Sustainable Transportation

OK, so this blog isn't directly tied to Summit Park, but it is tied to my current community, Victoria...As a Victoria resident and long time cyclist, I am a very enthusiastic user of the Galloping Goose. In comparison to 10+ years of cycling in Vancouver, it is everything a bike commuter could dream of.

On my rides to Royal Roads from Victoria, I see people getting their exercise daily - taking advantage of the safety offered by car-free, (mostly) paved routes. This initiative to connect the communities of the Southern Island in an environmentally friendly way, is a fantastic example of a sustainable community planning (SCP).

Here are some of the ways in which the Goose ties into SCP:

1. Ecological imperative: It could be argued that the Goose project is an exercise in meeting climate change imperatives. Yes, there would still be cyclists commuting between communities on the S. Island regardless, but how many people walking, biking, skating etc. are doing so, only due to the safety offered by having a car free zone? My guess is many, and for every person taht walks/rides to work or school, that is one potential vehicle that is not emitting GHG's into the air. The initiative to create the Goose, could be seen as an act of Stewardship - an anthropocentric motivated act of "managing" the environment through preservation. Although there was some impacts in creating it (the paving etc.), the net result is a decrease in indirect impacts to nature through excess vehicle use (oil spills, emissions, wreckage, tires in landfill etc.).

2. Social imperative: The presence of the Goose drastically improves the "liveability" of the region. It creates a free transporation route for those who can't afford buses and cars. It also offers a peaceful area for cyclists/walkers to take their dog without the stress of being run over, inhaling noxious fumes, or being bombarded with noise pollution. I see the Goose as a conduit, connecting people in the area with each other and nature. For myself, the morning rides are an exercise in physical fitness, meditation, and social bonding with the "regulars" that I see each day. It is a lift to the spirit to get a "hello" from someone whose name you don't even know, but this is a common occurence.

3. Changing community structures: The goose has undoubtably changed the face of Victoria, making it a more desirable place to live, as well as becoming a template in sustainable transporation supports and initiatives. How did this come about? Because a person or group of people had a utopian vision, that was convincing enough to get buy-in from the community.

...speaking of Utopian Vision, i would like to end these blog sessions off with a little Utopian Vision of my own...an inspiration that occurred to me while riding in to Royal Roads on the Goose.

The S. Island has a serious transportation problem, which is being met with overall ignorance on the part of the municipalities. More feeders and connectors only displaces the traffic halt for commuters comig from Colwood/Langford etc., and yet here we are, still pouring money into more roads. LRTs are a great initiative, but they also suck up a lot of energy, some of which comes from coal fired generators bought and sold on the energy market. What we need is a mass commuting system that has low energy requirements while meeting the commuting needs of the people (teleworking and shorter workweeks aside - both of which I'm keen as mustard).

What if the CRD were to create a new design for people transport, inspired by the gondollas that lift people up ski hills. Here are the basic points of my vision, all of which a engineer or physicist would probably rip to shreds in minutes, but hey...it all starts with a dream

• Cable and pulley run, light weight "cars" transporting propel between Victoria, Colwood Metchosin, Sooke.
• Each Car holds 8 people.
• the line runs over top of the goose, effectively creating a "roof" protecting cyclists from the rain
• Heat from the cyclists rises up and warms the cars.
• Series of stops along the route, like a subway
• When boarding a car, you must board one that will only stop at specific route, therefore you have to wait for enough passengers that also want the same stop
• Passengers must walk up a very high set of stairs to board their car (boarding stations are much higher than the actual cable run). This is a buildup of potential energy
• Upon filling the car with 8 people, the car then descends downward towards the run, feeding into the energy grid from the heavy gravity-run descent.
• Upon reaching communal destination, people unload at the cable-level, car (which is light again) is pulled up to the higher "loading" section, only to be weighed down again by a new group of riders - feeding into the system again. Because car is lighter when rising for re-load, there is an oveall net gain.
• External power requirements much lower thatn traditional skytrain/tram/LRT
• Only Elderly and handicap can use elevator to get to top.

this system would not only promote physical fitness, it would get people talking on the rides in, and encourage even more rider/walker ship on the Goose, due to the weather protection.

For a really great sustainably minded group that promotes alternative transporation, please visit:

http://www.best.bc.ca/

I have truly enjoyed this blogging process....I hope you have enjoyed my rants!!!!

Cheers!!

