Smart Neighbourhoods are designed to be efficient, healthy and economical places to live, work, shop and play. They help cut GHG emissions primarily through a reduction in car trips – up to 40 % less compared to a typical suburban neighbourhood. [1] Additional benefits are that Smart Neighbourhoods increase residents’ health and quality of life. A successful Smart Neighbourhood can act as a catalyst for community support for further widespread adoption of more sustainable practices.
Building Smart Neighborhoods is not new in British Columbia, and many communities have retained complete, compact pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods, such as in Nelson, Fernie, Revelstoke and Ladysmith, as well as a number of neighborhoods in Metro Vancouver and Greater Victoria. For much of the last 50 years, however, we have moved away from creating compact neighbourhoods. Smart Neighborhoods incorporate “neo-traditional” neighbourhood design elements, along with new ones that take advantage of energy and environmental innovations.
Smart Neighbourhoods exhibit all or some of the following characteristics, including:
[1] Ewing, R., K. Bartholomew, S. Winkelman, J. Walters, and D. Chen, 2008. Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change. Urban Land Institute, 4.