Smart Growth on the Ground (SGOG) Overview

Smart Growth on the Ground in Prince George

 
SGOG is a unique program to help BC communities create more sustainable neighbourhood plans using community-specific solutions with the ultimate goal of turning that vision into reality. In Prince George, this project considered climate change and neighbourhood planning issues in the context of the City's downtown. Click here to view the Concept Plan for the Prince George project. 

For additional information about the project, please visit our website www.sgog.bc.ca or contact Project Manager Shana Johnstone at shana@smartgrowth.bc.ca, or Gerald Christi, Long Range Planner at the City of Prince George at gchristie@city.pg.bc.ca

Colliers International Realty Advisors (CIRA) was commissioned by the Real Estate Institute of BC to provide market data for the Smart Growth on the Ground process for the Town of Oliver. CIRA will be providing market opinions on the financial feasibility of development proposals considered during the charette process. These opinions will be based on the research overviews provided on forecasted population growth rates as well as the residential, retail, industrial, agricultural, and office markets in the Town of Oliver. To view the report,  please click here.

The Real Estate Institute of BC , the Design Centre for Sustainability at UBC  and  Smart Growth BC  have joined forces to change the way we do development in BC, by creating Smart Growth on the Ground.

This unique partnership is assisting three communities with the preparation and implementation of neighbourhood plans that are smarter and more sustainable. The intent is to broaden the program to include ten communities over ten years. Smart Growth on the Ground uses inclusive design tools, extensive public consultation, and capacity building that engages the development community. The program helps to achieve more sustainable communities by creating tangible, built examples of smart growth.

In partnership with selected municipalities, the Smart Growth on the Ground team uses a collaborative process to facilitate the creation of a neighbourhood plan, works with the municipality to adopt necessary by-laws, programs and regulatory changes, and assists in the monitoring of initial construction projects. Smart Growth on the Ground projects include both new developments and retrofitted neighbourhoods, but each neighbourhood plan is based upon the Smart Growth on the Ground principles :

• Each community is complete
• Options to the car are emphasized
• Work in harmony with natural systems
• Buildings and infrastructure are greener, smarter, and cheaper
• Housing meets the needs of the whole community
• Good jobs are close to home
• The spirit of each community is honoured
• Everyone has a voice

Smart Growth on the Ground is characterized by several critical components: an inclusive process, an integrated charrette event, practical research, and a focus on implementation.

The process emphasizes meaningful involvement by diverse groups, including: municipal officials and their staffs; community organizations and residents; property and business owners; real estate and development industry professionals; and environmental and social groups. In each municipality, these groups participate in a series of stakeholder workshops, and their representatives are involved in the collaborative “charrette” event.

The intensive charrette event forms the centrepiece of Smart Growth on the Ground, and culminates in the creation of a neighbourhood plan. The Smart Growth on the Ground team facilitates the process, but those who will live with the results make the design and implementation decisions. This ensures that the neighbourhood plan responds to local realities, and encourages ongoing support by local stakeholders who have been involved in its creation.

The implementation of sustainable community design is often hampered by practical realities and unanswered questions about feasibility, marketability, and costs, for example. During the charrette process, real time economic and market analysis ensures the evolving plan is practical. Further, Smart Growth on the Ground includes subsequent research on specific issues raised at the charrette, to overcome any barriers to implementation.

Ultimately, the focus is on the implementation of built examples of sustainability. To that end, the Smart Growth on the Ground team works with the municipality to identify, craft, and adopt all plans, standards, and by-laws that are needed for construction projects to be built according to the neighbourhood plan. The team can also assist in the review of initial phases or construction projects.

For more information please visit: http://www.sgog.bc.ca/