Sustainable Development

Much of the energy and material people use goes to construct, heat, cool, illuminate and operate their buildings. A sustainable city needs homes, offices, and public facilities that meet high standards for energy efficiency and choice of materials. To drive this transition, the City requires its own new buildings to meet the LEED Gold standard, and requires major new construction in Vancouver to achieve at least LEED Silver.

To drive this transition, the City has built a cutting-edge Neighbourhood Energy Utility to supply clean energy to its extraordinary Southeast False Creek development, a model for sustainable community design and only the second neighbourhood in the world to be certified as LEED - ND Platinum (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). The neighbourhood includes the green-roofed Olympic Village, and showcases the Net-Zero Energy Building. The 2010 Winter Games will leave a legacy of green Olympic venues.

These model developments are forerunners of a broader shift. The City’s own facilities are becoming steadily greener, and new homes and buildings are now required to meet advanced standards for greater sustainability. Vancouver is committed to becoming a green capital, and better buildings are a key part of that future.

Want to know more?

Neighbourhood Energy Utility (False Creek Energy Centre) (374 kb)

Southeast False Creek: A Model of Sustainable Community Living (478 kb)

A Green Olympic Village (439 kb)

Net Zero Building (407 kb)

A Legacy of World-Class Venues (Olympic and Paralympic venues) (333 kb)

Walking the Talk (Green municipal facilities) (255 kb)

Green Homes For a Greener City (316 kb) Learn more about the Green Homes Program

Green Buildings (370 kb)