Case study: Dockside Green
| In 2007, the ECO undertook an examination of the challenge of creating sustainable communities in southern Ontario. The following articles are included: | |
Dockside Green – Victoria, British Columbia
Dockside Green is an innovative, mixed use development underway on the harbourfront in Victoria, British Columbia. This development project will transform a six hectare brownfield site into a complex, including residential, retail, office and light industrial uses, housing a total of 2,500 people. The density of Dockside Green – 417 residents and jobs per hectare – is comparable to the 400/ha target for the densest urban growth centres in the GGH Plan developed by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and Renewal (MPIR).
The development is intended to be the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum-certified, master-planned community in the world, as well as the first greenhouse-gas neutral development. LEED is a rating system that awards points for sustainable site development, water efficiency, energy efficiency, material selection (including reuse and recycling), indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design.
Some of the innovative approaches being used at the site include:
- use of low, or no volatile organic chemical paints, sealants, adhesives, etc.;
- buildings designed to use 45 to 55 per cent less energy than the Model National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings;
- energy efficient lighting and appliances throughout;
- solar-powered landscaping lights;
- water, heating, and electricity meters in every unit;
- on-site treatment of all sewage generated in the complex, with treated water to be used for toilets, landscape irrigation, and on-site water features;
- potable water usage 65 per cent less than traditional developments;
- green roofs to treat stormwater;
- an on-site car share program, bike trails, and a mini-transit shuttle bus; and
- a commitment to recycle and/or reuse 90 per cent of construction waste on-site.
Finding ways to diminish the ecological footprint of new developments using the model proposed at Dockside Green will make enormous contributions to the protection of the natural environment. For more information on Dockside Green, visit www.docksidegreen.ca.
| This is an article from the 2006/07 Annual Report to the Legislature from the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. |
Citing This Article:
Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. 2007. "Dockside Green - Victoria, British Colombia." Reconciling our Priorities, ECO Annual Report, 2006-07. Toronto, ON : Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. 21.
