Resource Library

This report assesses the equity impacts of the City of Vernon's shared e-scooter program. It reviews North American policies and evaluates local data to determine the program's effectiveness in serving underserved communities. Findings show that trips are more frequent in equity-seeking neighbourhoods with better walking and transit accessibility. The report concludes with recommendations for enhancing equity, including targeted outreach, joint requirements, and continuous data-driven evaluation.

Partner: City of Vernon  
Funder: City of Vernon  
Keywords: active transportation, equity, diversity, inclusion, transportation 

This project investigates citizen science, or community-based science, as a method for monitoring Canadian mini forests, including those planted in the Fraser Estuary. Monitoring mini forests is important for understanding the impacts of this novel approach to urban greening, including determining the benefits to urban biodiversity, water infiltration, and soil health. The report includes a citizen science monitoring guide, protocol instructions, and monitoring tracking sheets for volunteer use.

Partner: Green Communities Canada
Funder: UBC (Sitka Foundation Grant)
Keywords: biodiversity, climate resilience, green infrastructure 

This project involves the development of a covered building list for the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) to use as a foundation for a proposed energy reporting bylaw requiring existing building owners to report energy usage to RMOW for the purpose of establishing GHG benchmarks and promoting low-energy retrofits. Includes recommendations for making the production of future iterations of covered building lists more accessible, seamless, and efficient.

Partner: Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW)
Funder: BC Hydro
Keywords: climate adaptation, land use planning, low carbon buildings 

This project investigates potential collaborative models for British Columbia to effectively create a clear demand signal for zero-emission maritime fuels. The recommendations outline BC's potential role in the transition to zero-emission maritime fuels, and actions for various stakeholder groups for the short, medium and long term. The ultimate goal of this project is to explore how BC can remain competitive in the global transtion to zero-emissions in the maritime industry.

Partner: C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group
Funder: C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group
Keywords: climate mitigation, sustainable development & green economy, maritime decarbonization

This project aims to improve equitable drinking water access in the City of Vancouver by creating a mathematical model that allows the city to calculate the number of public drinking water fountains required. The index is divided into a location-based and a population-based indicator, striving to indicate areas and locations associated with higher heat risk and propose a need-based index.

Partner: City of Vancouver
Funder: City of Vancouver & UBC
Keywords: climate adaptation, social sustainability, water 

The project examines the impact of in-river gravel mining on flood control and Pacific salmon habitat by assessing how gravel extraction changes riverbed conditions and affects salmon habitat. Based on a literature review, the study aims to enhance flood resilience and sediment management in the Chilliwack/Vedder River while addressing ecological challenges. It examines nature-based solutions, like floodplain rehabilitation, to improve flood resilience and salmon habitat.

Partner: Watershed Watch Salmon Society
Funder: UBC (Sitka Foundation Grant)
Keywords: ecological systems, habitat restoration, flood Management, nature-based solutions

This report aims to enhance the City of New Westminster's Outdoor Cooling Strategy by providing a comprehensive condition assessment of existing drinking water fountains and misting stations, identifying priority neighborhoods for additional cooling infrastructure, and proposing specific locations for new installations and upgrades.

Partner: City of New Westminster
Funder: City of New Westminster
Keywords: climate adaptation, green infrastructure, sustainable development & green economy, water 

This project aims to provide guidance and resources for City of Nelson staff to incorporate sustainability considerations, specifically the reduction of embodied carbon emissions, into its procurement policy and processes. It provides advice on how to get started, then guides users through the pre-purchasing, purchasing, and post-purchasing phases of procurement with checklists and appendices of resources. Finally, it provides advice on adopting a sustainable procurement policy.

Partner: City of Nelson
Funder: UBC (Environment and Climate Change Canada, Pathways Grant)
Keywords: climate mitigation, low carbon buildings, supply chain management & green procurement 

This research represents one of the first steps in identifying workable strategies for reducing embodied carbon emissions (ECE) in new home construction in the City of Kamloops. It examines ECE literacy levels, building material preferences, and perceptions of construction stakeholders in the city regarding ECE reduction practices and potential policies. The report concludes with proposals for advancing the objective of reducing ECE in new residences in the city.

Partner: City of Kamloops
Funder: UBC (Environment and Climate Change Canada, Pathways Grant)
Keywords: climate mitigation, green buildings, low carbon buildings, sustainable development & green economy