Southlands in Transition

 From the November 14 Delta Optimist......

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"We have all heard how our region is expected to grow significantly in the next 50 years. Some municipalities in Metro Vancouver are growing faster than others and some are trying to figure out how to accommodate and benefit from the growth.

Patrick Condon from the University of British Columbia’s Design Centre for Sustainability recently suggested that Metro Vancouver (former GVRD) will require 800,000 additional dwelling units by the year 2056.

Locally, the Corporation of Delta has been busy investigating our regions housing situation. The “Housing Task Force” has been at it for quite some time now and will be pouring over details of a recently completed survey.

We know some of the results already. For instance, we know that of the 600 responses to the questionnaire 49% came from residents of Tsawwassen. With about 24 % of the population this would tell you that housing is an important issue in Tsawwassen.

This could be because Tsawwassen has proportionally less housing choice than Ladner or North Delta. As was reported in this paper, respondents clearly cited the need for town-homes as a more prevalent housing option.

Sub communities in Tsawwassen are primarily single detached homes. We have more of them than in any region in Metro. The “core” of Tsawwassen has many condominium style housing choices but there is little or nothing in the way of town-homes or row houses.

The Tsawwassen Area Plan Committee (TAPC) will ponder zoning changes that may likely allow the core of Tsawwassen to become more dense but this does not mean that we will see town-homes or cottage housing in the core.

 The Tsawwassen Area Plan Committee has some important meetings coming up. If you are in support of the project and have been following its progress, it is important that you attend these meetings, especially the October 24 meeting.

The Congress for the New Urbanism  promoted a film festival with features relating to the topic of New Urbanism and Sustainability.

The winner is the excellent short film BUILT TO LAST.

Take a look and you will see how this film quickly highlights many of the isssues we have been discussing over the past couple of years.

 Concept illustration (strict copyright protection)

Mark Holland and Janine De La Salle collaborate on an interesting article entitled 'Food for Thought'  that was published in the February 10 Vancouver Sun.

Best of the season to everyone!

I hope everyone is enjoying some time with friends and family over Christmas and the holidays.

This is a little slide show that I put together with some photos taken along the way. I very much enjoyed documenting the SCPT process during 2008 and I can hardly wait to watch the evolution of the project in 2009.

Happy New Year!

Mike

I received a link to an interesting initiative on Saltspring Island that speaks to the idea of a lands trust. You can take a look at the pdf HERE.

There was an interesting article on walkability in the August 26 Vancouver Sun

You can view the final charrette presentation by clicking the play arrow on the image above.

The post charrette booklet has been published HERE. The OCP amendment application has also been filed and a copy is attached below.The SCPT disclaimer regarding the process can be viewed HERE.

Get involved. Share your ideas and participate in the discussion.

There was an interesting Headline front page article in the May 27 Vancouver Sun. Prices of fuel, fertilizer and feed are driving prices up and making it difficult for farmers to keep up. A tight labour market is also contributing to difficult times.

Statistics Canada shows that the Horticulture industry in BC (fruits and vegetables) showed increased cash receipts of 3.8% while expenses rose 7.5%.

Agriculture Minister Pat Bell said that the government had seen this coming and noted that there are opportunities as outlined in the Agriculture Plan that show how niche farming activities could generate high profit produce.

This is the type of thing that is being suggested for the Southlands and I think it is appropriate to investigate new agricultural opportunities in a rapidly changing world.

Mike Schneider

 Packed House

Even though we watched and participated in the process, it was still amazing to watch it come together as it did.

Right to the end.....literally.......as corrections on drawing items found their way in to Andes Duany's computer at the podium at the very last momment.

Well done everyone! 

ideas

Four major schemes have evolved from 12. Check them out HERE illustrations for the schemes will be posted shortly

Steve Mouzon gave an excellent presentation to the group this morning. "Feedable Places" gives us cause to consider just exactly what sustainability really means. The word has often been misused in recent times and it s important to understand what feedable places are.

The Southlands is a feedable place waiting to happen.You can take a look at this excellent presentation which is attached below.
Thanks Steve!

Mad people

These are some thoughts from Bob Ransford a couple of days in to the Charrette........

 Something extraordinary is happening in that big red barn down in Boundary Bay. Citizens are building community-- they are not building just "a community". A physical community or settlement has long existed in this place collectively referred to as"Tsawwassen". Something greater is being constructed in the barn.

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Over the past few days an amazing collective commitmenthas manifested itself in the informal discussions and the dialogue that hasbeen taking place around the charrette's scheduled meetings in the SouthlandsBarn. That collective commitment is deep and real and it is about more thanplanning and designing a new physical community-- an enhanced and more livable extension of the existing human settlement set sensitively on the natural landscape. 

The commitment I am witnessing at the Southlands charrette is infused with optimism, with a simple trust in the notion that citizens working together can create a common good that leads to a collective happiness. That’s what building community is all about. It’s an expression ofhuman effort and passion that we don’t often witness these days.

Drawings...Big ones!

Whoa!!

 The last hour or so this afternoon/evening was intense. Eleven different plans with several types of architecture and form were presented late in the day.

It was an amazing experience and thanks to all for letting us watch it happen!