On June 2, 2017, the City of Vancouver received an award for Leadership in Sustainable Infrastructure from the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers.
In 2010, the City of Vancouver adopted an ambitious plan to become the greenest city in the world by 2020. Since adopting it, Vancouver has become recognized internationally for its leadership in sustainable actions. Behind the scenes, these ambitious green goals are aligned with social and economic goals as laid out in a Healthy City Strategy and Economic Strategy.
The Greenest City Action Plan was developed through an extensive engagement process, and sets out strategic actions in ten goal areas, several of which are "owned" by Vancouver’s Engineering department - including Green Transportation, Zero Waste, and Water Conservation. This means that Engineering Services is not only key to meeting the targets, but that they are responsible for helping to reach them. Importantly, they proactively report back on progress toward meeting all goals each spring.
The City has made big progress toward creating a more sustainable future, from reimagining the future of waste, capturing landfill gas for reuse, reaching its 2020 transportation goals 5 years in advance, creating vibrant public spaces, and building them all in a sustainable way – from having the largest elective vehicle fleet in Canada to using recycled materials in their warm mix asphalt.
The City of Vancouver has been a strong leader in how infrastructure can be built not only in an economically and environmental sustainable way, but to foster social and green behaviours that will last for the long-term.
