2. Purpose
Convey the lessons learned from
recent attempts as planning
“sustainable” communities
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
3. AGENDA
• Halsall‟s Role in Planning
• Frameworks to understand “sustainable”
communities
– One Planet Living
– LEED-ND
• Lessons - Case study examples
• Primary blockers to net-zero
• Integrating sustainability into the planning
process
• Discussion
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
4. Halsall’s Role in Planning
• Facilitator
• Generalist: High-level
strategy in all
engineering disciplines
• Change Agent to Triple
People Planet
Bottom Line Thinking
Profit
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5. Halsall Deliverables
• Identify and Communicate Sustainability
Drivers
• Develop the Framework (“Green DNA”)
and Precedents
• Move team to Commit to Green DNA
• Critique/Filter emerging plans against
Green DNA
• Green Development Strategy
– Energy
– Water: potable, storm, foul
– Buildings and Infrastructure
– Transportation
– Lifestyles
• Connect Developer to Partners
• LEED ND
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
6. Frameworks for “Sustainability”
• What is a “sustainable neighbourhood”?
• Why is it important?
• How could you measure it?
• Discuss two Frameworks – One Planet
Communities and LEED-ND
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8. Why do we need to change the way we Plan?
Our Ecological Deficit
(or Overshoot)
October 9
Globally, our
Ecological
Footprint is
30% larger
than what the
planet can
regenerate… and
climbing steadily.
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
9. Context
If everyone consumed as much as the
average person in Canada we would
need 4.5 planets to support us
+ + + + =?
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
13. One Planet Communities
• London based NGO:
BioRegional
• Formed by WWF and
BioRegional
• BedZed
• Greg Searle – NA Director
• greg.searle@bioregional.com
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14. Ten Principles of One Planet Communities
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15. Ten Principles of One Planet Communities
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16. 1 Zero Carbon
OPTIMIZE ENERGY DEMAND
• Insulation levels in excess of Building Regulation minimums
•
•
Footprint: .61 planets / 21%
High levels of airtightness with efficient natural ventilation strategies;
Using energy-efficient internal lights, external lights and domestic appliances
• CHP + energy efficiency +
Influencing user behaviour through visible metering and lifestyles program
MEET OPTIMIZED DEMAND WITH SUSTAINABLE SOURCES
•
•
green lifestyles = 37% CO2
Maximising use of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) site energy centre through district heating solution
Provision for bay water use for cooling in all commercial blocks – ducts provided around cores in all
•
commercial areas
Reduction. Windfarm Offset =
Reduce energy demand of white water rafting feature – e.g. Archimedes screw
•
8,000 Tons CO2 annually.
Offsetting remaining carbon emissions through off-site wind generation to achieve carbon-neutral status
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
17. 5 Local and Sustainable Food
Creating demand for local organic food
• Encouraging regular farmers‟ market at the public level of the Alsop pier
•
•
Footprint: .72 planets / 24%
Encouraging on-site restaurant to use local and organic produce
Encouraging food box deliveries through community extranet and drop-off/ pick-up space provided
• Local, organic food supply +
Extensive coverage of food related issues in community extranet and in the community information
centre
Food growing activity on site
•
on-site gardens + windfarm
„Orchard Car Park‟ – fruit orchards will form most of the „forest‟ on southern side of boardwalk
•
offset = Zero food-related
Window and balcony boxes provided for each residence to encourage herb growing
Reducing net food emissions to Zero
•
emissions
Our wind farm is sized to offset the minimised food related emissions,
in addition to transport and energy related emissions
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
18. 9 Equity and Fair Trade
• Homes to a wide range of income groups, from eco-studios to luxury penthouses
• Amenities for different age groups – from young children‟s play facilities to playing fields and mountain
•
Invest locally in youth, skills
biking for teenagers, to a gym for working people
During construction, a set of multi-skilled construction teams comprising local young people could be
•
development & materials;
formed to work throughout the various development phases
The construction phase will involve local industry and labour as possible within the overall aims of
providing sustainable construction practices
• create an inclusive
Fair trade retailers such as Co-op, Starbucks and Oxfam will be encouraged to open within the
development
• community; engage fair
The community extranet will provide information on local fair trade retailers, suppliers, organisations and
initiatives
• trade retailers
The community extranet could facilitate „time bank‟ schemes where people offer services eg. gardening,
care services, help with shopping etc. to each other in exchange for similar services; the currency is the
time spent providing the services
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION copyright 2004
20. What is LEED-ND?
• LEED for Neighbourhood
Development
• Certifies development projects
based on smart growth, new
urbanism, and green building
principles.
