We hereby now accept that human beings are an urban species and that cities are now our true home. And as such, we will embrace our cities and focus our attention to change them however necessary to not only provide us all with a good quality of life, but to deliver that life within the carrying capacity of our planet – we will create one-planet cities. While we acknowledge that we are an urban species, we acknowledge likewise that we are a fully integrated part of the natural systems of our planet and that we are entirely dependent on the health of the world’s ecosystems for all our needs. We acknowledge that we have undertaken two centuries of industrial and population expansion following a flawed model of our world and we now acknowledge the realities of the 21st century that we have created including: • That our actions are causing climate change emissions to increase at rates never before seen or modeled and this will cause our climate to change significantly this century even with radical action, and catastrophically without it; • That the inexpensive energy supplies that we have used to build our current society and economy will end in this century and thereby force change in every aspect of our cities; • That our world’s potable water supplies are decreasing at unprecedented rates in urban and agricultural watersheds thereby changing forever our cities and food-baskets; • That we have disrupted our planet’s ecosystems to a such a point that they are in a rapid state of change and collapse in a manner that is serious and unpredictable; • That we have been exhausting the non-renewable resources of the planet and depositing waste and toxins at unprecedented rates due to our past outdated economic models of materials management; • That our global food supply is in significant threat from the impending peaks of fossil fuels, water supply and soil degradation; • That the impending global migration from countries heavier hit from these disruptions will change our entire concept of cities as billions more become urbanized in a steadily decreasing number of metropolitan regions; • That the significant shift in demographics in our countries will force change in our cities physically, socially and economically and in particular, ruling many of our models of how we take care of each other obsolete; • That our political systems are currently inadequate and under-resourced to respond to the primary areas of market and government failure and compromised in their ability to effectively lead the envisioning, coordination, mobilization and decision-making processes required to deliver a culture of stewardship and become sustainable; • That the health of individuals and families in our communities are suffering from an inestimable and growing array of stresses that exceed our social infrastructure’s ability to respond; • That our education systems in their current forms are entirely inadequate to empower us collectively with the knowledge and ingenuity that we need to grapple with the challenges we face; • That our media and information industry is inadequate in its current form to support a rapid and effective dissemination of information that will trigger emotions, understandings and motivation to make significant change; • That our current economy and its corporate members are built on principles that are blind to the constraints of the planet and our communities; and • That the belief that the economy will be relatively stable and reliable in its current state over the next century is erroneous. In acknowledgement of this reality as the new context for our cities, we commit in all our actions from here on, to envisioning, communicating, and creating resilient cities that will deliver a great quality of life for all generations within the constraints of the planet that we are borrowing from our grandchildren. Which brings us to the principles and perspectives we need to forge a path forward: Inherent in this commitment is the recognition of the following principles that underpin our thinking around resilient cities including: • That the future is not inevitable, but rather that it is created by us day by day – that we are the authors of our future; • That no one is in charge, and therefore that we all are in charge; • That we are not moving from a past state to a future one, we are moving from a past state to one of continuous unfolding and unstoppable change – and therefore, our concept of cities, communities, economy, and ourselves must be reframed as a dance of relentless and rapid evolution – that change is the new normal; • That at the heart of resilience lies the capacity to regenerate and as such, we must preserve the integrity of our earth’s ecosystems and utilize them as blueprints for our cities; • That because cities change slowly, our decisions today define not only tomorrow but the day after tomorrow, and the day after that. • That in the face of the inability to know the future, we must adopt a deep ethic of planning, education and engagement to ensure we are aware, thoughtful and agile to meet the future we are both consciously and unconsciously creating; • That the roots of the transformation that we need lie in our deepest places because emotions lead to thoughts, which lead to stories, which lead to motivations, which lead to actions, which build cities; • That everything is connected and that the dispassionate karma of the earth offers a reaction for every one of our