Economic Sustainability
Economic sustainability is the ability of an economy to maintain long-term growth and prosperity while preserving natural resources and minimizing negative impacts on society.
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State of Our Cities Report & National Convening
Brings together leaders from all sectors to identify priorities, focus on charting the right course to address key urban challenges and strengthen Canada’s capacity to deliver wealth, opportunity, and environmental sustainability.
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32nd Annual Emerald Awards
Sponsors the Infrastructure Award, recognizing projects and initiatives that demonstrate environmental advancements in the ways we design, build, and travel.
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Enabling Housing Choice through Policy Refinement, Integration & Collaboration
Many rural Alberta communities have a critical shortage of housing options but building housing in these communities is a huge challenge. Without adequate housing of all types, many small communities cannot retain youth, attract new businesses, workers, and residents, or prevent homelessness. This negatively impacts communities’ ability to grow and prosper. Yet new housing development is continually hampered by inadequate, outdated, or just plain poor municipal policies. This happens in part because small municipalities usually rely on outside contractors to create their policies, and in part because councils lack the capacity and knowledge to accurately understand the big picture for their community. This creates a confusing, fractured policy system, and huge delays for development which severely limit the growth and availability of local housing stock.
ResourcePaths for Housing Co-operatives
The goal of this project is to support the creation of sustainable, efficient, and resilient housing co-ops in Alberta. Despite minimal growth of new housing co-operatives in Alberta, a co-op model can effectively engage tenant-members in making decisions that provide affordable options, a range of community benefits, and be good stewards of the housing stock.
ResourceCivic Commons Catalyst 2021: Strategic Interventions Briefing Report
In 2020, the Center for Civilization at the University of Calgary School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape (SAPL) and Evergreen laid the foundations of the Civic Commons Catalyst (i.e. “The Catalyst”)—an interdisciplinary research and innovation platform embedded with SAPL’s City Building Design Lab (CBDLab).
ResourceHealthy Homes & Healthy Communities Toolkit
The COVID-19 pandemic and related public health have drawn people’s attention to how critically important their homes, neighbourhoods, and communities are to their health. Public health works proactively to create the conditions for long-term recovery by focusing not only on the disease but on promoting the health of people. Healthy people are the foundation of a healthy economy.
ResourceResources to Enhance Rural Properties
Rural properties benefit from woodlots and shelterbelts (eco-buffers) by reducing possible forest fire risks, reducing soil erosion and wind impacts on buildings, and enhances overall aesthetics. Proper woodlot management ensures the health of forested lands and increases the value of the land.
NewsPlanning for a Sustainable Economic Future in Pincher Creek
The Waterton Complex, a natural gas production and processing facility located in rural southwest Alberta, has been a major driver of the economy of Pincher Creek and the surrounding region for over 60 years. Through direct, indirect, and induced employment, as well as the procurement of goods and services and payment of taxes, the development and ongoing operation of the Waterton Complex has generated and continues to generate significant economic value in local and regional communities. The income created by the Waterton Complex enables municipalities to provide infrastructure and other services, reduces the property tax burden for other ratepayers, and supports many families and businesses.
ResourceCommunity Guide to the Planning Process
The Federation of Calgary Communities completed a rewrite of their resource Guide to the Planning Process, and developed additional tools to assist residents, community associations, and other nonprofits as they learn to navigate the new planning processes in Calgary.
ResourceAutonomous Vehicles, Parking & the Real Estate Sector
The goal of this project is to quantify the amount and value of the land that could be released for other uses, as well as the potential foregone capital and operating costs of providing and maintaining parking infrastructure. This new research report explores how Canada’s personal mobility systems are poised to be radically transformed by the convergence of four disruptive technology and business model innovations: vehicle automation, connectivity, electrification, and car sharing.
NewsCommunity Energy Plans drive economic development, cut energy costs, reduce emissions and create jobs
The Foundation is involved in the Community Energy Planning Getting to Implementation in Canada (GTI) Initiative. GTI is a multi-year national initiative that is empowering communities to take a leading role on energy, including innovative energy projects such as renewable electricity, district energy, biomass, landfill gas capture, clean transportation, electric vehicles and others.
ResourceSocio-Economic Impact Assessment of the Shell Waterton Complex
Often, when a major industry or employer leaves a community, it tends to happen rather suddenly: recall when General Motors announced in November 2018 that it would close its Oshawa assembly plant by the end of 2019, putting nearly 3,000 people of out of work. In contrast, by announcing the potential closure of the Waterton Complex years in advance, Shell has given our community a unique opportunity to proactively plan for our future.