According to a recent poll conducted by Léger Marketing, 86% of urban residents in Canada support more government investment in public transit. That’s a clear show of support for the benefits of transit, like reduced congestion and carbon emissions, job creation, and the fostering of social inclusion. 

Those of us who already use public transit know it’s an affordable and safe mobility option that connects us to work, play, and social services. While trains and buses don’t always run without a hitch, the pros outweigh the cons when you consider that transit is much easier on the wallet and the environment than car ownership. Transit commuters can also spend more time with their families instead of behind the wheel.

Transit is steadily improving as systems increasingly prioritize innovation and the customer experience, aiming to provide optimal rides every day, on every route, on every vehicle. For example, in Vancouver a partnership between TransLink and Hyperlight Systems has led to the world’s first hands-free, touchless fare-gate solution to help people with disabilities experience more independence. 

Systems are moving towards greening their fleets too. Since 2017, Québec-based Nova Bus has increased its production capacity and created 200 jobs, helping feed the growing demand for electric buses. This month, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) rolled out its first electric bus, manufactured by Winnipeg-based New Flyer. Moving to alternative propulsion makes the TTC a leader in sustainable mobility. 

Government investments in transit have contributed to innovative transportation infrastructure in the past. CUTA calls on the federal government to continue to fund transit capital and operational costs to meet the expectations of the Canadian public.

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Mediaplanet: What’s the role that infrastructure plays in developing Canada’s economic competitiveness?

Ryan Greer: Infrastructure is the circulatory system of our economy. Moving people, goods, and services around our country is crucial to our economic success, particularly when you consider the large and disparate nature of Canada’s geography. We need to continue to strengthen these systems of export and this infrastructure to ensure that we can improve productivity and competitiveness.

Where do the main opportunities for growth and progress lie in this environment?

Over the last decade plus, governments at all levels of Canada have reinvigorated investment in public infrastructure which is useful and helpful, especially considering the significant amount of private sector investment that’s been going on. While we’re tremendously encouraged by governments refocusing on the need for infrastructure investment, we do see that the real opportunity now is in optimizing these investments to ensure that we get the most value from where our governments are spending those infrastructure dollars.

How can Canadian decision-makers take advantage of these opportunities to provide a competitive edge and to improve productivity and economic growth?

They can make more infrastructure investments merit-based. For the most part, infrastructure investment in this country is done based on broad criteria that are driven by needs that are identified by local and provincial levels of government. There are obviously a lot of political considerations fro; the federal to the provincial level, but government do get involved, which is fine for identifying. But if you want to get the projects that have the biggest economic impact a more merit-based program as opposed to an exact equal fair share of the pie would accomplish that.

For example, at the federal level there’s the National Trade Corridors Fund which is a merit-based program that doesn’t select or dole out money based on the region of the country that a project is in, but instead allocates funds specifically based on where a project will have the biggest bang for buck and where it’ll have the greatest impact on Canada’s ability to export. But it only accounts for a very small percentage of Canada’s overall federal infrastructure spend, so we would argue that using more approaches like the National Trade Corridors Fund to make more of the spend merit-based will give Canada an even bigger advantage when it comes to its infrastructure spend.

It’s our genuine belief that we should be investing in the most productive assets possible, because those are going to have the greatest return which will create more revenue for governments, which allows us to balance budgets. We want to continue these high levels of infrastructure investment and encourage that all levels of government continue to do so. We would just stress that it’s important to put money into the most productive assets possible, that will give the biggest return and make our business community as competitive as possible, and trade-enabling infrastructure is the category that does that. Where the public policy benefits are big, that’s where we want our governments to focus more of their attention.

It’s our genuine belief that we should be investing in the most productive assets possible, because those are going to have the greatest return which will create more revenue for governments, which allows us to balance budgets.

What role do innovation and long-term planning play in developing Canada’s infrastructure and economic competitiveness?

Both are crucial for infrastructure assets and our long-term assets, whether public or private. These are assets that Canadians and Canadian companies will use for decades. The planning of these assets needs to be done in a way that tries to account not only just for what our economic and societal needs are today, but for what they might be 10 or 15 or 20 years from now.

This is closely linked to the issue of innovation. We need to ensure that our infrastructure can adapt to the level of technological development that we’ll see across Canada in the coming decades. When we’re designing highway systems or bridges, we need to think about how mass transit may evolve and we may need to think about what that’ll will mean for autonomous vehicles that may one day be using that infrastructure.

To consider, think about how people may move differently or how our systems of work may change and how the types of products that Canada may export, or import will change. 