My Smallest Blog Yet

What Communities do I belong to?
Former Communities: East Vancouver community, tobacco smokers community, Kamloops Community, Smithers Community, Richmond Community, Ladner Community
Current Communities: Cycling Community, House owner community, Victoria Community
Lifelong Communities: Bass player community, Environmentalist Community, Jazz head community, Meditation/Buddhist Community

Co-Op Housing surrounding Summit Park

One of the characteristics of Summit Park, is the housing that surrounds it; most notably, the Co-Op housing development on the east side of the park. I have spoken to a few individuals who are currently living in the co-op during my walks through the park, and they very enthusiastically support the Co-Op model. One of the benefits to co-ops is the opportunity to be active in the decision making process, as the board of directors who manage the co-op, are elected by the co-op members (CHF BC, 2008).



In addition, there is a common bond between the co-op members, as each member has had to pass an interview (which has nothing with income or occupation). The interview is to ensure that the individual is in understanding of what is entailed in co-op living, and is willing to participate: that their ideals and lifestly fit in with the community. Now, on first hearing of that, one might think this an "exclusive" scenario, however, the co-op housing is open to lower income levels, single status Mothers, all ethnic groups etc. My understanding, is that the interviews provide an opportunity for the board representatives to explain what is expected of the members, and go through the contract that is put forth. For example, the Summit Park Housing Co-op members are responsible for sharing yard work duties and general maintenance, such as painting the buildings, maintaining the gardens etc. People who are not into this type of communal living will simply not be interested in living their, and conversely, those who don't fulfil their obligations to the Co-Op can be asked to leave.

Sustainable? I would say yes, on many levels. For one, you have dense housing, which is keeping energy consumption and resource use conservative. Additionally, you are building social capital through the networking of community, that naturally arises through shared responsibilities and the relationships that result. With this kind of living, I imagine parent's resting easy, knowing that their neighbours (whom they know) are keeping an additional eye out for the kids while playing. I'm imagining people borrowing and sharing knowledge, experience, and resources such as tools and vehicles. Car-pooling, baby-sitting, block-watches, dog-walking. The sharing of communal spaces, resources, could also even lead to more actions within a "cashless" market, whereby people swap favours, such as yard work for gardening. These interactions, make living in an expensive place like Victoria more accessible for lower income folks - a very important aspect of economic sustainability!


Apparently, the province and feds also see the value to Canadians of Co-Op housing, as both governments have funded various programs to help Canadians create non-profit housing co-ops. The following excerpt was taken from Co-Op Housing Federation BC website http://www.chf.bc.ca/pages/about.asp

The co-ops developed under these programs provide good quality, affordable housing. There are more than 255 non-profit housing co-ops comprising 14,300 units in British Columbia.
As a co-op member, you have security of tenure. This means that you can live in your home for as long as you wish if you follow the rules of the co-op and pay your housing charge (rent). As a co-op member, you have a say in decisions that affect your home. You and your neighbours own your homes co-operatively. Members form a community that works together to manage the co-op. Co-op communities are made up of all kinds of people - people with different backgrounds and incomes and special needs. These diverse and vibrant communities are the unique strength of the co-op housing movement.

For some great information on Sustainable growth in BC, visit:

www.smartgrowth.bc.ca/

Neighbourhood connections and NIMBY

As I have mentioned in several of the previous blogs, I am starting to make some serious neighbourhood connections through doing walking my dog 2x/day in the park. Whether the easy converstaion start-ups are a result of a friendly neighbourhood, or the fact that my dog has no social boundaries is another discussion. The point is, in utilizing the park, connections happen.

The other day, i was walking the mutt, and Jesse (the dog) went running up to a lady who was also out for a stroll. She was a dog lover, and so, as usually occurs, she began talking to Jesse, and then asking me questions about the dog, which eventually evolved to a conversation between the two humans. Turns out, she lives on my street and not only got me on the listserve for the "friends of summit park", but was also hosting a neighbourhood block watch party on the weekend.

Why a neighbourhood block watch? Well, there is one house on the block which has, on occassion, fallen on hard times. From what nieghbours have told me, the occupants were long time residents, who though a series of unfurtunate events got mixed up with some heavy street drugs. When this happened, it eventually progressed to increased break-ins in the neighbourhood, and at least one violent incident.

It is important to note, that this neighbourhood is neither predominantly low or high income. There are a few low income rentals, and a few apparently affluent, but on the whole, I believe it to be mostly middle class. I was pleasantly suprised to find that when the crimes began to affect the neighbourhood, the people who live here neither ignored it and wished it away OR used there influence to push it out of their reality. The latter for which I refered to is a symptom of NIMBY, which stands for Not In My Back Yard; which is a phenomenon whereby the affluent can buy their way out of having to live with unpleasantries such as poverty and industry.

