Resilient Renewable Cities
2015, Summit We the City, Cities, Climate + Environment
How do you reduce energy use and shift to renewables while ensuring resiliency in a city?
A number of global cities, including the City of Vancouver, have adopted a 100% renewable energy target in one or more of their electricity, heating & cooling, and transportation sectors. While reaching these goals will require a shift towards renewables, the foundation lies in changing the way we plan and build cities and consume energy. Canadian cities are also on the forefront of coping with the impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather, and any urban planning and renewable energy strategy will need to keep the realities of a changing environment in mind. Moreover, any plan for achieving ambitious renewable energy and livability goals lies in a massive increase in energy efficiency.
The purpose of this event was to discuss how to best reconcile increasing renewable energy supply while reducing energy use and ensuring resiliency.
About We the City
Larry Beasley
'Distinguished Practice' Professor of Planning, UBC School of Community and Regional Planning and Founding Principal, Beasley and Associates
Larry Beasley, along with Ann McAfee, was the long-serving co-director of planning in Vancouver during the transformative years for the core city. He now teaches and advises cities around the world through his consultant firm, Beasley and Associates. He has been recognized with an outstanding alumni award and an honorary doctorate degree from SFU. He is also a member of the Order of Canada.
Stephen Sheppard
Director, UBC Collaborative for Advanced Landscape Planning (CALP)
Stephen directs an applied research group which develops and tests powerful visualisation tools and engagement processes, to help communities move towards low carbon, resilient, and attractive futures. He also teaches in sustainable landscape planning, aesthetics, and visualization in the Faculty of Forestry and Landscape Architecture program at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He received a BA/MA in Agricultural and Forest Sciences at Oxford, a MSc in Forestry at UBC, and a PhD in Environmental Planning at UC Berkeley.
Supporters
Media Partners
-
Indigenous City Gathering
Our final event of the 2015 Community Summit was a stirring evening featuring extrodinary Indigenous leaders, artists and community members exploring the theme of city building. From storytelling to live painting, traditional foods and memorable performances, the first Indigenous City Gathering sparked conversation and connection.
Read More →
-
Thrive! Surrey in 2030: A Residents’ Lab on the Future of their City
Think like a city planner, take part in a unique city-building simulation, and experience what it feels like to live in the Surrey of 2030. Selected residents came together to build a vision for their city where everyone can thrive.
Read More →
-
Open City: One Book, One SFU
Teju Cole was in conversation with CBC Radio’s Eleanor Wachtel as they explored the power of cities and the lure of literature in this inaugural event of SFU Library’s One Book, One SFU.
Read More →
-
Leading and Learning: Innovative Tools for Advancing Sustainability in Surrey
The City of Surrey is updating the Sustainability Charter, our 50 year vision for becoming a more sustainable city. Participants convened for an engaging evening with thought leaders who presented their ideas on innovative tools for creating more sustainable cities - with keynote speaker Chris Ragan, Chair of the Eco-Fiscal Commission.
Read More →
-
Downtown Vancouver Re-Imagined
We are thrilled to announce the release of the Re-Imagine Downtown Vancouver findings with the Downtown Vancouver Business Imporvement Association (DVBIA).
Read More →
-
Would cities be different if they were designed by women? | City Conversations
This special edition of City Conversation focused on women’s perspectives on city building, bringing a gender lens to the theme of our 2015 Community Summit.
Read More →
-
ReThink Food: Sustainability Innovation Challenge
ReThink Food was a one-day innovation challenge for high school students across Metro Vancouver. Participants designed a solution to our sustainability challenge question and competed for seed funding to implement their projects. Over 150 students came together on November 5th, 2015 to generate innovative projects that will have real impact in their schools.
Read More →
-
We The City: An Evening at the Centre
Cities are a reflection of our human needs and values. Our signature event considered how the arts create, reveal, critique and enhance the identity of our urban centres and powerfully foster connection, incite social change and build capacity for healthy communities. Candy Chang, Teju Cole, and Buffy Sainte-Marie provided compelling talks and Mo Dhaliwal guided us through the signature event of the 2015 Community Summit, co-presented with Vancity.
Read More →
-
TILT City: Engaging the Streets
In partnership with HCMA Architecture and Design and their TILT curiosity labs, TILT City engaged the streets of downtown Vancouver with urban interventions. Engaged citizens had the chance to temporarily transform spaces in the public realm during this one-day interactive event.
Read More →
-
Actions for Housing Now: Creating Affordable, Suitable, and Secure Housing in Canadian Cities
In partnership with the Tyee Solutions Society and the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association, we hosted Actions for Housing Now. Attendees collaborated on real-world policy solutions for affordable, suitable, and secure housing for working households in Canadian cities, to be presented to Canada’s new federal government.
Read More →
-
Housing in the City: Beyond the Headlines
Headlines remind us constantly of our housing crisis: prices run amok, renovictions, and near-zero rental vacancy rates. This evening of storytelling considered the landscape of housing in Vancouver and beyond, with an eye on working households, at or below median income, in urban centers across Canada.
Read More →
-
Resilient Renewable Cities
A number of global cities, including the City of Vancouver, have adopted a 100% renewable energy target in one or more of their electricity, heating & cooling, and transportation sectors. While reaching these goals will require a shift towards renewables, the foundation lies in changing the way we plan and build cities and consume energy. The purpose of this event was to discuss how to best reconcile increasing renewable energy supply while reducing energy use and ensuring resiliency.
Read More →
-
Campus to City
SFU Public Square, in partnership with the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, hosted a one-day national conversation on the role of colleges and universities in city-building.
Read More →
-
Researching the City
Presented in partnership with SFU Vancouver and related faculties, departments, schools, programs and institutes, this storytelling event showcased how research activities have a positive impact on cities – in public policy, economic development, social justice, health and well-being. We looked at how university research contributes to and learns from the city's communities.
Read More →