The post Economic Growth Starts with Trade-enabling Infrastructure appeared first on HiveInnovates.

Pomerleau is investing heavily in training and in their leadership team so that the people, not just the technology, are the true transformation agents.

Mediaplanet: What are the trends shaping the construction industry right now?

Ian Kirouac: On one hand we are experiencing a strong economy, with interest rates still low and lots of investment from the public and private sector. On the other hand, urban centres are becoming denser, the cost of land and materials are rising, and we are entering a critical period where labor shortage is an issue. All those trends mean more pressure on construction. We must build better, faster, greener, smarter, and cheaper. Technology is necessary, but digitization is, above all, an incredible opportunity to align the interests of the various stakeholders in the construction industry.

What does the industry need to do to address some of these factors?

Simply put — embrace an ecosystem mindset. Align your interests as a builder with those of your stakeholders and engaging in collaborative, risk-sharing, outcome-based contracting models. The supply chain needs to be redesigned, and in some cases de-centralized. Suppliers need to become partners if they are not already.

Those who win will need to be entrepreneurs, be socially and environmentally responsible, not just build things, but communities, communication skills will be key.

It might appear simple: treat your suppliers like partners, federate your ecosystem early on — but it’s not. We’re quite invested on that front at Pomerleau, we conducted a full audit of how time was being spent on our job sites. Out of this exercise was born a 3-year plan — Foundation for Operational Effectiveness (FOX). Our transformation program includes everything from how we use Building Information Management (BIM) to prefabrication, robotics, and 3D printing to name a few. With this program, we seek the recipe for agility, how to generate ideas, and technologies, and implement them as soon as possible.

Human skills, ability to collaborate, connect in a meaningful way with others, operate in cross-functional settings and complex environments will be a differentiator. Those who win will need to be entrepreneurs, be socially and environmentally responsible, not just build things, but communities, communication skills will be key.

The post Building Innovation Through Collaborative Processes appeared first on HiveInnovates.

Recognizing the importance of connections, communities are improving the roads, highways, ports, and terminals that link our communities to each other and get Canadian products to world markets. 

Communities are also rolling out new buses and trains that result in better public transit, which leads to shorter commutes and more quality time for Canadians to spend with their families. 

These investments in infrastructure by our government — part of $180 billion being invested — are already making a difference in the everyday lives of Canadians. They’re creating jobs, boosting trade, and attracting the talent and investment needed for communities of all sizes to compete globally.

Federal investments in infrastructure are creating new opportunities for highly-skilled Canadians working in the infrastructure sector. Additionally, they’re resulting in innovative public-private partnerships. Innovative collaboration is necessary to get more infrastructure projects built, especially in a country as vast as ours, where public investment alone cannot meet the sizeable infrastructure need without placing an unsustainable burden on taxpayers.

That’s why we created the Canada Infrastructure Bank, which has a mandate to increase the participation of private sector investors in transformative, revenue-generating infrastructure projects that will benefit Canadians and help public dollars go further.

Together, we will continue to build our communities because we know that modern infrastructure can attract talent and investment across the country.

The Samuel De Champlain Bridge is an example of how technological innovation and Canadian and international engineering expertise are being brought together to develop smart infrastructure that’s adapted to its environment and built to ensure longevity. The design and materials chosen for the new bridge take into consideration the unique meteorological conditions and geographic location of the structure. This is key to ensuring that the bridge will remain in service for the next century and beyond. Equally impressive is the fact that this new bridge achieved the highest possible international certification for sustainable infrastructure, which reflects our commitment to ensuring that new infrastructure be built with people and the environment in mind.

These are just some of the ways that federal investments in infrastructure create jobs and opportunities for all Canadians to participate fully in the life of the nation, while making Canada an even better place to call home. 

Together, we will continue to build our communities because we know that modern infrastructure can attract talent and investment across the country. Together, let’s seize the opportunity, fulfill our ambitions, and continue to build modern, resilient, and green 21st century infrastructure. 

The Hon. François-Philippe Champagne is Canada’s Minister of Infrastructure & Communities

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According to Pierre Pomerleau, President and CEO of Pomerleau, one of Canada’s leading construction companies, there’s currently a big push across the country for infrastructure development. “It’s not a secret that our country has underinvested in infrastructure, so we expect the market to grow over the next 10 years,” he says. “In the projects we’re involved with, we’re seeing a lot of growth potential in public infrastructure. There are some predictions that the market could triple over the next decade.” 