actions; • That we must transform our cities from a parasitic to a symbiotic relationship with our all other species in the world; • That we can never truly understand all implications of our actions and that as such, we must adopt an ethic of “learning cities” – of living laboratories in which we hope to succeed, but plan to fail, and then to try again; • That we must pause in our work to build our Towers of Babel, and return to the ground and learn to speak each other’s language – or we must certainly fragment and disperse and divided we will fall; • That the scale of change we need can only be realized when we work together to coauthor a future that fits us all; • That we must strive for ‘firsts’ in everything as the only mandate possible to deliver the learning and change at the scale we need to meet the challenges that call our names; and • That in fact, we aren’t building cities, we are building communities and as such, our cities do not exist for themselves, they are emergent outcomes of decisions we make to provide homes and lives for ourselves, our families and each other. In this context, we must never forget that we must design cities to be positive and healing places for our children. And furthermore, because there is no “social out there” any more than there is an ecological “out there”, we must confront our fears and work to heal those who have been hurt or have hurt us - for pain is a virus that is passed on until it is confronted and healed – and while in action, it hurts all species. Which brings us to the need for a new blueprint for a resilient city: In the context of the 21st century reality and these principles, we now embrace a new blueprint for our cities: • Our neighbourhoods will hereby be complete, offering us choice in where we work, live, play, learn, shop and pray; • Our transportation systems will maximize exchange and minimize travel, they will deliver access for all of us at all stages of our lives with a complete absence of carbon and will be built first and foremost around us - people - walking, meeting each other, experiencing beauty and engaging the other species with whom we share our landscapes. We will travel under our own power, under the suns power and we will travel together; • Our buildings will be plants, generating their own sustenance and giving back to our city, providing light, life and sunshine to us all, for our buildings are our civilization’s collective skin; • The land within our cities will be a profound cacophony of the celebration and cosmic dance of the lives of other species by our design, they will make us physically and spiritually healthy, they will provide us with food, and they will be a stage on which we come to know each other’s power and creativity; • The pumps, pipes and wires of our cities that supply us with energy and water and deal with our waste will be designed to be like the earth herself where everything is regenerated and there is no such thing as waste; • Our cities will provide food, clothing, a home, education, health care and a good quality life for every person, no matter what gifts, gaps or wounds they have; • Our cities will inspire us with art and the expressions of who are and will answer implicitly the question – what in fact we are trying to sustain?; and • Our economy will be built on the shoulders of inspired corporate citizens, creative entrepreneurs and a vision that draws all self-interested individuals and organizations to not only compete, but cooperate for the benefit of us – one and all. To create wealth within the natural income of our planet, and to increase our social, natural and economic capital accounts. In order to implement this blueprint, everyone has roles and responsibilities: While we innately know we are a “we” – we also accept that we do nothing as a “we”. It is an “I” who acts or at most, a small “us”. And even then, all “us’s” are animated, organized and lead by an “I”. In this context, we all have responsibilities individually, in our roles, in creating our collective resilient future. In our roles, there is no one else to pass the responsibility on to. • As elected city leaders: º We will accept our responsibility to be students, decision makers, arbitrators, gatekeepers, motivators, teachers, and risk takers, on behalf of all our citizens. We will be fearless but careful, bold but honest. • As those who work in our city governments: º We will honour our responsibility to not let the aging ink of dog-eared and faded regulations constrain our souls, but will use our skills and the letters of our laws to make real the dream of a regenerative society; We will not hide from the expressions of both ignorance and wisdom from our neighbours, but will engage in dialogue to teach and be taught . We will not let the failures of courage of those who must make hard decisions, define what our minds and souls believe is possible. We will expose who we are in the public discussion to build a common ground of humanity with those whom we serve, and at the same time we will protect who we are from those who would project anger that they received those who may have abused authority in the past – so we may serve tomorrow without yesterday’s pain. • For those of us who create wealth in our businesses: º We will embrace our responsibility to not only create wealth for ourselves and our shareholders, but to also infuse the tasks and lives of our employees and colleagues with meaning. We will relentlessly