Sustainable Development

“Development that meets the needs of the present without

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own

needs “ ~Bruntland Commission~

How do we live “sustainably”?

Imagine all the money you have to live on is currently in your bank account in the amount of 500k. The only way you can not spend any of this capital is to live off the interest. If you can’t live within the means of the interest, your capital will dwindle and you will have less and less to live on as well as to pass on to future generations.

To do this, you may adopt some saving/expenditure principles such as:

only invest in secure financial instruments

need to have interest paid monthly to have a cash flow

need to shop around for best rates on secure instruments

learn from experience of others

seek expert advice

Let’s look at it in terms of Money…

Just as individuals have capital, so do communities as expressed in terms

of environment, social, and economic assets.

More recently, the notion of culture as part of a community’s assets has been proposed and adopted by some

communities.

Moving Towards a More Sustainable Future

A community needs to understand what assets they have and which of those assets are important for the community to see preserved and enhanced for future generations.

What is needed:

• long term community vision

• vision needs to be developed from the ground up

• It requires political support but not be politically imposed

“In every deliberation, we must consider the

impact on the seventh generation~Great Law of the Iroquois

Successful Sustainability

In the same way that an individual has to set parameters to live within their means in order to not expend their capital, so does a community have to establish some guides to ensure its ability to

meet its needs without compromise for future generations.

To be successful, the community has to adopt a process to ensure success. The adoption of a set of principles helps to develop the thought process required to guide the thinking of decision makers

within government, business, and the community at large and helps to develop a strategic framework for action.

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Bike Paths “Example”SUSTAIN

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Active Transportation needs… Identification in the municipal budget

Identification of bike corridors in Official Plan

Identification of opportunities (ex. Uptown core)

Tourism development fee to help fund program

Tie in with local businesses (ex. Bed and breakfasts, local bike shop)

Coordinate with the District Active Transportation Plan

Showers in new buildings for employees

Trail network with bike friendly sections

Bike racks/ bike parking requirements in ZBL

Bike rentals

Mapping routes and identify amenities (ex water fountains and bike parking)

Active Transportation infrastructure needs…

Public Bike Racks

Bike Lanes

Bike Rentals

Signs

Implementation Raise Awareness and Seek political and

community buy in• Present to Council (Budget considerations )

• Get Staff involved

• Get community involved (public process)

Create public process to create the long term vision

Marketing and education program

Eventually integrate into all plans and Town documents (ex. O.P., by-laws)