Parcel 20 Year Plan Energy Water Management Strategy › urbanstudio2002 › pdf › auto oriented... · C. URBAN INFRASTRUTURE ~ SURREY UBC URBAN STUDIO, FALL 2002 TWO NEIGHBOURHOOD

C. URBAN INFRASTRUTURE ~ SURREY

UBC URBAN STUDIO, FALL 2002TWO NEIGHBOURHOOD PATTERNS ISSUE-BASED CHARRETTE 1

Waste• Reduce, reuse, recycle• Separation of waste

including household,construction,sewage/greywater

• Mulching, compostinggreen waste

Water: Potable and ‘Waste’• Grey water separation, storage and reuse• Low flow appliances and systems• Tax incentives for retrofits of existing systems• All new bldg must be designed with water

conservation in mind• Residential metering of water• Block-pricing for potable water• Sanitary systems to use grey water

Water Management Strategy• Rain barrel and cistern storm-

water/rainwater and grey waterstorage

• Grey water recycling for irrigation• Drought resistant landscaping• Vegetated/mulch-filled swales for

on site retention of stormwater andground water recharge, with taxincentives /non-compliancepenalties

• Increase tree cover to regulatetemperature and managestormwater

Energy• Tax incentives for retrofit of current

energy consuming appliances• Utilize energy options such as ‘Power

smart’ appliances• Utilize alternative energy options such

as heat pumps, solar panels, windgenerators

• New construction with mandatoryBMPs, including orientation, bldgmaterials and structural design,insulation, alternative energy, doubleenvelope, green architecture (green-roof), tree planting, permeable paving,dry well runoff storage systems,berms, curb-less lot/street connection

• Increase density to reduceinfrastructure costs per capita

Parcel ~ 20 Year PlanGoals:

• Retain stormwater onsite

• Reduce water andenergy consumption

• Autonomous energyproduction

• Increase density fromsingle family to multi-family.

Moffat 2001



Parcel ~ Surrey 20+ Year Plan

Eliminate pesticides, herbicides,non-organic fertilizers fromresidential gardens

Increase tree coverto regulatetemperature andmanage stormwater.Fruit trees could beplanted as a foodsource

Goals:• Further increase density

by rezoning to allowother housing types

• Tax incentives forretrofits to best availabletechnologies, such asgreen roofs, compostingtoilets, and alternativeenergy production

• Local energy generationusing alternate methodssuch as methane, fuelcells, solar panels, wind,water weirs

Moffat, 2001Moffat, 2001



Block Level ~ 20 Year Plan

Solar Street Lights

Vegetated islands in cul-de-sacprovide permeability, slow trafficand beautify neighbourhood.Maintained by neighbourhoodvoluntary association.

Community recycling depot, transferstation, community attic. Sorted andcompacted recycled materials are sentdirectly to users from neighbourhoods,providing limited neighbourhoodemployment. Also contains a commondrainage depression.

All new development will usegreen infrastructure, permeablesurfaces, solar orientation, solarpower, narrow streets, roadsideswales, and provide walkability.

Re-zoned for multi-familydwellings, many houses havebeen subdivided, some addingadditional side or back of housegarages.

Black water is taken viagravity and pumps usingexisting infrastructure toconstructed marshlands fortreatment. The marshprovides sewage treatment,a water amenity and habitat.

Goals:

• Decrease impervioussurfaces.

• Localise sorting of waste

Tax Incentives to digbackyard swales,reducing run off. Cityno longer collectsgreen waste, mulchtrenches are dug.

Tax incentives forpermeable drivewaysand trees for shade.

Moffat, 2001



Block Level ~ 20+ Year PlanIn-fill and subdivision begins,providing mixed housing andincreased density. Greeninfrastructure and BMPmandatory for all newconstruction to reduce use ofmunicipal infrastructure.

Increased density makeslocal sewage treatmentthrough a bioponicgreenhouse possible. Thegreenhouse also producesbedding plants forneighbourhood and limitedlocal employment. Thesystem serves roughly 50households, costs $200,000to install and $10,000 a yearto run. Reclaimed water ispumped to local geo-thermalplant for recirculation.