Shaping the future

With more than 2,000 projects under its belt over the past 54 years, and the ability to manage more than 150 construction projects simultaneously, Pomerleau is shaping the development of our communities and cities. “Creating infrastructure is a fantastic way to earn a living,” Pomerleau says. “When we work on an airport, hospital, or transportation system, we can see the changes that are happening. It’s gratifying to leave things behind that will improve the lives and health of people in our communities.”

Embracing innovation, efficiency, and quality 

There are some fundamental shifts happening in the infrastructure industry, which are leading to better quality, cost savings, and construction time savings. This is benefitting not only the clients, but the users of these infrastructure projects. “We’re seeing total collaboration on projects now. There are no silos,” says Pomerleau. “Today, every stakeholder that’s involved in a project has input from the beginning.” 

Pomerleau is one of main construction partners on Montréal’s new light rail rapid transit system, a 67-km, 26-station initiative, which is the largest infrastructure project in the city in half a century. The supplier of the trains is involved from the beginning of the project, instead of being brought in later when the tracks and guideways have been constructed. This creates huge efficiencies. 

It’s gratifying to leave things behind that will improve the lives and health of people in our communities.

Pierre Pomerleau, Pomerleau

Prefabrication is another aspect of the industry that’s disrupting the market. The elevated guideways, curtain walls, and even the mechanical rooms for the light rail system are prefabricated and then assembled at the site. This allows the construction to be done in a controlled environment and drastically increases the quality, and it’s also easier to install. 

There are lots of other ways that Pomerleau is disrupting the market, including the use of lean construction practices, which help streamline everything and create efficiencies through the entire project. “By working with our trades partners and creating efficiencies in our projects, we can create a symphony instead of chaos,” Pomerleau says. 

As part of its culture, Pomerleau embraces innovation, so it can stay ahead of the curve. “The evolution of technology will continue to change and disrupt the industry,” says Pomerleau. “The amount of data we can now get because of technology is making us more efficient. We’re the only industry that has seen no improvement in productivity in the last decade, but that’s starting to change and over the next decade we anticipate vast improvements, as we continue to integrate innovation.”

The post Embracing Innovation: How One Construction Company Is Building a Legacy for Our Communities appeared first on HiveInnovates.

Mediaplanet: How are organizations such as LCDRI embracing innovation and planning for the future?

Feridun Hamdullahpur: Digital research infrastructure (DRI) is already reshaping how we perform research, allowing us to tap into the potential for unprecedented breakthroughs across all academic disciplines.

Organizations like the LCDRI are embracing innovation by tapping into a coalition of national organizations with an interest in DRI. Only through a broad outreach of analysis and experiences can we see what the current state of DRI is in Canada and where improvements can be made.

Planning for the future at the LCDRI has been a collaboration on a national plan for DRI with a goal to ensure that Canadian researchers can exploit and realize the opportunities that new technologies—such as advanced cybersecurity technologies and the Internet of Things— and data offer by providing DRI infrastructure and services that are coordinated across a diffuse delivery environment with institutions, regional/provincial/national/ international organizations, and discipline-specific communities all having a role.

The strength and impact of our research opportunities are certainly dependent on our researchers having the tools they need to succeed on a global stage and a strong DRI is at the top of the list of needs.

How are organizations like LCDRI aiding in developing a strong foundation for analyzing big data?

Analyzing and leveraging the power of big data is emerging as a fundamental need for countless disciplines and industries, and its use will impact everything from health care to education. The ability of researchers to analyze much of the big data that new technologies can now generate requires access to a strong, agile, and sustainable DRI ecosystem that delivers both infrastructure and services through its five core components: network, advanced research computing (ARC), data management, advanced research software, and storage.

The LCDRI is working with the federal government to ensure that this ecosystem at the national level is adequately funded and supported, and also helping guide decision makers on where the greatest needs and opportunities are in developing a strong foundation.

How does a deep understanding of Digital Infrastructure, allow us to improve data solutions, efficiency and decision making?

Just as digital technologies are fundamentally reshaping our world and changing the way that we do business, communicate with one another, and solve problems in our day to day lives, it is having a transformative impact on research.

First, new technologies such as ARC (computing that goes far beyond the capacity of the desktop computer), quantum, connected systems and advanced research software are allowing researchers to work faster, smarter, and more collaboratively. Calculations that used to take three months, can now take less than three hours and experimental approaches such as crash tests and emergency flight maneuvers that were too costly, dangerous, or impossible to undertake can now be simulated.