• Projects can be whole, fractions of,
or multiple neighbourhoods
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
21. LEED-ND
• Currently a Pilot run by the
USGBC with 238 projects (24
of these are in Canada) -
expected general release in
2009
• CaGBC Task Force is
working simultaneously with
US pilot to develop the
system in Canada in 2010
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
22. LEED-ND Credit Categories
• Smart Location and Linkages
– Proximity to water/wastewater
infrastructure, housing, jobs, and
schools
– Conservation of species, ecological
communities, and wetlands
• Neighbourhood Pattern & Design
– Compact, diverse, and affordable
development
– Walkability, public transit, public
spaces
– Local food production
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
23. LEED-ND Credit Categories
• Green Construction & Technology
– LEED certified buildings
– Building and infrastructure energy
efficiency
– Application of LEED-NC credits on a
neighbourhood scale (i.e. heat island
reduction, construction waste
management, stormwater
management)
• Innovation and Design Process
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
24. OPL vs. LEED
OPL: LEED ND:
• Very active lifestyles • Concentrates on where,
program how, and what you build
• Completely non- vs. lifestyle
prescriptive • Prescriptive – pre-
• Active and collaborative requisites geared to urban
partnership model (not infill
3rd party certification) • Certification by 3rd party –
• Select few, super-green like all LEED programs
projects • Intended to drive market
• Very expensive transformation through a
range of early adopters
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25. Lessons Through Case Studies
• Rockcliffe Redevelopment
• LEED ND:
» Point Nord
» Batawa
• One Planet Commuties
» Meadowbrook
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
26. CFB Rockcliffe: Ottawa
• Canada Lands
Corporation
CFB Rockcliffe • DND surplus land
• Mixed use
development
• Cancelled – Native
Land Claims Dispute
Parliament Hill
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
27. Rockcliffe Redevelopment
•4500 residential units •Community Energy Plan
•1Mm2 commercial •Grid tied – but near net
•Sustainable village concept zero energy
• LEED-ND Gold Target
Image KPMB
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
28. Rockcliffe: Key Lessons
• Team must commit early to a Framework – a decision
process, measures, and targets
• Municipality needs a champion – politically and at the
implementation level – road standards, street lights,
maintenance, pipe sizes, density etc.
• Local Electric Distribution Company plays a critical
role in Energy decisions
• Provincial regulations have unintended consequences
for alternative infrastructure
• Condo Act does not allow developers to tie future
owners to investment for sustainability initiatives
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
29. Batawa, Eastern Ontario
• Batawa
Development
Corporation
• Former Company
Town
• Preliminary Design
Phase
• Eco-Village Concept
2 hrs to
Toronto
Lake Ontario
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
30. •LEED ND and Principles impacted •Difficult to achieve LEED Prereq. for S.L.L.
design decisions •Road Standards – snow/ice
•Questionable site – ANSI lands •Transportation
•Economic viability 5-10km to jobs – no existing transit
•Density vs. Absorption
Image: Bousfields/Montgomery Sisam
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
31. Batawa: Key Lessons
• Municipality can only make decisions based on
lowest cost
– Example: Batawa needs water and sewage
upgrades. Modifying existing regional plants and
connecting with pipes and pumps is more
economically viable than local solutions – but relies
on unsustainable technologies
• 3rd party utility model could work – but developer
concerned about potential buyer‟s perception.
• LEED ND is not a good „fit‟ for exurban sites
• Existing residents excited by Green, but not
committed to changes if it affects them
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
32. Pointe Nord, Montreal
• Proment Corporation
City Centre
• Previously
Developed
• New Bell campus
• Primarily residential
• Community Design
Completed
• Phase 1 Building
Design Started
• 10-year phased
Project
build-out
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
33. Bell Campus –
opens late „08
Residential
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34. • Developed a
Conceptual
Community Energy
Plan
• 3rd Party Energy
Provider in place
(Corix)
• ND has had
Minimal impacts
on design to date
LEED ND
• Maximum credit
for Neighbourhood
Design (density)
• SLL P4-challenge
• Poor Linkage – but
good Transit plan
• Appropriate infill –
but hard to meet
ND requirements
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
35. Point Nord: Key Lessons
• Density is critical for alternative infrastructure
(central plant) and supports pro-forma
• Market absorption of dense form may be a
gamble
• Is high density the best for the social aspects of
sustainability? To be tested, but LEED
encourages this with the current point structure
• Municipal (Verdun) participation critical for
transportation infrastructure and public lands
• LEED ND pre-requisites difficult where
suburban densities exist, even on an ideal “infill”
site like this.
