For neighborhoods, new ways of thinking about transportation, green elements, and infrastructure can open up new opportunities. They can also help staff and stakeholders better understand and realize the benefits of green strategies. Three new perspectives are outlined below, with an example of their application.
Access, not Transportation
One of the most important perspectives to consider is the idea of access in place of transportation.
Transportation is a means, not an end: in fact, people want to have access to things: jobs, recreation, schools, and shops. Transportation provides access by moving people to their desired destination.
Moving destinations closer through higher density and by mixing land uses accomplishes this in a very cost-effective way.
Anything can be Green
A second useful perspective is that every element of a neighborhood is an opportunity to be green. Think of green elements as including not only parks and open spaces, street boulevards and trees, but also privately-owned green spaces and landscaping, and even parking lots and “green” building features, such as green roofs, green walls and balcony gardens. Promote green neighborhoods by encouraging all of these elements, and by thinking of them as an interconnected network, from large to small components.
Pervasive Green Infrastructure
Infrastructure systems can be thought of as having a “green” and a “grey” component at large and small scales. The most familiar example is stormwater infrastructure: tree cover, the amount of pervious (landscaped) area, wetlands, and green infiltration and retention areas are known green elements of a system that also includes pipes and treatment plants. At the smallest scale, green roofs and related concepts extend this idea to buildings, where “green” elements are integrated into building designs to produce multiple benefits.
New perspectives in action
An excellent example of this approach is Southeast False Creek in