Second, digital technologies are creating vast amounts of data at an explosive rate. This data can be harnessed for solving some of the most complex questions and challenges facing humankind. However, if this data is not managed properly and researchers are not supported in their use of it, we can find ourselves data rich, but information poor, losing all of the promise and potential that data can offer.

We are only at the cusp of understanding what these new technologies will mean to our research community, but the growth lines are clearly demonstrating that having access to these powerful research technologies and supports will be critical to Canada’s future — just as access to the web and a desktop computer are now.

The research projects of many of Canada’s top researchers are already dependent on DRI.  In addition to allowing us to tap the potential for unprecedented breakthrough across all academic disciplines, it is essential to Canada’s ability to remain globally competitive and part of critical international research collaborations. It is also a foundational element for ensuring that Canada continues to have the young talent and technology that it needs to participate fully in today’s knowledge economy.

The ability of researchers to analyze much of the big data that new technologies can now generate requires access to a strong, agile, and sustainable DRI ecosystem that delivers both infrastructure and services.

How does Digital Infrastructure provide a foundation for companies to succeed?

Universities like the University of Waterloo are leveraging DRI as an essential tool in their research effort, but companies and organizations across Canada also have begun to tap this resource to improve their bottom lines and build more offerings to customers and those they serve. Not only does it allow them to analyze business data to improve performance, it provides them with a powerful tool for undertaking research and development more efficiently.

Canadian businesses are competing on a global stage that requires us to stay ahead of the curve and as more industries around the world continue to be disrupted by the knowledge economy, a sound and evolving DRI will become an essential business tool for generations to come.

With the concentration of expertise and infrastructure located within universities, businesses of all sizes and industries are finding it advantageous to partner with research intensive institutions to increase the potential for successful and impactful outcomes for both parties.

As data and infrastructure slowly become integrated into one, there will be a great need for network, software and hardware solutions to organize and analyse the massive amounts of data being gathered by infrastructure networks. How are we preparing for such changes? How is the University preparing their students to embrace innovation and be ready for the work place of the future?

We are preparing for the combination of data and infrastructure by building partnerships and laying the groundwork, not for solving today’s problem, but the one 5, 10, 15 years down the road.

The University of Waterloo instills in its students an adaptability to change. More than 21,000 of our 31,000 students experience this shift throughout their academic careers during their co-operative education jobs. They come back to campums after a co-op job with new knowledge and new experiences, and combine it with the advances in research being pioneered by their professors. After two years of real work experience and their degrees, creates a virtuous cycle that builds talented and resilient graduates who become life-long learners. They are confident, entrepreneurial and ready for the changes and opportunities waiting in an increasingly disruptive global landscape.

The post Big Data Means Bigger, and Better, Infrastructure appeared first on HiveInnovates.

Thomas Mueller is a Founding Director of the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC), and is currently leading the Council’s national green building strategy, programs, and standards along with its advocacy and policy initiatives. This non-for-profit, national organization works to advance green building and sustainable community development practices as well as to accelerate the transformation to high-performing, healthy green buildings and homes.

Mediaplanet: What’s the importance of green building in terms of achieving Canada’s climate change commitments?

Thomas Mueller: According to the recent Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)’s Advisory Council on Climate Action (ACCA) report, the built environment and transportation sectors account for over a third of Canada’s green house gas (GHG) emissions. While we’re bringing those emissions down, the report is clear that at this pace, we won’t meet Canada’s 2030 emissions reduction target of 30% below 2005 levels under the Paris Agreement. 

The built environment alone accounts for 12% of current emissions, making it critical to any reduction strategy. On average, green buildings outperform conventional buildings by upwards of 30% in energy efficiency. However, if we’re to pick up the pace, gains in energy efficiency can’t come from new buildings alone. It’s estimated that existing buildings will represent 75 to 80% of the stock in 2030 — meaning it’s imperative that we retrofit Canada’s existing buildings if we are to come close to meeting our carbon reduction targets. 

CaGBC research proves that retrofits can significantly reduce energy consumption and emissions, can lower ongoing operating costs, can enhance property values, and that it can all be done cost-effectively. As carbon pricing goes up, those benefits will only increase while producing attractive returns for lenders and investors.

Together with industry and governments at every level, we’re mobilizing the building industry to support the transition to a low-carbon economy. We’re achieving this by advancing energy benchmarking, supporting reporting and disclosure initiatives, driving the skills shift required for a low-carbon economy, and advocating for financial mechanisms to encourage investment in energy-efficiency improvements. 

