On June 20th, PLUS Network staff hosted a 16-member delegation from Australia and New Zealand for one day of their study tour in Vancouver, Canada - a municipality in the PLUS Network Metro Vancouver region. The delegation, which included Deputy Mayor Stephen Yarwood from PLUS Network member city Adelaide, Australia, was heading home from the ICLEI World Congress in Edmonton, Canada.

Following an orientation with City of Vancouver staff the previous evening, the delegates gathered in Vancouver’s historic Gastown district to meet up with architect Roger Bayley, principal of Merrick Architecture and Design Manager for the Olympic Village being developed by Millennium Water.

Roger led through group on a walking tour through Vancouver’s Gastown, Dowtown Eastside, Chinatown, and the False Creek area which is the site of the dense high-rise plus townhouse developments that have come to be known by the name Vancouverism.

2010 Athletes' Olympic Village

Millennium Water's Concept for SEFC

The highlight of the tour was the 2010 Athletes’ Olympic Village, located on the south shore of False Creek separating downtown from rest of the city. It is located within the 80-acre site known as Southeast False Creek (SEFC), which is intended to be a model of sustainable residential development in North America incorporating high standards in infrastructure, energy reduction, green buildings and transit access. The design of the Athletes' Village followed a process of multi-stakeholder and multi-disciplinary design charrettes. The Olympic Village will house 2,800 athletes during the 2010 games. Later the buildings will become a mixed-use community with 1,100 residential units comprising 250 social housing units and 100 modestly-priced market housing units.

By 2020, SEFC will house up to 16,000 people and include a 30,000 square-foot community centre, three child care centres, an elementary school, community garden public plaza, an interfaith spiritual centre, restored heritage buildings and many hectares of park, natural areas and recreational grounds.

Green Building

A rigorous green building strategy was laid out for SEFC, requiring that all buildings be constructed to a minimum LEED Silver standard. One of the multi-unit building will achieve a Gold Standard, while another has achieved a net-zero energy status, generating as much energy as it consumes. The community centre will be Canada's first built to LEED Platinum standards and feature a green roof.

SFEC's green features include a neighbourhood energy utility that will meet approximately 70% of the annual energy demand through sewage heat recovery, in the process producing 50% less greenhouse gas emissions. Rooftop solar thermal units will provide additional energy, while the use of radiant hot water heating systems will provide a higher level of comfort as lower energy use compared to conventional space heating options.

Waterfront walkway in Olympic Village

The development also features rainwater management systems with 50% reduction in water consumption through the harvesting and re-use of rainwater in a parallel water system, green roofs, and bioswales which treat road-water run-off while adding an attractive water feature to the landscaping. An island was created to provide inter-tidal fish habitat as well as a natural recreational area, while greenways and bike paths connect the development to other parts of the city.

Heritge Gastown, Chinatown, Granville Island

Along the route, the delegates followed the Carrall Street greenway linking the historic Gastown district on Burrard Inset with Chinatown and the shores of False Creek. They experienced the famous annual Dragon Boat Festival, and ended the day's tour with a 10-minute journey on one of the small passenger ferries that service points on the shores of False Creek. The terminus was Granville Island, a world-famous urban oasis where art galleries, a brewery, a large public market, a hotel, an art college, and numerous shops, artisans and galleries reside in harmony with a cement plant and several marinas.

ICLEI Oceania

From Vancouver, the Oceania Study Tour headed for Seattle, Washington and San Francisco, California. Reports on their tour will be posted on the ICLEI Oceania website.

For more information:

City of Vancouver SEFC and 2010 Olympic Villiage

City of Vancouver SEFC/Neighbourhood Utility

Granville Island

SEFC Olympic Villiage Development: Millennium Water Challenge Series

ICLEI Oceania study group members in Southeast False Creek with PLUS Network hosts

Dragon boat race near Science World in SEFC	Tour of Chinatown with Roger Bayley

Ferry boats in False Creek	Schematic map of Granville Island at mouth of False Creek