add value and provide goods and services that meet both the physical and spiritual needs of our customers. We will lead our suppliers and competitors forward – inspiring and asking of them increasing levels of sustainability. We will commit to create lasting wealth and make the planet and our communities healthier and more resilient as we do so. • For those of us in the academy: º We will honour the significant investment our society makes in us and commit to relentlessly leading the research and reframing of our world views to empower the minds and hearts of all to understand and reach for true sustainability. We will not only speak to those who pay us, but will actively engage the minds of all citizens in our communities and economy. And we will commit to being the sensors who report on our planet and to being the strategists of symbiosis. • For those of us in the world of organizations: º We will be both insiders and outsiders at the same time – working “with” our communities, and leading them forward simultaneously. For every place we call others out, we will discipline ourselves to provide a viable alternative. We will honour the significant responsibility and risk those in our governments and businesses face and with compassion and discipline, we will tell the truth in a story that all can understand and remember – and be inspired by. And often, we won’t wait. We’ll just do it because we can. And finally, as we bring our “we” and all things down to ourselves as individuals we find that all things begin within ourselves. And therefore, with a sobering but exciting knowing that I do not truly know how to proceed, I will begin with commitments to try. As a resident and co-author of a resilient city and regenerative region, I commit to the following: • I will embrace my responsibility as an author of the future and of my city; • I will confront my comforting illusions – but will not believe all those who would feed me news that might prey on my anxieties; • I will accept my disillusionment with all institutions and leaders, but will not take leave my responsibility and become embittered; • I will learn from whomever I can - but will never devolve my responsibility to be the author of my city to any teacher, no matter how gracious their words or beautiful their pictures; • I will engage my peers and declare our generation’s responsibility - but I will share my successes and failures equally; • I will accept that I must live in this world, but will commit to slowing to look beyond the fog of overwork, lack of sleep, gridlock, shopping, and the apparent race with others in everything to nowhere in particular – to find my quality of life within my earth’s allowance; • And I will be grateful; • I will breathe deep, I will smile at the rain, I will soak in the sun, and I will teach my children the songs of the birds who live in our neighbourhood; • I will eat and drink the abundance of my region, and will share my abundance with those who work to maintain that land’s capacity; • In addition, I will share my abundance with many others in a manner that empowers them to create more of their own; • I will ask of myself the courage to see the challenges that give me fear through the eyes of those whose job it is to deal with them and I will be a compassionate, engaged and disciplined citizen; • And I will be grateful; • I will open to the pain that I cause in the world through my ignorance and fear and the distance I seem to have from my internal dignity and nobility, and I will feel the pain, shock and injustice of participating in the death of so many, if only by accident – and then I will move past that grief to the restless serenity of my responsibility – to my planet, to my community, to my family, and to myself; • And in that spontaneous map that comes from that honesty, I will find my “well”, the source of my regeneration and I will personally become resilient; • And I will be grateful. And finally, I will acknowledge that I do not understand the universe enough to yet proclaim that “its over” and as a resident of a resilient city and regenerative region I will have faith in you and I will have faith in myself that we can do this – that we can change.
Mark Holland, October 22, 2009
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Fresh ApproachesHB Lanarc generated a Development Concept for the Aldergrove Community Core, to inform potential revisions to the Aldergrove Community Plan, a component of the Township of Langley's Official Community Plan (OCP). The project involved using innovative and highly graphic approaches to neighbourhood planning, addressing the type and location of housing and commercial buildings per...
Located on the foreshore of Esquimalt Lagoon, this project has complex geotechnical, hydrological, and historic and archaeological factors that contribute to a unique landscape expression. The project incorporates multifamily residential landscapes, parkland, and public open space surrounding the design of nearly one kilometer of salmon stream and associated habitat plantings. ...
Work closely with planning staff to design and promote public attendance at two workshops to launch an OCP process in a rural area of the Regional District. Prepare all materials and presentations, and then facilitate and report from both events in community hall. Ensure that workshops are inspiring and engaging, appreciative of the best of life in Area A, create clear statemen...