Increased density alsoallows geo-thermal plant tobe installed to providecentralised heat and hotwater for the neighbourhood.

All new development willrequire mixed housing,lanes and small setbacks.The developments must belargely self contained forsewage, waste, stormwater retention, recyclingcollection, and powergeneration for localservices.

Goals:

• Decrease outputs tosewage system

• Increase local selfsufficiency with greeninfrastructure

• Close theneighbourhood systemas much as possible

Local bio-ponicgreenhouseprovides enough bio-gasenergy to drive thepumpingof reclaimed water for theneighbourhood to and fromthe geothermal plant.

Moffat, 2001



Corridor ~ 20 Year PlanGoals

• Reduce impervious surfaces.• Narrow street widths.• Increase vegetative mass

along roadways.• Redesign cul-de-sacs as

detention basins withvegetation

Plant street trees. The increase in vegetative mass along streets toencourage evapo-transpiration andcanopy interception of precipitation.These simple processes helpdecrease the amount of runoff.

Trees shelter homes from wind,sunshine and rain. They help toregulate temperature.

New housing developmentsmust use pervious roadmaterials, construct roads withnarrow widths, use lanes toaccess homes, and integratestormwater measures in thestreet drainage systems.

Re-design cul-de-sacs to act asmulch depositories, stormwaterdetention basins and sites forgroundwater recharge. The addedvegetation would improve thestreets’ appearance.

Narrow street widths to 2 lanesand remove street curbs.Released land can be trenchedand used as a depository formulch, planting and stormwaterdetention. Mulch can absorb 75-80% of its volume in water.

Current Projected

Areas next to riparianbuffers need to be protectedwith setbacks enforced.Native shrubs and treesshould be planted where theriparian buffer has beencompromised.



Corridor ~ 20 + Year Plan Goals:

• Reduce the amount ofimpervious road surface.

• Increase connectivity of roadsystem.

• Connect cul-de-sacs with roadsystem.

• Take advantage of naturaltransportation systems.

Connect cul-de-sacs withroad network. Releasedland can be used forrecreation, composting,groundwater recharge orconstructed ponds.Housing lots released by

pushing through cul-de-sacscan be used for low-riseapartment complexes,townhouses, or serve asneighbourhood recyclingdepots and transfer stations.

Replace asphalt road surfaceswith permeable materials. Thiswould greatly aid in groundwaterrecharge and consequentlyreduce runoff.

Daylight streams and plant withtrees and shrubs in ripariancorridors. Small turbines can beplaced in the streams’ flows togenerate electricity.

Areas beneath roadsurfaces can be re-designed. It is possible toincrementally installsubterranean chambers thatcould be used for waterstorage, water detention, andground water recharge. Re-cycled construction wasteand rubble could also bedeposited to help with waterinfiltration.

Moffat, 2001

Moffat, 2001



• Create public amenities from stormwatermanagement ponds, constructed wetlands andsewage treatment marshes using brown-fieldsand floodplain sites.

• Institute policies providing incentives toincorporate ongoing technological changes

• Recyclable materials shipped to users of theresource

• Non-recyclable waste and hazardous waste tosub-district depot locations and transfer tocentral landfill. Reduce, reuse, recycle

• Take advantage of natural systems for energyproduction, ie tidal, wind and river flow

• Separation of waste including household,construction, sewage/greywater

• Mulching, composting green waste• Incentives for retrofits of existing systems• All new building must be designed with water

conservation in mind• Residential metering of water• Block-pricing for potable water• Sanitary systems to use grey water• Long-term sewage treatment on a parcel and

block level with composting toilets and grey-water recycling

• Potable water from existing sources at regionallevel, augmented by local supply, eg. aquifers,reclaimed water dependant upon technology

• Energy produced where possible at local levelsfrom a variety of technologies, including bio-ponics, hydro/tidal, solar, landfill methanecapture, industrial waste heat, with surplusdemand supplied by existing regional districtlevel power grid

• Waste sorted on site as much as possible• Green waste to remain on site

District to 100 YearsGoals

• Decentralisation ofinfrastructure based on asub-district model.

