Sustainability is one of the most important attributes to research for future growth plans. There are many cities in Canada that are growing at a fast rate. However, along with this growth there are often a lot of issues. Things like traffic, lack of roads or pollution can all hurt a city over the long run. North Vancouver is an example of a city that is dealing with this right now. Over the past couple of years, North Vancouver has been one of the fastest growing cities in Canada. However, this rapid growth has led to a lot of issues that must be worked out over the next couple of years. If they are not, this will hurt the long term growth of the city. Here are several things to know about North Vancouver and how sustainability can help the current situation.
Growth Rate
There are many desirable things about the city of North Vancouver. One of the biggest is the fact that the cost of living is so low. A low cost of living brings in a lot of people who want to work or live in an area where they can save a lot of money. However, as the demand for housing grows in North Vancouver, the cost of living will start to go up. Housing values have already been on the rise over the past couple of years. The city now has a major decision to make about whether to start building new homes to meet the demand. There are pros and cons to both, but if new houses are built then several investments in infrastructure will need to be made.
Climate Action
The City’s corporate greenhouse gas emissions are relatively low, at approximately 2,300 tonnes. Numerous actions have been taken to conserve energy and achieve emissions reductions in building and fleet operations and through waste reduction and diversion. Since 2007 there has been an overall reduction in corporate emissions. The City is committed to continual improvement and showing leadership through its operations, and the updated Corporate Climate Action Plan provides a strategy for moving forward and achieving these targets.
Traffic Issues
With the increase in population, there are more traffic issues than ever before in the city of North Vancouver. Although this is to be expected, it can be frustrating for people who are living in the city. In late 2013, the City collaborated with TravelSmart to encourage residents to be TravelSmart and sustainable on the North Shore. TravelSmart encourages everyone to get out of their cars once a week to enjoy their community by walking, cycling and taking transit. Bike to Work Week encourages people to try biking to work and to celebrate with those that already do. During the week, participants can visit commuter stations where they can enjoy food and drinks, pick up bike maps, get their bike checked by a mechanic and enter to win prizes for free.
North Vancouver is a desirable area of Canada that many people want to live in. However, it is important to consider how to sustain this level of growth with an environmentally conscience focus. Over the long term, this is one of the most important issues facing the city of North Vancouver. There are many people who think that North Vancouver can continue to experience its current rate of growth safely if these issues are addressed. With a solid job market and high revenue, North Vancouver should be able to make the sustainability investments necessary to help build the city for the next few decades.