What are some of the actionable solutions that CaGBC is leading to eliminate GHG emissions and advocate for green development standards?

The CaGBC is accelerating the transformation to high-performing, healthy green buildings, homes, and communities in Canada. The Council is supporting stronger, more robust standards that encourage investment in green retrofits as well as highly-efficient new builds. The benefits of green buildings are many, including lowering or eliminating GHG emissions, developing strategies for waste reduction and zero waste, concerving water, and enhancing occupant health.

The CaGBC’s Zero Carbon Building Standard is a made-in-Canada solution that provides a path for new and existing buildings to reach zero carbon emissions. We’ve successfully delivered the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design® (LEED) rating system in Canada since 2004, with a total of 4,025 buildings certified to date, representing 548,302,617 sq. ft. of green buildings. LEED has revolutionized the industry and today is recognized as the international mark of excellence and the leading global standard for green building in over 160 countries. LEED works because it drives sustainability from a holistic perspective, balancing a reduction in environmental impacts from energy, water, waste, and land development with human health and resiliency strategies. LEED applies to all building types and sets rigorous standards for their design, construction, and operation. 

Fighting climate change requires bold action, which means that we need to think differently about the way we build, retrofit, and manage our buildings.

What’s the role that innovation and foresight play in achieving these goals?

Fighting climate change requires bold action, which means that we need to think differently about the way we build, retrofit, and manage our buildings. Our recommendations help advance innovation in Canada’s green building industry by developing leading green building standards, expertise, products, and technologies that are paving the way for international trade and job creation in a trillion-dollar-a-year global construction sector. 

At home, our research indicates that the retrofit economy is a $30 billion economic driver, able to create more than 260,000 new jobs. However, large building retrofits are woefully under-performing. If we’re to achieve the carbon reductions in the building sector needed to help Canada meet its obligations, we need to undertake deep retrofits at 50,000 to 60,000 buildings over the next 10 years, especially knowing that 75 to 80% of existing buildings will still be in operation in 2030 and at least 50% in 2050. 

It will take visionary and innovative approaches to help Canada meet its carbon reduction targets. We’re pushing that innovation forward in a few critical ways: 

• Developing appropriate financing products and risk management solutions to meet the need for a retrofit economy over the next 10 to 30 years.
• Creating pathways for all large buildings to be zero carbon — including existing buildings.
• Preparing and building the workforce to meet the demand for green building skills in the low-carbon economy.
• Asking governments and industry to make carbon emissions the key metric for building performance.
• Increasing our understanding of actual building performance by championing data transparency and benchmarking industry-wide. 

The post The Future of Infrastructure is Green appeared first on HiveInnovates.

As technology advances and Canada’s population continues to grow, the infrastructure deficit grows ever larger. Billions of dollars are earmarked for infrastructure investments in the coming years, but if these investments aren’t made with an eye to the future, no amount of money can keep us from falling into the same cycle.

“When infrastructure is built in one big push every 20 to 30 years, it becomes outdated almost immediately,” says Stephane Chapuis, Director of Infrastructure at Turner & Townsend. “Instead, we must be consistently building and upgrading with the most up-to-date technology.”

Canada-wide, the biggest immediate return on investment will be seen in transportation projects first and foremost.

Stephane Chapuis, Turner & Townsend

“Canada-wide, the biggest immediate return on investment will be seen in transportation projects first and foremost,” continues Chapuis. “Wherever you build infrastructure, it generates economic growth and brings in more people, which in turn generates the need for more infrastructure. It’s a positive cycle that can continuously grow the economy and allow you to constantly be accessing the most up-to-date technology. It also allows you to maintain a healthy infrastructure industry that’s able to build out to the current needs at any point in time.”

Infrastructure education in the classroom and beyond

We can’t talk about maintaining a healthy infrastructure workforce without also talking about education. Recognizing that, Turner & Townsend has invested in a mentorship program which encourages students to consider STEM and infrastructure careers, and provides funding, direction, and support along the way. 

But the need for infrastructure education reaches beyond the classroom into the community. “We should’nt hide the great work that we’re doing,” says Chapuis. “When the people living in the community close to a project site can see for themselves what’s happening behind the fence, buy-in always increases.”

Finally, there’s an ongoing need for educational dialogue between the industry and its clients. Only when the decision-makers are well-informed can they make the best decisions and choose the infrastructure partners that share their vision and values.

To safeguard Canada’s future, it’s essential that our vision not end at closing the infrastructure gap that exists today. Our vision must also ensure that our infrastructure can grow and evolve continuously.

