CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION PLAN:

" The most important long-range strategy for managing housing- and transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions in an urban context is land use planning for higher density, mixed-use, walkable communities – frequently referred to as smart growth."

In addition to this, 20% of all units in new communities must be set aside for affordable housing (examples include Coal Harbour and North False Creek). Pedestrian activity is already being supported through the installation and widening of sidewalks, awnings, pedestrian-controlled traffic lights, as well as landscaping, planting trees, and putting in more benches to support pedestrian comfort. All new civic buildings are now required to be built to LEED Gold standards, demonstrating the City's commitment to green building. The "rate-of-change" bylaw that applies to apartment zoned areas with large stocks of older, affordable rental housing is now in place. This bylaw retains the amount of rental stock available on the market.

Authority

How does the Charter fit into current policies and plans?

As stated in the EcoDensity Terms of Reference, the Charter will be used and considered in all aspects of decision-making. Consequently, the Charter has a significant effect on how existing policies, plans, and initiatives are viewed. Similar to zoning and by-law changes that must eventually be incorporated into revised Official Plans in Ontario, the Charter will eventually become an integrated part of the CityPlan. City policies, bylaws, incentives and zoning can be altered to accommodate commitments (by reducing barriers) put forth by the Charter. Until full integration occurs, conflicts between existing policies, plans, and initiatives may differ from those stated in the Charter. Therefore coordination must occur between the various policies (such as the CityPlan, Community Visions, Community Climate Change Action Plan, etc.) and the Charter. Where there is direct conflict between an existing policy, plan, standard or rule and commitments with the Charter, the city will continue to apply existing requirements or prohibitions such as height, density, or land use, until the conflict is addressed consciously by Council following appropriate process and consultation. In some instances, existing policies and/or legislature may be flexible, open to significant interpretation, or have no governing direction. Where this occurs, the approach will be to emphasize and promote the achievement of the commitments outlined in the Charter. All new directions and approaches will reflect the Charter commitments and seek to reduce barriers and challenges to implementation. As previously mentioned, existing policies, plans, and initiatives will, over time, be aligned with the commitments.

The Charter, then, seems to have significant authority in cases where an existing policy or plan has flexibility or no governing direction and in all future policy/legislature making decisions. A major challenge seems to be in cases where there is a conflict - the weight or authority will then depend on how Council views the situation and whether previous visions of development will be favoured over the new directions of the Charter. Until the Charter is fully integrated into CityPlan, the City can choose to abide by previous or new conceptions of the built environment.

Public Concerns/Criticisms

Despite the stated goals of sustaining rental stock, providing a diversity of housing types and choices, a major concern of the Charter is that increased density that is not well supported by affordability initiatives will ultimately result in an increasingly expensive, though environmentally friendly city. Examples of dense and unaffordable cities are abound - New York City, Tokyo, London. If this becomes the case for Vancouver, individuals of lower socio-economic standing may still be pushed to more affordable areas in the outskirts of the city, which would result in the very thing that the City is seeking to prevent: urban sprawl. Perhaps a growth plan restricting further development outside of certain boundaries, much like in Toronto, is required to prevent this from occurring. Currently, Vancouver's growth is limited by mountains to the north, the US border to the south, and the ocean to the west. In Vancouver, costs are driven primarily by land values, making it difficult to predict whether the goal of affordability will be met. Issues of environmental and social justice might ensue given that the Charter does not meet its all of the ambitious objectives of social, environmental, and economic sustainability it has put forth in this progressive document. Protection of rental stock by the "rate-of-change" bylaw does not prevent landlords from increasing rental prices as the market fluctuates. In addition to this, government funding for subsidized and affordable housing on non-market land has significantly decreased since the the 1980s.

Concerns have been voiced that the EcoDensity Charter has been very well marketed but may just be rhetoric, resulting in a free-for-all developers in the name of ecological sustainability. Other concerns include the inability of the City to provide sufficient public resources, infrastructure, and amenities to support denser living. In addition to this, there is concern that up-front construction costs of green building might further increase the cost of living. The public is also concerned about the change in neighbourhood character - although the EcoDensity Charter puts forth that infill development will be "gentle", attempting to fit in as much built space may result in fluctuation land values and prices, as well as changing the "feel" and aesthetic of the neighbourhood. The EcoDensity Charter may have great commitments, but how they will be played out in reality might be much different than anticipated. The Charter puts forth actions that permit different kinds of development to occur in the city. These changes offer different possibilities of how to live in the city. Changes on a neighbourhood scale will of course go through the planning process whereby the public will be consulted, workshops held, and a thorough analysis of the viability of of the development as well as how it will affect the area in which it is occurring. In this way, the EcoDensity Charter operates in a similar manner to the Avenues. However, the vision and strength of the policies and plans may affect the decision-making process of what goes where. One of biggest the criticisms of the Charter seems to be that it relies too heavily on a simplistic and view of how density, design, and land-use operate. It does not seek to address challenges that may arise between its complex relationships and takes for granted the connection between density and ecological footprint. Additionally, it promotes blind faith in the Charter by taking advantage of the ethos and philosophy of sustainability by using common environmental & sustainable living vocabulary. It is important to address the appropriateness of densification that may not necessarily be suited all targeted areas. The complexity of development needs to be taken more seriously and supported by research specific to areas undergoing densification in order to avoid problems and issues that may manifest in the long-term.