Project Library

This project identified sustainable funding and collaboration models to support long-term maintenance of Green Rainwater Infrastructure (GRI) in Vancouver's parks and roadways. Drawing on case studies from Victoria, Seattle, and Pittsburgh it evaluated tools such as utility fees, workforce partnerships, and nonprofit collaborations. The goal was to inform City planning with strategies that maintain GRI performance while advancing climate resilience, equity, and community stewardship.

Partner: City of Vancouver
Funder: City of Vancouver & UBC
Keywords: biodiversity, climate adaptation, green infrastructure, waste management & recycling 

This project develops an indicator-based framework to assess Transit-Oriented Area performance in Vancouver. It synthesizes policy documents, academic literature, and interviews to define indicators, pilots it citywide with spatial data, and uses a case study to demonstrate tailored recommendations. The framework supports planning decisions that align land use, street connectivity, micromobility capacity, and transit node strength with demand to advance an integrated multimodal transit system.

Partner: City of Vancouver
Funder: City of Vancouver & UBC
Keywords: active transportation, land use planning, transportation 

This project evaluates the environmental impacts of artificial turf on private properties in Vancouver, focusing on rainwater management, urban heat, and biodiversity. Using policy analysis, a literature review, expert interviews, and case studies the report identifies risks from runoff, pollution, elevated temperatures, and habitat loss. The study aims to inform coordinated, evidence-based city policies that advance climate adaptation, enhance sustainability, and guide turf management.

Partner: City of Vancouver
Funder: City of Vancouver & UBC
Keywords: biodiversity, climate adaptation, ecological systems, water 

This project identifies opportunities to convert aging local roads into ecological corridors, supporting Vancouver's climate emergency commitments and 11% road space reallocation target. Drawing on case studies from municipalities worldwide, it highlights effective approaches to reallocation. A mapping analysis of the City's internal datasets produced a recommended list of 17 local road candidates for transformation within the next 5 to 10 years.

Partner: City of Vancouver
Funder: City of Vancouver & UBC
Keywords: active transportation, climate resilience, ecological systems, green infrastructure 

This report examines the carbon footprint of materials used in the City of Vancouver's green infrastructure (GI). It challenges common assumptions about GI sustainability, identifying construction and decommissioning as major impact drivers. It analyzes carbon emissions from key materials and concludes with recommendations to reduce these emissions, promoting more sustainable design, construction, and end-of-life practices for GI projects.

Partner: City of Vancouver
Funder: City of Vancouver & UBC
Keywords: climate adaptation, climate mitigation, green infrastructure, low carbon buildings 

This project explores how healthcare food gardens are set up, maintained, and irrigated, with a focus on methods that help meet water-saving goals. Based on literature and interviews, it finds that these gardens at healthcare sites do not hinder water reduction targets. They offer benefits such as improved mental health, more diverse diets, and greater climate resilience. Participants also identified challenges and called for increased recognition and long-term institutional support.

Partner: Vancouver Coastal Health Authority
Funder: Vancouver Coastal Health Authority
Keywords: climate resilience, ecological systems, food systems, water 

This project develops a monitoring and tracking framework to evaluate the implementation of the City of Richmond's Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP) 2050. Through a best practices review, tailored surveys, and stakeholder consultations it identifies action progress and related metrics visualized via dashboards. The framework enables consistent data collection, supports decision-making across departments, and lays the foundation for long-term climate action reporting and accountability.

Partner: City of Richmond
Funder: BC Hydro
Keywords: climate resilience, low carbon buildings, social sustainability, sustainable development & green economy 

This project evaluated Interior Health's Sustainability Engagement Program (SEP) to identify strengths, challenges, and opportunities for expansion. Using surveys and interviews, it explored staff experiences, engagement enablers and barriers, and expectations for the SEP. Findings informed the development of four knowledge translation products to embed sustainability into organizational culture and support implementation of sustainability initiatives.

Partner: Interior Health (IH)
Funder: Interior Health (IH)
Keywords: leadership & behaviour change, social sustainability, other (separate each tag with a comma) staff engagement, knowledge translation, healthcare

This project offers key considerations and principles for future B.C. climate risk assessment frameworks. It synthesizes key findings from literature, interviews with practitioners, and presents case studies on the Impact-Chain approach, Resilience Framework, and Building Adaptive and Resilient Communities (BARC) Framework. Finally, it delivers actionable recommendations linked to phases of climate risk assessments that advance relationship-centric, place-based, and transparent frameworks.

Partner: Fraser Basin Council Society
Funder: Fraser Basin Council Society
Keywords: climate adaptation, climate resilience