The post Every Day’s Infrastructure Day If You Do It Right appeared first on HiveInnovates.

Mediaplanet: What are some of the main challenges that arise from rapidly-growing urban centres?

Sidewalk Labs: Toronto is rapidly becoming one of the world’s most popular and productive cities. The city boasts an exceptionally diverse population thanks to its welcoming immigration policies. People and companies are flocking here and nearly another 3 million will arrive in the GTA by 2041. 

But like a lot of successful global cities, Toronto has become less and less able to provide the opportunities that powered this growth in the first place. Home prices in the GTA have more than doubled since 2006, far outpacing income. As families are pushed farther from jobs, congestion has grown worse, with Toronto now having the second-longest average commute time in North America. That also creates a sustainability challenge at exactly the moment we need to be limiting the use of fossil fuels. 

How will Sidewalk Labs lead Toronto to be a global hub for innovation and a beacon for cities around the world?

We want to catalyze a new economic cluster on the waterfront focused on the emerging field of urban innovation. Our vision would be anchored by moving Google’s Canadian headquarters to Villiers Island, next to a new Urban Innovation Institute, an applied research centre that would bring together industry, academia, and entrepreneurs focused on how technology can impact cities. To further spur innovation, we’re committing $10 million to a new venture fund to support local Canadian early-stage companies and entrepreneurs. Manufacturing will benefit too, as investment in new advanced mass timber production will create 2,500 manufacturing job years and help Ontario and Canada lead this growing industry. 

The goal is to help accelerate this emerging industry that Toronto and Canada can lead, creating 10,500 jobs or more focused on urban innovation alone — part of more than 44,000 jobs that would be created by this project by 2040. We would build on Waterfront Toronto’s work to develop a diverse and inclusive talent pipeline that ensures this economic growth lifts all communities. 

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Gil Kelley, General Manager of Planning, Urban Design and Sustainability for the City of Vancouver, explores the role of sustainability and social infrastructure in driving Vancouver’s prosperity.

Mediaplanet: What’s the importance of infrastructure in facilitating Vancouver’s prosperity and growth?

Gil Kelley: In Vancouver, we’re just now launching a citywide regional growth strategy. This is an opportunity to think about the role of infrastructure in continuing to make Vancouver a livable, sustainable, and prosperous place. We must consider the role of housing affordability and livability, economic development strategies, and our continued work on climate action, as they all come together to create a long-term picture for Vancouver.

We’re a growing city that’s an attractive market for talented workers and for capital investment, which has been driven by real estate investment. However, when thinking of Vancouver’s future, we must think and plan for what the next city economy will look like, who those workers will be, and how they’ll afford to live here. These are the big topics that must be acknowledged and can be served through intelligent infrastructure investments. With that said, we see the infrastructure piece as being integral to the next city plan for Vancouver.

We must consider the role of housing affordability and livability, economic development strategies, and our continued work on climate action, as they all come together to create a long-term picture for Vancouver.

What are the roles of long-term planning and future-proofing in making Vancouver a global leader in sustainability and green living?

The role of planning is key to the success of cities in the 21st century. A third of the world’s population is becoming increasingly urban, living in cities. Cities really are the drivers of innovation and change, more so than provincial or national governments. Cities must be living laboratories for planning. That means being able to take stock of trends and critical information and to project out into the future with a set of choices that the public, as well as decision-makers, can embrace and that include a continuing commitment to innovation. 

Where are the main opportunities for increased sustainability, affordability, and inclusivity?

What’s old is new again in a way, in that humans like to live in compact urban settlements, where they can have a rich life that involves many activities within the same day. So, we’ve agreed to focus on building the next 21st century neighbourhood. That involves choices around mobility, reducing energy use and consumption, developing joyful places for people to gather in small public spaces, and being able to walk or bike to most of your daily or weekly needs.

We’re trying to push Vancouver, into that new conception of what the urban neighbourhood looks like. Underneath that are difficult choices around what it means to really be sustainable and what it means to preserve affordability and a diverse population through that affordability and housing. Otherwise, you see a drive of lower-income residents to further reaches of the metro region, which then continues to expand outward without the kind of complete neighbourhood context. Even then, we’re finding some people just choosing to leave urban regions because of housing prices.

For us, that investment in housing and infrastructure, and not just in the commodity market but for actual social infrastructure that’s needed to keep cost of living healthy and prosperous for the workforce is a key piece in thinking about infrastructure. 

The post Securing Vancouver’s Future with Sustainability appeared first on HiveInnovates.