• Treatment of sewerage atparcel and neighbourhoodfacilities.

• Reduction of overall lengthof infrastructure.

Moffat2001

Moffat 2001



Surrey Urban Infrastructure Group Report

The group addressed the provision of services traditionally delivered bymunicipal or regional infrastructure. Surrey’s municipal systems were examined withthe goal of providing a more sustainable infrastructure model through the principle ofdecentralisation. Households will reduce their draw on municipal energy, water, andwaste treatment systems through autonomous energy production, eliminating parcelrun-off, recycling grey water and taking responsibility for compostable waste. Themajority of change over the next 20 years will take place at this parcel level. Oncehousehold demand on systems is substantially reduced, the creation of block orneighbourhood infrastructure becomes possible. The group explored the local provisionof sewage treatment, hot water, storm-water retention and heating. Questionsremained about available technology for the local provision of reclaimed potable water,though this is seen as a possibility in a longer-term vision. At the corridor level thegroup demonstrated the possibility of decreasing impervious surfaces, both throughdifferent choices in road surfaces and vegetating land reclaimed when cul-de-sacs areconverted to through-streets. The corridor changes also provide the opportunity to addlocal cisterns for water retention or for sewage treatment and use non-recyclableconstruction waste for roadbeds. Street re-design and stream re-creation increaseneighbourhood connectivity, making possible a reduction in energy spent in transit.

District-level action is minimized, providing mostly policies such as incentivesfor households and developers to use best available technology for new construction orretro-fits, and accept responsibility for consumption and waste. Some physicaldependence on the district level did remain as a central collection point for hazardouswaste and recyclables which are collected in volume before being shipped abroad.There was much debate as to how much dependence would remain on existingmunicipal systems. Potable water during dry times and energy during peak times werethe dominant concerns. The ability of a neighbourhood to become a truly closed systemseemed somewhat beyond reach. The group is uncertain both of technology and offuture consumption levels.

The group strongly supports the premise that source or local responsibility forthe prevention, recycling and processing of waste will be the route to sustainability.Smaller, greener and more flexible infrastructure is generally less expensive to installand maintain. We are assuming a period of transition while the current systems areserviceable, working towards a complete break at the time these systems would requiremassive repair. The reduced cost and limited environmental impact are two aspects ofthe proposed systems’ sustainability. Some, such as bio-ponic greenhouses or sewagetreatment marshes are also productive, providing bedding plants, on-land fish farming,educational and research opportunity, and public amenities to increase communityconnection and even to increase land value. Such infrastructure also provides somelocal employment, helping to address the jobs/housing balance.

Difficulties & Contradictions:Definition of Terms: Forexample, what is a ‘district’ forsustainable urban infra-structure? The smallestwatershed? Growth areas? Allof Surrey?

Imagining the Future:Are we projecting todayscomsumption levels? How willindividual comsumptionchange? How will technolgychange our lives?Governance and PublicAcceptance:Will a plan heavily reliant onindividual and householdaction succeed? Will localgovernments be willing to riskre-election and imposeunpopular initiatives such asblock pricing for water or thenon-collection of green waste?The group did not feel peoplewould simply “do the rightthing.” The group wasconsistantly amazed by thereadily available technolgy, sothis is not the problem. Theproblem is political will andpublic acceptance. Aparadigm shift is required forany of these to be possible.We found no answers for that.The Informal Economy:What will happen when thecurrently informal system of“rag-picking” with recycledgoods is institutionalised?



Moffatt, Sebastian. City Green: A Guide to Green Infrastructure for Canadian Municipalities. Vancouver: Sheltair Group, 2001.

City of Surrey. 2001-2010 Servicing Plan. Surrey: Department of Engineering, 2001.

City of Surrey. OCP. Surrey: Planning Department, 2000.

Bibliography

Documents

Parcel 20 Year Plan Energy Water Management Strategy › urbanstudio2002 › pdf › auto oriented... · C. URBAN INFRASTRUTURE ~ SURREY UBC URBAN STUDIO, FALL 2002 TWO NEIGHBOURHOOD