A multi-disciplinary urban design and planning team worked to develop urban design options for the Austin Heights Neighbourhood in southwest Coquitlam. The project included a visioning process, development of land use options and a design charette to explore and assess various design options. The project will also include the development of form-based guidelines to facilitate i...
Development of a pair of documents to guide the community's evolution towards a sustainable future. The first document is a strategy that gives direction to the client in each of 8 areas of municipal activity, making sustainable directions tangible. The second is based on the first, and enables qualitative evaluation of the sustainability of potential projects....
HB Lanarc reviewed Campbell River's Engineering Design Standards and identified changes to increase the 'sustainability' of subdivision and building projects driven by that standard. The second phase of the project incorporated the recommended changes into the Subdivision Bylaw. The work included significant changes to road standards to reduce impervious area and incorporat...
HB Lanarc carried out a comprehensive neighbourhood planning process premised on enhancing sustainability, livability and the overall quality of the public realm. The process involved extensive public and stakeholder consultation that resulted in a detailed neighbourhood plan containing visions and goals, an illustrated concept plan, a detailed land use plan with supporting des...
HB Lanarc is helping Victoria to develop one of the province's first civic engagement strategies in order to find out how the City can better communicate and connect with its citizens. Through a co-creative process that draws on the team's diverse skills and knowledge, the Strategy aims to:
The Clayburn Creek watershed in Abbotsford, BC, is a large tract of land that receives flow from several tributaries originating in the Sumas Mountains. The watershed lies within the municipal boundary, some of which is developed as residential, agricultural, resource, institutional, and commercial land uses, and some of which remains green field with valuable ecological resour...
HB Lanarc supported 16 ministries to develop their Climate Neutral Action Plans by December 2008, aiming for climate neutrality in all core government operations by 2010. Our firm designed, facilitated, reported from and evaluated two dialogue-based workshops that allowed for sharing of ideas, tools and models and increased provincial capacity for ongoing reductions of GHG emis...
Building on the outcomes of the Colony Farm Charrette (also completed by HB Lanarc), the Colony Regional Farm Sustainability Plan (COLSP) outlines a future where Colony Farm is a physical and virtual place for research, learning, and experimentation with the integration of sustainable food systems, wildlife, recreation and community. The concept of an on-site Academy for Sustai...
The Comox Valley Sustainability Strategy project will create an overarching Sustainability Strategy for four local governments in the Comox Valley (Comox Valley Regional District, Village of Cumberland, Town of Comox, and City of Courtenay). The Sustainability Strategy will be a non-regulatory document whose scope covers many aspects of a community. It will provide a refere...
The Coquitlam Town Centre Area Plan Update used an integrated design and planning process that developed alternatives for the location, type, and density of future development in the Town Centre. It used a highly collaborative process, involving City staff, public and community representatives and other relevant stakeholders along with a multi-disciplinary team of consultants. ...
Dawson Creek has been moving towards a shared community vision for a sustainable future since 2005. Dawson Creek's first Sustainable Neighbourhood Plan, within the larger 'Dawson Creek Sustainability Planning Process', engaged a wide range of community members in a design charrette and creation of a neighbourhood plan for the development of 240-acres at the north end of the cit...
By engaging with diverse audiences, the engagement process is establishing a clear vision of the community's desired future, and moving the focus to strategic directions and new solutions. A wide range of techniques are used to share information, involve a broad and diverse cross-section of the community, and collaboratively plan for a sustainable future. Innovative techniques...
With the assistance of the Drinking Water / Watershed Stewardship Protection Committee, the RDN designed an aggressive new program focused on protection of water resources in the region, both for drinking water and for aquatic habitat. The program, entitled 'Action for Water,' was passed by referendum in November 2008. ...
Holland Barrs (now HB Lanarc) developed and launched a third party accreditation system for green fleet operations in Canada. The project began by completing a scoping study to assess the administrative and technical dimension of green fleets and an accreditation system for fleets. Following positive feedback, HB completed a number of one-on-one stakeholder interviews with fle...
