Sustainability Scholars Program

The project was commissioned to provide an analytic and synthesized energy poverty profile from the Census 2016 dataset for the City of Abbotsford. This data will help the City develop climate action plans and policies to reduce GHG emissions while providing for vulnerable and marginalized groups affected by blanket energy policy interventions. The report shows significant numbers of senior, lone-parent and racialized households experience energy poverty.

Partner: City of Abbotsford & CUSP
Keywords: green buildings, energy poverty

This project supports greenway planning in Vancouver by providing recommendations for equitable public engagement on greenways. These recommendations are aimed at addressing the City's Equity Framework Commitments. This research identifies that meaningfully advancing the equity of public engagements requires changes to embed equity at the project and institutional level. It concludes with a list of equitable engagement principles and strategies to guide the work of engagement practitioners.

Partner: City of Vancouver
Keywords: transportation, equity, public engagement

This report was authorized by the City of Vancouver Sustainability Group to examine how the Sustainable Commuting Program can encourage City of Vancouver staff to commute more via active transit (walking/cycling) and public transit amidst recent Sustainable Commuting Program expansions, and to recommend ways of properly funding the Sustainable Commuting Program to avoid deficits while helping Vancouver achieve its Climate Emergency goals.

Partner: City of Vancouver
Keywords: leadership & behaviour change, sustainable development & green economy, transportation

BC's transition to a fossil-fuel-free transportation system brings with it a comprehensive transformation of the transportation sector and is guided and facilitated by multiple government policies. This project focusses on analyzing the suite of policies guiding this clean transportation transition at the city, regional and provincial levels with a view to quantifying changes in demand for clean transportation products; and thus, lay the foundation for a clean transportation market forecast.

Partner: City of Vancouver
Keywords: sustainable development & green economy, transportation

This project examines alternate compliance approaches for private sites that may face specific constraints for meeting the City of Vancouver's rainwater management requirements. The policy, legal and financial barriers and opportunities for advancing alternate approaches are identified within Vancouver's current context, and successful approaches from Portland, Washington D.C and City of North Vancouver are documented. Possible approaches and next steps are identified for the City of Vancouver.

Partner: City of Vancouver
Keywords: rainwater 

This report recommends methods to calculate the economic value of Vancouver's parks for three key benefits: tourism, recreation, and physical health; and briefly covers other benefits including property premiums, stormwater management, air quality and temperature regulation. This project will help Vancouver Park Board to secure funding for park maintenance, planning, and future development.

Partner: City of Vancouver
Keywords: sustainable development & green economy, nature valuation

This report presents regenerative planting design strategies for green rainwater infrastructure (GRI) in the road right-of-way. It suggests that connectivity is embodied by designed plant communities, and that the plant community approach contributes to the vision of the Rain City Strategy. Included are innovative methods, case studies, and conceptual frameworks that have potential to lower maintenance needs while enhancing communities and biodiversity through planting design.

Partner: City of Vancouver
Keywords: biodiversity, ecological systems, water

This project aims to address the challenges associated with urban freight and last-mile delivery by advancing the City of Vancouver's knowledge of existing loading assets. Includes the development of a framework and pilot for compiling a comprehensive and systematic inventory of both public and private loading facilities as well as a discussion of the opportunities, challenges, and recommendations for a future expansion of the inventory.

Partner: City of Vancouver
Keywords: transportation, urban freight

This project analyzes how redevelopment may affect changes in the type of businesses that occupy commercial space (e.g., chain vs. independent stores) over time. Through statistical analysis, the study presents findings on business type occupancy, longevity and vacancies to confirm the extent to which new development favours chain businesses. Recommendations include ways the City can better support independent businesses in occupying new commercial retail space.

Partner: City of Vancouver
Keywords: social sustainability, sustainable development & green economy