| OCR Text |
Show 3 opportunities. Linked to this course of action is the need to continue to build capacity across the region to promote global competiveness. Natural environment and energy This committee developed three courses of action for the natural environment and for energy. For the environment, the first is ecocentric, or the preservation of the most sensitive environmental land; this matches with the emphasis on preservation in "preserve". The second is human-nature connection, or bringing more environmental and open space opportunities to existing developed areas; this fits with the redevelopment and infill emphasis of "reinvest". The third is green development, which focuses on applying conservation design and similar techniques where new development does occur; this is consistent with "innovate". In the area of the natural environment, potential courses of action for inclusion in scenarios could be: Ecocentric ("preserve"). This course of action seeks to preserve and restore functioning ecosystems. It includes major purchases of land for environmental preservation, and restoration of ecosystems in the most viable areas. It also includes constraining the alignments of transportation facilities to avoid impacts on environmentally sensitive land. Human-nature connection ("reinvest"). This course of action seeks to maximize the accessibility of open space and environmental amenities to residents, particularly existing developed areas. It targets open space acquisition and restoration efforts to urban sites ("greenfill") and also increases the accessibility of existing parks and open space. River restoration is targeted toward urban sites with a goal of improving recreation on waterways. Additionally, this course of action targets water and energy conservation to older developments through retrofitting. Green development ("innovate"). This course of action seeks to minimize the impact of new development, while accepting that new development will occur by 2040. It includes increased use of conservation design, development restrictions in environmentally-sensitive corridors (as identified through Green Infrastructure Vision and water supply study) and cutting-edge stormwater BMPs and wastewater land application techniques. It also relies on alternative energy sources. Individual action (not assigned to a specific scenario). This course of action includes increased general awareness and interest by individual residents of the environmental consequences of their actions. In the area of energy, potential courses of action for inclusion in scenarios could be: Building efficiency ("preserve"). This course of action seeks to reduce energy consumption by making residential and commercial buildings more efficient. It includes retrofits of older buildings to increase their energy-efficiency, appliance replacement, other small-scale improvements. Transportation and land use efficiency ("reinvest"). This course of action seeks to reduce energy consumption by creating a more efficient, transit-oriented development based land use pattern, as well as infrastructure improvements to support this. |