What occured when one of the locals was having a difficult time? The neighbours communicated. They acted. They let the people in question know that it was not OK to bring unsafe elements around their children. They patrolled, they documented. It may sound somewhat like vigilante action, but the end result is this....the family who own that house, (and have lived in this neighbourhood for sevare decades) are still there. they are healthier, and the illegal activity has subsided. I say "hi" on a regular basis. And I think that this had a happy ending due to community connections: people working out problems together.

What is the price of preservation?

In reviewing chapter 8 of Agenda 21, I began to wonder what the financial worth of preserving a Garry Oak meadow might be? I've talked on a fair bit about the social and environmental benefits of preserving the space....but what about the financial?

How does this relate to Agenda 21? Well, for those of you who are not familiar, Agenda 21 is a "comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups in every area in which human impacts on the environment" (Ling C. Lecture notes. 2008). It was born from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janerio, Brazil, 3 to 14 June 1992, and has since been adopted by more than 178 Governments(Ling C. Lecture notes. 2008).

The Agenda has several components or chapters to it, and the one which catalyzed this thought pattern was when we were reviewing Chapter 8 (Integrating Environment And Development In Decision-making) in class, which recommends:

(a) Integrating environment and development at the policy, planning and management levels;
(b) Providing an effective legal and regulatory framework;
(c) Making effective use of economic instruments and market and other incentives;
(d) Establishing systems for integrated environmental and economic accounting.

If a society is to "integrate environment and development at the policy, planning and management levels" as well as "establishing systems for integrated envrironmental and economic accounting" - how would this change the "value" of a park.

I think most people would agree, that a park has value - it provides a pleasant place for people to visit, pretty views for tourists and locals. Some folks even realize that they are kind of important for ecological purposes....but what is the true dollar value on a preserved ecosystem? Is it known? Better yet, is it ever recognized at the policy, planning or management levels? I'm not going to pretend for a moment that I have the financial skills to actually pull this off - at least not tonight!, but I think it is worth exploring some of the areas in which the value of a preserved ecosystem within a community might have an estimate-able dollar figure attached to it; and if a municipal, provincial or federal government where to take this value seriously, it might actually one day arise from the theoretical and in to the practical realm of policy, planning and management decisions.

Here are a few brainstormed areas that may be worth consideration in terms of valuing a park for more than just great pics for Beautiful BC magazine.

Air Quality: Easy one. Keep the trees and plants, clean the air. Also, by having a space that is not a producer of excess greenhouse gases i.e. there are no motorized vehicles in the area, no cattle grazing, industrial activity etc. it is reducing the input. What's this worth? Well, city's around the world are struggling to deal with air pollution, and the costs to health care, lost days of productivity to the workforce, remediation costs, infrastructure band-aids such as proper ventillation etc. are huge.

Water Quality: Clean water is one of the bonuses of preserving a forest. Water is not permitted to runoff to the rivers and oceans like it does when an area is paved. Precipitation is slowed down, filtered and stored. What's this worth? Think of how much municipalities spend on treating, shipping or buying water to supply a region. As water becomes more scarce globally, its worth increases. It's essential to life and it has a price tag. Clean water also equates to good health, and the costs there are enourmous. Without it, our hospitals would be over-run with disease and the costs would be astronomical.

Physical Health: Admittedly, I touched on this in the above two points of air and water. Parks also encourage walking and exercise. Our over-fed/under-exercised society is creating huge costs on the health care system in obesity-related issues alone. What's this worth?Alot. Including more parks into planning, effectively gets more people biking, hiking, walking, running...etc. This equals less cardiac disease, less stress related disease, lowered blood pressure, increased metabolism, better digestion....the list goes on. Huge savings to the health system.

Mental Health: More people in nature means more people talking to one another. You just can't communicate like this in traffic! As well, the calming effects that walking in nature has on the mind tends to make people more peaceful. What's this worth? Well, more peaced-out folks means less fights, violence, anger....essentially a significantly decreased policing bill for a community!

Pest management (birds): More habitat for birds means more birds keeping pest populations in check. this equals decreased costs in pesticides.
Food security: A healthier environment makes growing food easier (cleaner air, water, soil). It also keeps the plants propogated, because of more bees! That's worth something!
Waste water management: See clean water above. Municipalities spend tonnes in waste water treatment...


So anyway, you get the general idea...The aspect of financial sustainability in preserving a natural area has many benefits, however most of them are unrecognized in planning!

Sustainability continued....

Back to the issue of ecological sustainability....In my last blog, I expressed that although there are some issues with littering, grass trampling, graffiti etc. they are small potatoes in the grand scheme of things. A meadow is made of tougher stuff than that. The other day I was out for my morning walk, and I noticed two new things in the park. The first was signs all over the park saying "Wildflowers in bloom...Please step carefully!". "So what" you may think to yourself, "another sign". But these signs are symbolic of another closely tied aspect of sustainability...that being community. Those signs were put up by people on a volunteer basis - people who care enough about the health of the meadow to take the time to make and post these signs. How much behaviours will the signage actually influence is impossible to know, however, this act of local stewardship creates closer links within the community. It lets the users of the park know that the community cares about protecting its assets; it sets a precedence of conservation, and also lets people know that they are being watched by local who care (a kind of grassroots self-policing).



