Ecology Ottawa introduces "greenprints" for a sustainable city
Policy papers identify concrete steps to bring Ottawa up to standards of leading green cities

April 9, 2008

A little over a week after city council displayed its symbolic commitment to the fight against climate change by spearheading the city's participation in Earth Hour, Ecology Ottawa has launched its first set of "greenprints," identifying specific actions that council can take to achieve long-term reductions in the city's greenhouse gas emissions.

These two greenprints are the first in a series of a dozen policy proposals to be released by Ecology Ottawa throughout the year. The series will cover a wide range of areas under municipal control, from waste management to land use policies. The greenprints are based on environmental best practices in other North American cities, many of which are leaps and bounds ahead of Ottawa on the sustainability front.

"Cities everywhere are starting to redesign their communities to meet the challenges of the 21st century, and Ottawa cannot afford to be left behind," says Graham Saul, Chair of Ecology Ottawa. "We've taken some steps in the right direction in recent years, but we need to be moving faster, and more boldly. Our greenprints identify a handful of proven solutions that council could implement today to make our city more sustainable."

The first two greenprints, released this week, relate to zoning. "Through its zoning by-laws, the city exercises a considerable amount of control over what gets built, and where," points out Lori Waller, Ecology Ottawa's research associate. "There are countless ways that zoning regulations could be changed to encourage more sustainable development; we are proposing two changes that have worked well in other cities."

The release of these two greenprints is timed to coincide with public consultations taking place this week on the city's Draft Comprehensive Zoning By-law, which is set to replace the old by-laws of the municipalities that existed pre-amalgamation later this year. The first greenprint proposes that limits be placed on the number of parking spaces that can be built as part of any new development. The second proposes regulations on building orientation and heights that will protect residents' access to sunlight as a source of solar energy.

The greenprints are available online at www.ecologyottawa.ca/greenprints/. Ecology Ottawa will release further editions on a monthly basis.