The Songbird Design Guidelines were created to ensure that the East Fraserlands neighbourhood be designed, developed, and maintained to maximize the diversity of bird species using the site for nesting and foraging. This involved establishing a range of preferred habitats for as many bird foraging guilds as possible in public areas such as parks, streets, and greenways. A list...
As a follow-up assignment the development of the 2002 Park Master Plan for Esquimalt Gorge Park, HB Lanarc worked with the Township of Esquimalt to develop conceptual and detailed design for a new active area and parking lot within Esquimalt Gorge Park. Intended to become an active destination for this centerpiece park in Esquimalt, the active area will include a playground and...
The City of Edmonton is in the process of drafting a new Municipal Development Plan (MDP). During public consultation, the community raised concerns that issues of food security and the protection of agricultural lands were not previously included in the MDP. As a result, the new plan will create increased dialogue between the community and developers on these issues. Throu...
HB Lanarc led the development of a neighbourhood plan for 125 acres in Gibsons, BC. The objective of this project is the development of a sustainable neighbourhood area plan for a visually stunning, ecologically rich, and culturally sensitive site. Energy efficiency and district energy play important roles in the project....
HB Lanarc carried out a comprehensive neighbourhood planning process premised on enhancing sustainability, livability and introducing Placemaking Principles. The Plan was the first NCP to be guided by Surrey Sustainability Charter. The process involved public and stakeholder consultation that resulted in a detailed neighbourhood plan containing visions and goals, an illustrated...
Managing and coordinating a complex team of experts in communications, market research, transportation, urban design, and sustainability, HB Lanarc (as Holland Barrs) led the extensive strategic and practical aspects of the consultation. This included three open houses, eight stakeholder workshops, various public surveys, an interactive website, and ongoing outreach. The proces...
This project involved the facilitation of workshops for the GCC, a non-profit group promoting the conservation of BC's endangered grassland ecosystems. The workshops brought together regional and municipal planners to share practical conservation tools and explore effective solutions....
The Green Infrastructure and Sensitive Ecosystems Bylaws Toolkit provides local governments (municipal and regional) practical tools for protecting susceptible components of ecosystems within communities. The toolkit provides different approaches to achieving ecosystem protection through various regulatory tools including OCPs, tax exemptions, and zoning bylaws. ...
Working with the InSight Group Development Corporation Lanarc (now HB Lanarc) helped to create a vibrant community with 230 new homes located adjacent to downtown Nanaimo. The development plans incorporated sensitivity to the natural environment of the site and to the character of surrounding neighbourhoods as its guiding principles. A park and greenway system, pedestrian-orien...
The Irrigation Scheduling Calculator, a combination of the Landscape and Agricultural Calculators, was built for the Ministry of Agriculture and Land to act as a decision-making and troubleshooting tool for irrigation specialists, landscape planners and architects, maintenance personnel and both public and private farmers. This easy to use, web-based calculator utilizes live we...
The project involved the design and facilitation of a Citizen's Forum on Sustainability and website for the Central Okanagan region. The objective was to educate citizens on issues related to sustainability and raise their awareness about how they might be involved in the community-wide discussion. Citizen engagement involved the development of a highly inclusive, collaborative...
The City hired Holland Barrs (now HB Lanarc) to lead a thoughtful review of their official community plan, to ensure the 'hardwiring of sustainability' into land use and transportation patterns. Extensive public and stakeholder engagement was a key aspect of project design, with over 2600 people taking part directly and extensive public awareness more broadly. This was twinned ...
The Ladysmith community visioning process charted a new process for a community defined future. Six comprehensive workshops used innovative techniques of experiential planning to get to the heart of what activities are vital for Town residents and what the built environment, pathways, roads and other amenities need to look like to represent Ladysmith's unique character. The...