The other thing I noticed yesterday is that a bunch of the graffiti has been removed. If you look at the pictures that I posted, you can see a horific amount of graffiti on the Telus tower, which has been recently re-painted by the company. That may not necessarily reflect community sustainability, as the company is just taking care of its assets. However, the history/Garry Oak ecosystem kiosk at the park entrance had also been tagged (spray painted), and that has also been cleaned up. I can pretty much gaurantee that Telus didn't pay for that, so who cleaned up the kiosk? I would lay bets that it was one of the local neighbours, probably someone from the "Friends of Summit Park" group. I believe that these little acts of cleaning up pay big dividends. Think about it...if you are in a place that looks neglected i.e. covered in litter and run-down, how compelled do you feel to closely monitor your behaviour. Well, I'm assuming that we are all somewhat functional adults here and wouldn't think to throw our garbage around, even if you were in a dumpy area, but if you are in an area that obviously is being taken care of...you would likely go out of your way to not make a mess. Imagine how you feel when you are walking in a beautiful, clean, pristine forest. Now shift this visual to walking around a landfill. Those may be extreme examples, but to a lesser extent, I believe that the sub-conscious effect on people is the same. The community around Summity Park cleans up their messes. They make effort to protect the wild things, because they are valuable, and you can sense that when you are using the area. As long as the community continues to act and care, it will have a ripple effect on other locals, encouraging more participation and behaviours that will further protection of the park for generations to come...and that is sustainable.



Just a little thought that I had the other day, regarding the graffiti. Having worked with youth at risk in Vancouver, I know that graffiti is a means for youth to claim something for their own. It is a form of rebellion, it has shock value, it's what they are NOT supposed to do, which is why they do it. All of these things are part of being a teen and testing the boundaries. Graffiti, however, is also a claim of territory. Tagging (you know when you see those spray painted symbols that kind of look like letters) is a unique brand , particular to the artist...a sort of territorial pissing if you will. To most adults, it is just ugly vandalism, but to those in the know, it represents something completely different.. So, my thought was that the community of Summit Park needs to hit up Telus for some funding and create a mural with youth artists. This has worked in many cities (such as Vancouver) as a strategy for working with youth. Instead of combatting what they do (because they'll just keep at it anyway), a mural is a way of valuing their talents, and giving them voice in the community, through their art work. This creates social capital within the community, not only for the teens but also for the park. It brings in a new diversity to the neighbourhood, increases communication, channels energy into a constuctive medium. It also creates a positive experience for the teens, perhaps catalyzing the sparks of inspiration for who knows what. Often those early experiences plant the seeds for great things later in life. Anyway, just a thought.

Just another random thought...I consulted with my ecology teacher about human impacts to the Garry Oak meadow. He feels that there are definitely impacts from human/dog use, however the payback to social sustainability is probably worth it. When I asked "what do you think about kids mountain biking on the rocks?" Johnathon's response was "hey, at least they are not in front of the TV". This is just another way that our park can contribute to interactions between members of the community - people exercising together, laughing, connecting.

Oh, one last thing before I forget....I took a survey online, that was recommended by my Community Relations teacher. It's collecting data on various communities, to assess their social capital. I recommend partaking - the website is

http://www.crcresearch.org/survey.htm

Sustainable or not?

So when we look at sustainability, the current thinking is to assess it from an ecological, financial, and social perspective. Let's talk about ecological. There is constant debate among the user groups as to the impacts that people are having on the ecosystem. While it is true that Garry Oak meadows are sensitive, it could be considered "sustainable" just by the very fact that it is protected. There are no Costcos slated for development, and the tennis players will just have to go to the community centre. So, will this park be around for future generations? Well, the local use impacts that seem to be contentious are: kids mt. biking on the rocks (eroding moss etc.), dogs running free and trampling vegetation, contamination from dog waste (must of us pick after our pooches, but there is still a few idiots out there), and human litter (garbage, broken glass etc.). My personal opinion, is that although these things are sometimes an eyesore and annoying, the park is more resiliant thann that. Large mammal wildlife, which in the past would have used this park....trample things, so the dog use isn't that different. Litter can be picked up, and graffitti washed away. The bigger threats to the ecological security in this park, I believe, are closer linked to global issues, such as climate change etc.

Gotta run....to be continued