Building a Better City

A fundamental change is occurring in Vancouver in every aspect of how we build our city. We are building in a way that reduces our energy emissions, accommodates active and public transportation and ensures future quality of life.

All new commercial and multi-family buildings are required to meet the strictest energy efficiency requirements in Canada. The City approved the creation of a sustainable community energy system for Southeast False Creek that will reduce heating related greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50%. Methane gas captured from the Vancouver Landfill is being used to generate heat and electricity.

Vancouver has established a forward-thinking Transportation Plan for the city. The city has designed for a variety of road users by supporting transit, creating greenways and incorporating bicycle lanes. The result is a 44% increase in walking, a 180% increase in bike trips and a 10% reduction in vehicle trips since 1997. Transit ridership has increased by 50% in the last decade.

In addition, Vancouver is working on the EcoDensity initiative . Building on the work of the CityPlan process that promotes the development of complete, mixed use urban communities in all the City's neighbourhoods; EcoDensity is a way to plan our growing city while reducing our ecological footprint. It is the City's vision for how Vancouver will grow in a way that is green, as well as livable and affordable.

In Feb. 2009, Mayor Robertson launched the Greenest City initiative, with a goal to map out how we can earn that title by 2020. A Greenest City Quick Start Recommendations report was published in the spring, and in the fall the Vancouver 2020: A Bright Green Future Action Plan was introduced. The fall report also linked the initiative to the recently introduced Vancouver Green Capital business strategy.

Part of a livable Vancouver is building cultural legacies in sport and recreation, arts, literacy, and volunteerism.

Click on the links to the left to find out more.