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
36. One Planet Communities: Meadowbrook
• Groupe Pacific
• On its way to
being an OPC,
pending further
public consultation
• Net Zero Carbon
and Waste etc.
• L‟OEUF with
BNIM and
Engineers
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
37. Image: L‟OEUF
• Plan centered on new commuter train station and
associated retail
• High Density Residential
• Leave maximum amount of Natural Area
• If it was LEED ND – Platinum
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
38. Meadowbrook: Key Lessons
• BioRegional, WWF (and others) do not accept large-
scale Hydro as Carbon Neutral.
• Energy systems – Hydro provinces , Manitoba,
Quebec and BC selling electricity below cost. Very
complicated.
• Any energy scheme must compete against 6¢/kWh
hydro
• Density=Traffic=Fear: NIMBYism (as always) is a
powerful force in a democracy. If we are to densify
our suburbs, we have to overcome this.
• “Green” may be the only way to unlock this
development – but the risk/return is questionable.
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
39. General Lessons
The Primary Blockers to Near Net Zero Communities:
• Economics
• Codes
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
40. Typical Developer’s View of Building Green
Rate
of
Return
Trad. Dev
Green Dev
20%
0 Risk of this
Risk
development
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
41. Most Developers View of Building Green
Rate
of How can the developer lower
Return their perception of risk?
Trad. Dev
Green Dev
20%
0 Risk of this
Risk
development
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
42. General Lessons: Economics
• Even if the Developer understands the balance of
the Triple Bottom Line - you can‟t count on the
consumers or the government to be there.
Social Environ
mental
Social Environm
ental
Economic
Economic
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
43. Economic Considerations
• Green or Smart Growth Development is only
successful if it sells
• Absorption not proven in Eastern Canada, studies show
premium for green is not marketable to the masses...yet
• Premium for land, cost of green construction,
alternative infrastructure – ALL add Risk
• “LEED ®” has brand power – possibly a way to ensure a
premium
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
44. General Lessons: Codes
• Codes do not eliminate risk – they move it in space and
time
• Codes developed to protect the public have unintended
consequences for sustainable infrastructure
• Changing codes to improve pedestrian environment
difficult
• Changing codes for Infrastructure difficult
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
45. Integrating Sustainability into Planning
• Sustainability is not an overlay it
must be embedded in the
planning process
• Sustainable communities cost
more because they are paying
the “true” cost of infrastructure –
Accept this and find means to
fund.
• Integrated Design – including the
Municipality, Utilities, and Public
• Need visionary developers and
political leaders – Example
Dockside Green
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
46. Integrating Sustainability into Planning
• Regional governments need to
study the full life cycle costs of
investing in distributed,
sustainable infrastructure vs. large
centralized systems
• Politicians and bureaucrats – take
some risk with codes on a pilot
basis. We need leaders.
• Incremental changes on every
planning project increases
awareness and acceptance –
push the Green agenda on all
projects
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
47. Discussion
Photos from:
SolarRegion Freiburg. Sustainable City – Freiburg. Retrieved on March 31, 2008, from http://madisonfreiburg.org/sustainablecity.htm. BioRegional. (2008). Sonoma Mountain Village: North
America’s first endorsed One Planet Community. Retrieved March 31, 2008, from http://www.bioregional.com/oneplanetcommunities/na/sonoma.
Sonoma Mountain Village. North America’s First Truly Sustainable Community: Sonoma Mountain Village
Arieff, A. (2006). Sustainability Begins at Home. The New York Times. Retrieved March 31, 2008, from http://arieff.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/10/09/sustainability-begins-at-home/
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
48. Thank You
• Contact me at:
• sdemark@halsall.com
• www.halsall.com
VISION • DEPTH • INNOVATION
