The CIT program at the Real Estate Foundation of BC is a response on the part of the Foundation's Governors to land use related issues that primarily effect non-metropolitan in nature. Established as a signature program of the Foundation, CIT works with a wide range of project and funding partners in communities across BC to help them plan for and make transitions.
A recently completed project in the City of Prince George relates to supporting sustainable land uses and planning for climate change. Sustainable land use planning and practices have been ongoing themes at the Real Estate Foundation through most of it's 20+ years.
Smart Growth on the Ground in Prince George
Project Proponents: Smart Growth on the Ground, the City of Prince George
Project Partners: BC Heritage Branch, BC Hydro Powersmart, Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Green Streets Canada, Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Canada, Northern Development Initiative Trust, Prince George Community Foundation, Ramada Prince George, Transport Canada,Vancity, and the Real Estate Foundation of BC.
Smart Growth on the Ground (SGOG)
SGOG is a unique partnership program formed by Smart Growth BC, the Real Estate Institute of British Columbia, and the Design Centre for Sustainability at UBC. It was designed to help BC communities create more sustainable neighbourhood plans using community-specific solutions. Prince George joins Maple Ridge, Squamish, and Greater Oliver as the fourth partner community to set a new standard for community planning and establish leadership among the municipalities of BC.
Project Overview
The recent Gaining Ground: Resilient Cities (GGRC09) event in Vancouver was a showcase of challenges facing communities and of innovative responses to these challenges. In the case of Cam Brewer's presentation on the outcomes of a recent Smart Growth on the Ground (SGOG) project in the City of Prince George, it was an opportunity to show how one CIT project is helping this northerly BC city take strong steps towards neighbourhood resilience and sustainability, in the process helping the City meet its targets for greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) reduction.
Cam Brewer is the Executive Director of SmartGrowth BC, the organization that, in partnership with the Real Estate Institute of BC (REIBC) and the Design Centre for Sustainability at UBC, delivers Smart Growth on the Ground (SGOG) projects around the province. In 2008 the Governors of the Real Estate Foundation approved two substantial grants to SGOG projects in Prince George: $65,000 to Smart Growth BC for research, education, and stakeholder consultation associated with SGOG in Prince George; $90,000 to REIBC for real estate economic analysis and stakeholder convening activities of SGOG in Prince George.
The news that Brewer delivered to the 600 participants of GGRC09 was that Prince George City Council had recently unanimously approved the SGOG Concept Plan. In his words, Council is advancing a "bold new vision for downtown Prince George."
Created by the community, the SGOG Concept Plan outlines a compelling image of what downtown Prince George will be in 2035. It is a downtown with housing options, a vibrant public realm, bike lanes, and a permanent Farmer’s Market. Smart Growth BC sees Council's adoption of this vision as placing the City in a leadership role with regard to renewable energy and is support for all members of the community.
Central to the Concept Plan is a prominent green space with water feature that connect downtown to the Fraser River. Councillor Dave Wilbur was struck by the “grand, insightful vision” that identifies the rivers as core to the concept. "If we had that slip away, let the rivers just run by and not be identified, I think we would've missed a big opportunity," he said. "But [SGOG] didn't. You made it core to your concept plan and I appreciate that."
In his presentation to Council, Dan Milburn, the Manager of Long-Range Planning remarked on the collaborative nature in which this plan was created. “Throughout this process the partners have worked diligently to raise the necessary funds for this project, organize an extensive community consultation program, coordinate numerous researchers, and facilitate the creation of what I like to think of as a community plan for the downtown. For it truly was a community effort producing a community vision.”
The Concept Plan is the result of a year-long public engagement process that involved participation of over 500 citizens. Through five public workshops participants set priorities, targts and discussed ideas for invigorating downtown. During a four-day, multi-stakeholder design event (a "charrette”) held May 12-15, 2009 over 40 people collaborated to create the vision. The charrette team included Mayor Dan Rogers, Councillors, City staff, community participants, researchers, and designers. Councillor Stolz, a member of the team, attested that “the people involved sweated blood and tears” to produce this vision.
The Concept Plan was approved along with a recommendation to amend the Official Community Plan to “align the downtown vision, objectives and policies with the key concepts articulated in the Downtown Prince George Smart Growth on the Ground Concept Plan.” This will entrench the vision in policy and will guide implementation projects.
Project Rationale
"Smart Growth BC receives applications for projects from many BC communities," says SmartGrowth's Shana Johnstone. "We chose Prince George for the SGOG project for a number of reasons. Of particular note for us was that we are interested in working on climate change at a neighbourhood planning and development level. The City of Prince George was very keen on this, and were early signatories of the Climate Change Charter.
"We also chose Prince George because it is part of our mission at SmartGrowth BC to develop a suite of tools and applications for a variety of communities and situations across BC. As a 'northern community,' and as a community with a particular set of challenges when it comes to things like climate change, a resource transition economy, and a hub for other northern destinations, the City's proposal was a good fit."
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