The Cities of Langford and Colwood on Vancouver Island reviewed and updated their Official Community Plans in response to increasing growth and development pressure, community need for well-designed town centres and parks, and to ensure consistency with the regional growth strategy. The project used urban design and public engagement strategies to bring the existing OCPs into a...
Southeast False Creek is described as "the greenest neighbourhood in North America", according to Tim Cole, Chair of the Board of Directors for the U.S. Green Building Council. Awarded more points than any other development worldwide, Southeast False Creek received the highest Platinum certification under the US Green Building Council's, LEED for Neighbourhood Development. HB L...
HB Lanarc completed comprehensive research on laneway housing that identified a range of housing infill and intensification prototypes suitable for laneways. This research presents single-lot, laneway, infill housing as a key part of an overall residential intensification strategy that Canadian municipalities can use to help meet critical housing needs while meeting a range of ...
The Town of Markham is developing a GreenPrint Plan that will help to implement the strategic directions of the Building Markham's Future Together initiative. This Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (ICSP) will help identify high priority sustainability goals, objectives and targets and lay out policies, strategies and specific actions to achieve them. The plan will enab...
Prince George's ICSP is an ambitious project to create a planning and implementation framework for the whole community, including the city, partner organizations, and citizens. Called myPG to capture its relevance to everyone in the City, its goal is to align all community efforts to achieve a shared long-term vision. The ICSP is seen as a first step in a longer journey towar...
Lanarc (now HB Lanarc) developed the strategy behind the revitalization of Nanaimo's Downtown public plaza, including the public consultation, concept and detailed site design for the newly named Diana Krall Plaza. The plaza's crucial location as the major meeting place in the downtown arts district, and linkage to Nanaimo's renowned waterfront was reconciled through a place-ma...
Engagement Strategy and Process for RGS Review, 'Shaping Our Future'. The project involved identifying key audiences, creating core messages, developing outreach strategy and brand, developing a website, delivering an online survey, and running stakeholder workshops for the Regional District as it prepares to rewrite its Regional Growth Strategy from a sustainability perspectiv...
Called 'Choosing Our Future', this unique, joint planning initiative aims to help Canada's Capital Region face the challenges of the 21st century, and integrate concepts of sustainability and resilience into all facets of regional planning and design. It includes a comprehensive, community-wide exploration of topics ranging from land use to infrastructure, to culture, to food s...
This project involved initial scoping, concept development and capacity building activity to explore the potential for collaborating on a shared North Eastern BC climate agenda, how it could be governed, and capacity building needs to support such work....
The purpose of this project was to develop a foundational document that will guide the development of the Climate Change Action Plan in 2009. Climate change goals and targets were developed for a number of different growth scenarios leading to recommended policies and actions. The final report was designed to be useful for future public consultation and engagement opportunities...
Following the successful completion of a long range vision for Parksville Community Park and waterfront walkway, a Downtown Revitalization Study considered ways to build a connection between the waterfront and downtown that realizes the potential of Parksville's spectacular beachfront setting. Through this process, Lanarc (now HB Lanarc) investigated how transportation, urba...
The purpose of this project was to update the 1996 Management Plan for the Parksville-Qualicum Beach Wildlife Management Area (PQBWMA) to reflect changes in the status of and management objectives for the Area. The overall goal, and major challenge, for the PQBWMA is to protect, preserve and improve its very significant ecological assets while accommodating increasing public us...
Partington Creek is one of three watersheds affected by the Northeast Coquitlam Area Plan, which is one of the major growth areas proposed in the GVRD. Lanarc Consultants is lead consultant to the City of Coquitlam to create a neighbourhood plan for this new town of 10,000 people. This neighbourhood plan will establish policy guidelines for land use, transportation, environmen...
A successful Triple-Bottom-Line bid to purchase and develop the City of Port Coquitlam's former works yard into a high-density, mixed-use anchor for redevelopment of the surrounding neighbourhood....
Full service landscape architecture services for the design of an outdoor civic amphitheatre adjacent to the Municipal Hall. The amphitheatre is centred on an outdoor stage that connects to the Council Chambers, and provides a venue for approximately 750 spectators for summer festivals, concerts, and other public gatherings....
