Olympics!

Just like most people in the beautiful country of Canada, I'm so into Canadian pride and the Olympics right now, it's not even cool.
Currently, I'm watching Canada beat the Swiss in hockey.
But this is not why I'm posting. I'm here to tell you about the greenest and brownest things about Vancouver, thanks to Grist.

Since I always say, bad news first, let's start with the brownest things about Vancouver, home of the Olympic games 2010!

Firstly, poverty and homelessness: Downtown Eastside, just blocks away from several Olympic venues, is marked by chronic poverty, open-air drug use, mental illness, and prostitution. It's been called the world slum in an affluent city in the world.

Secondly, affordability: According to a recent study, Vancouver has the least affordable housing market among 272 major cities in developed countries around the world. The Olympics have only worsened the shortage of affordable housing.


Thirdly, crime: The region's drug trade has lead to gang wars, with increasingly brazen attacks in 2009, including 60 homicides in the area.

Lastly, sprawl: Suburbs of Vancouver have followed typical sprawl patterns: public transit cannot keep up with the outward growth, since BC tilts its transportation funding towards roads. However, the city proper has handled growth relatively well.

Now, onto the greenest things. :)

Firstly, it has an ambitious leader: Mayor Gregor Robertson. He has staked his legacy on a plan to make Vancouver the most climate-friendly city in the world. This involves increasing building energy standards and getting residents to drive less. It already has the lowest per-capita emissions of any major city in North America.

Secondly, downtown density. The city's high population density is most apparent downtown. Three years ago, leaders led a citywide EcoDensity discussion to show how efficient land use improves quality of life.

Thirdly, mass transit: Vancouver has no highways downtown, but instead light rail, buses and ferries. There's also a new rapid rail line linking downtown to the airport, added in time for the Olympics.

Fourthly, low-carbon energy: Vancouver gets much of its electricity from convenient hydropower dams in the mountains. This keeps the city's carbon emissions low, despite the fact that hydropower dams cause significant environmental damage on their own.

Fifth, beauty: Vancouver has the good fortune of the constant reminder of what is worth protecting and what is worth saving. Just outside the city is the Strait of Georgia and the Mountains. This beauty inspires, beautifies the city and gives a constant reminder of the beauty of the environment.

Finally, the flashy new centerpiece: the Olympic Village. The new Olympic Village at Southest False Creek draws together green-building innovations, experiments in neighbourhood design and a blocky structure that looks more like Amsterdam architecture. It draws lots of Olympic-related media coverage, but its cost and shrinking affordable-housing goals are a negative.

Overall, Vancouver will have the same advantages and challenges it had before the Olympics. However, it will still be a city worth watching for anyone interested in figuring out ecologically sustainable urbanism. To read the full article, click the title.

For some more interesting articles from Grist, see below.

Rather Interesting Ask Umbra Articles about Recycling Lightbulbs & Political Activism

The Weird Weather and its Relation to Global Warming

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