Focus Labs

Ecocity Focus Lab Series Launches This Week in Vancouver

Written by Staff

Our first Ecocity Focus Lab will be taking place November 7 to 10 in Vancouver, Canada at the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

Participants will review indicators capable of assessing the Ecocity Standards, and the benchmarks for defining the Ecocity 1 level.

The preliminary workshop day on November 7th is for those interested in learning about ecological footprint analysis using a local data collection method, informed by the work of Dr. Jennie Moore. It will explore how this analysis fits into a broader suite of tools offered by Ecocity Builders to help cities collect urban metabolism data and share information in pursuit of meeting the Ecocity Standards.
Each subsequent day we will explore indicators and performance benchmarks within the International Ecocity Standards.

On November 8th the focus is on Urban Design and Ecological Imperatives for ecocities including:

  1. a) Access by Proximity
  2. b) Healthy Biodiversity
  3. c) Ecological Carrying Capacity
  4. d) Ecological Integrity

On November 9th the focus is on Bio-Geophysical Conditions of ecocities including:

  1. a) Clean Air
  2. b) Clean and Safe Water
  3. c) Healthy Soil
  4. d) Responsible Resources/Materials
  5. e) Clean and Renewable Energy
  6. f) Healthy and Accessible Food

On November 10th the focus is on Socio-Cultural Features of ecocities including:

  1. a) Healthy Culture
  2. b) Community Capacity/Governance
  3. c) Healthy and Equitable Economy
  4. d) Lifelong Education
  5. e) Well Being/Quality of Life

Detailed descriptions of each condition in the International Ecocity Standards is also available in an online brochure.

As early participants in developing the International Ecocity Standards, City of Vancouver staff as well as staff from other Metro Vancouver cities and provincial government agencies, community leaders, and scholars from a variety of post-secondary institutions in the Lower Mainland have made important contributions to advance the assessment of sustainability. The Ecocity Focus Lab provides an opportunity to continue this work and explore how the International Ecocity Standards apply to the Vancouver context.

Outcomes of the Focus Lab will inform the ongoing development of the Ecocity Standards and will be discussed and further refined at the 2017 Ecocity World Summit in Melbourne.

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Staff