David Staples wrote this week how Edmonton might use narrow lots to go about increasing the density of it's mature neighbourhoods. http://bit.ly/PXgs2t This proposed solution looks very different than the pictures posted about a week earlier in the journal. If you missed it, these were photos showing front facing suburban style garages, and they had Group2's Barry Johns quickly responding in the opinions page. http://bit.ly/RK2zCZ

First of all, the argument for density is made many times over by others, ie. http://www.urbandesign.org/density.html But it really hits home after the snowstorms this week, where more dense, walkable communities means fewer cars on the roads to idle in traffic and cause accidents.

A couple solutions presented by Tegan Martin-Drysdale of Red Brick are far from the suburban garage idea so feared by the neighbourhoods. She rightly points out that such housing types are not going be adopted overnight, but they are excellent precedents to start change in motion. her article can be found here: http://redbrickinc.ca/?p=120

One thing to add, would be to highlight the proximity and relationship of the living quarters to the street, and imagine how that changes the 'feel' of the street. In each of the precedents, the public areas, (or the areas where guests are welcome) are pushed to the front of the house, to fairly close proximity to the street. This gives a human face (perhaps literally) to the house, and thereby it increases safety by having more eyes on the street. This in turn influences how 'welcome' a neighbourhood feels – regardless of where the garage is.

photo credit:Greenfab via: redbrick [ CLOSE ]

The 13th Annual Sustainable Building Symposium was held in Edmonton on May 11&12, and in Calgary on May12 &13. As an Intern Architect from the Edmonton Studio, I attended the Edmonton session as a volunteer, and was privileged to experience a well-run event that included engaging and informative presentations from leaders in the field of sustainable design. It was also a great opportunity to network with like-minded individuals, and be energized by new ideas about up-coming technologies, strategies, and emerging paradigms in ‘green’ building. The kick-start to the symposium was the innovative keynote address by Jay Ingram (of Discovery Channel fame) in conjunction with the band ‘The Turbines’ from Calgary. They delivered a musically inspired message that set the tone for the remainder of the program. It was a great experience, and I would encourage participation in next year’s event either as a delegate, speaker, or volunteer!

Eleanor Hopkins, Intern Architect [ CLOSE ]

New book published by Princeton Architectural Press on LEED and building materials and how different building material relates to specific credits and how much each material can contribute to your overall point total. [ CLOSE ]

Don't be daunted by the length of the video or the long introductions - the meat of the presentation is very good. I can only imagine (with glee) the day when we are talking about similar numbers for cyclists in Canadian cities. It also hit home the importance out of creating 'events' for urban initiatives such as active transportation - it is a truly effective way to get the media involved which in turn draws the politicians. [ CLOSE ]

Green Communities Canada announced today the national expansion of a project that makes it safer for students to use active transportation methods like walking and cycling to travel to and from school. Funding of $2.1 million from the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and the Public Health Agency of Canada will enable School Travel Planning (STP) to reach 120 schools, resulting in healthier, happier students and reducing the incidence of chronic disease.


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A great article at Planetizen on how the reforming of transportation policies can have a great impact on Sustainable Development than LEED Certification. [ CLOSE ]