HB Lanarc developed Downtown Design Guidelines for the City of Prince Rupert to emphasize building and street-scape design that enhances pedestrian activity, amenity and safety and contributes to the downtown's unique identity and sense of place. More broadly, the guidelines are intended to help implement the vision established in the Prince Rupert Quality of Life Community Pla...
Sea to Sky University, Canada's first secular, not-for-profit and self sustaining institution, is located in Squamish, BC on a 97-hectare (240 acre) site. The university will eventually teach and house 1,200 students. The site will also be surrounded by a mixed-use community with 1,000 units....
The Core Neighbourhood Sustainability Action Plan involves integrated planning and design efforts to address social, environmental and economic issues in a Regina inner city neighbourhood. The project also produced a sustainable development plan for a key site....
HB Lanarc led a consultant team responsible for four main components of Nanaimo's regional trail system analysis of the current system, extensive public outreach and stakeholder input, plan development and public review and plan finalization. Based on the 1995 Plan, the new plan re-defines the vision and goals for the system. It also establishes priorities for managing existi...
Lanarc (now HB Lanarc) completed a series of 3D models and visualizations that compare an elevated skytrain to an at-grade solution at a variety of Richmond locations. These images have been instrumental in urban design discussions concerning the RAV line and adjacent land use in Richmond. ...
Lanarc (now HB Lanarc) led a multi-jurisdictional team to assist the City of Surrey in developing an approach to streamside protection that not only met the provincial Riparian Areas Regulation, but also addressed a wide range of other management concerns floodplains, tree stand integrity, wildlife corridors, drainage and trail considerations to name a few. The project resul...
Holland Barrs (now HB Lanarc) led the development of a set of community design principles and guidelines for the range of neighbourhoods and centres that make up this rapidly growing Vancouver Island community. The guidelines are based on fostering the creation of a network of compact, mixed-use, transit oriented and walkable neighbourhood centres with a high quality of urban ...
SCRD required services of a facilitator to prepare engagement opportunities during this scoping exercise, to use professional facilitation skills to ensure all points of view were heard and consensus on priorities was reached, to publicize and develop interest in the process, and to build trust and move towards positive outcomes. This included scoping issues and experiences, fa...
Seylynn Village is a major urban infill and Smartgrowth project that includes the re-development of an area predominantly defined by single family housing located in the District of North Vancouver. When completed, the project will be a high density, compact, mixed-use, pedestrian friendly development, with a mix of low, mid-rise and high rise towers. HB Lanarc has been involv...
During the Shawnigan Hills Athletic Park project, Lanarc (now HB Lanarc) undertook the redesign of an existing park to support the recreational goals of the community. Integrating active sports facilities into a small community presents not only challenges for funding, but also ensuring that park design maximizes use and enjoyment for all members of the community. The process u...
HB Lanarc lead a 3 day public design charrette focused on downtown revitalization exploring opportunities for downtown living through sensitive, mixed use infill, designs for flexibility and adaptability over time, public realm improvements including square, park, public art design, and other place making strategies, and main street revitalization and local community economic d...
HB Lanarc facilitated an extensive community process that guided the development of an Official Community Plan for the Town of Smithers BC. With HB Lanarc's assistance, the community developed a vision and goals that form the foundation of the Official Community Plan that will guide town planning in Smithers for the next 20 years....
Snuneymuxw First Nation is located near downtown Nanaimo with additional reserve lands south of Nanaimo and land holdings within the City of Nanaimo. The community's Comprehensive Community Plan (CCP) focuses on eight strategic areas. It contains a set of policies, goals, objectives, strategies and recommended actions that address each of the eight areas. The purpose of the CCP...
The Southeast False Creek neighbourhood rests on 80 acres of former industrial lands, situated on one of Vancouver's last remaining downtown waterfront sites. The development includes residential, live/work, retail, and office uses, as well as public amenities and cultural venues. Currently, 1100 residential units, 68,000 square feet of commercial space, and a civic centre are ...
