Sustainable Communities - September 2007

INNOVATIVE PLANS MAKE ALBERTA'S COMMUNITIES SUSTAINABLE

Alberta's prolonged economic boom has been accompanied by the rapid growth of our cities and towns, usually along their outer edges. This expansion has contributed to urban sprawl, overstretched infrastructure, automobile-dominated neighbourhoods and the sense that these communities may not be sustainable.

How do we measure sustainability? It's a multi-faceted thing. It's having sufficient resources to sustain all the new people and all the expansion. It's the ability to minimize one's ecological footprint, which includes curtailing energy use and environmental impacts. And it's the livability of communities, which means things like being able to walk around neighbourhoods that have parks and a broad mix of uses and services.

There are different approaches to creating sustainable communities. Each municipality will craft and implement its own approach to sustainable community development. As a result, residents can enjoy higher standard of living with a much reduced carbon footprint.

As you will read in this issue of C3 Views, there are a growing number of Alberta cities, towns and municipal districts forging innovative plans to make their communities truly sustainable.

Enjoy this issue!