HB Lanarc led the Phase 2 certification application to the US Green Building Council, under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighbourhood Development (LEED ND) program for the 80 acre Southeast False Creek site and Olympic Village....
HB Lanarc developed design considerations and guidelines, technical considerations, and management strategies for effectively integrating urban agriculture (UA) into a high density neighbourhood. The report focuses on how UA is an innovative tool for urban design and can play a key role in building community around food. Topics covered in the report include: perspectives on foo...
HB Lanarc (as Holland Barrs) led a multi-disciplinary team in developing a strategy to integrate food related activity into Vancouver's model Southeast False Creek sustainable community. The strategy addressed how a high density urban community might develop an improved relationship with food production, processing and distribution systems. The Urban Agriculture Strategy addres...
Site planning for a 530 acre site that includes the integration of habitat and protected areas, agriculture, and a built community. The work continues to involve strategic planning, public engagement, and site design for buildings and open spaces, with a goal to successfully integrate agriculture with urbanism while considering integrated infrastructure systems and habitat area...
HB Lanarc is developing the District of Squamish's Community Energy Action Plan, providing project management and facilitation, technical advising, leading a smart growth block sub-project, and delivering the final master project report. HB Lanarc has developed policy frameworks focus on energy efficiency community-wide and local government buildings. We are working with the Di...
HB Lanarc is working with the community, landowners, and key stakeholder groups to develop a Sub Area Plan for the Squamish Oceanfront Peninsula. This unique waterfront brownfield redevelopment project will incorporate the principles of Smart Growth and sustainable design to establish a new neighbourhood adjacent to the existing downtown. Community amenities including parks are...
Building on the work of the South of Fraser Area Transit Plan, TransLink and the Province of BC are leading a phased study to examine the alternatives for expanded rapid transit in Surrey. In the early stages of the study, we are working with the cities of Surrey and Langley as well as Metro Vancouver to engage stakeholders and the public. Phase 1 of the study is just begin...
The University of Alberta is currently undergoing strategic planning for sustainability strategies for the university. Food and agriculture has been identified by the administration as a key sustainability opportunity and HB Lanarc has been retained to create an implementable strategy for how food may be integrated into future university planning and design exercises. Working f...
Lanarc has worked as part of a multidisciplinary team tasked with detailed planning for a new community at Simon Fraser University. This new community for 10,000 people has a mandate to investigate and apply environmental best practices ranging from stormwater management and street design to green building design. ...
A website guide for US towns and cities to rapidly advance green buildings, neighbourhoods and infrastructure. The Playbook shows how strategic actions in these sectors promote economic development, build healthier communities, strengthen energy independence, and support climate protection. The Playbook is a powerful demonstration of the type of collaboration needed to address ...
HB Lanarc developed the streetscape and landscape plans for the Vancouver Island Conference Centre completed Summer 2008. HB Lanarc played an instrumental role in the project concept and followed-up to complete landscape architecture design and construction implementation services for Nanaimo's new downtown convention centre, working with Stantec Architecture. HB Lanarc's par...
The City of Victoria is updating their OCP to respond to community priorities and to themes and goals clarified in their new sustainability framework. Having developed the Victoria Civic Engagement Strategy, HB Lanarc is now helping the city put their engagement tools into practice for this OCP update. At least 5,000 people will be engaged over 12 months as the OCP is updat...
The Water Conservation Calculator is the online version of the water management tools created by the Ministry of Community and Rural Development. The focus of this project was to enable knowledge sharing by providing a web-based, flexible tool that city planners and conservationists could use to quickly and efficiently calculate the long term effects and costs of planned conser...
The creative and extensive engagement program involved the community in planning from the very beginning to both explore and focus the key issues and strategic priorities. The process was aligned with the Council's strategic priorities, which focus on livable neighbourhoods, safe communities, and economic, environmental, and social sustainability....
