[getsmart-l] FYI - Smart move

[Janet May]

Toronto Sun
Smart move
Make your next neighbourhood a sustainable one 
By Mark Salerno
January 18-20, 2008
http://www.torontosun.com/NewHomesandCondos/2008/01/18/4781175-sun.html

  
When it comes to choosing your next home, one of the biggest questions
you'll have to answer is where you want to live. Whether you choose an old
or new development, an urban or suburban area, the neighbourhood you live in
will affect your quality of life and what impact you have on the environment
for years to come. 

As you weigh the advantages and disadvantages that different neighbourhoods
have to offer, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has a
number of tips on what to look for in a sustainable neighbourhood. A
sustainable community is one that meets your needs while protecting the
environment and leaving an affordable legacy. In a sustainable community,
homes are located near shops, schools, recreation, work and other daily
destinations, and these places are a pleasant, convenient and safe walk,
cycle or bus ride from home. 

MANY BENEFITS 

Half of the greenhouse gases from energy use by Canadian households come
from passenger road transportation such as cars. Cars are also a major
source of smog in urban areas. 

A sustainable community is designed to reduce the environmental impact of
automobile use and, at the same time, save you driving costs. In fact, the
average annual cost to own and operate a car in Canada is over $9,000. If
you can eliminate the need for a second car, drive less or avoid having a
car at all, that's money in your pocket. Also, driving less can have a
positive impact on people's health, particularly children, the elderly and
people who are at risk for cardio-respiratory problems. As well, walking and
cycling improves your physical health. In fact, people who live in
sustainable neighbourhoods are 2.4 times more likely to meet the
30-minutes-a-day minimum exercise recommended by the Heart and Stroke
Foundation compared to those whose homes are not a convenient walk to stores
and services. 

Finally, the environment benefits in a sustainable community because land
and services, like roads, are used efficiently, in such a way that natural
and rural areas outside your community are preserved for farming, wildlife
and recreation. 

A good example of a suburban community that has been designed with
sustainability in mind is Cornell Village in Markham, Ontario. Here,
approximately half of the land has been preserved as permanent open space,
with much of that comprising a perimeter park along the adjacent Rouge River
Valley. The remaining property has been divided into distinct neighbourhoods
along a coherent transit route so that every resident will be within a
five-minute walk of retail and a bus stop. 

The Cornell plan is organized along a boulevard that ties a high-density
downtown with the neighbourhoods to the north. Each neighbourhood contains a
full range of housing stock, from apartments to townhouses to
single-detached homes. Parks are interspersed throughout, schools are evenly
distributed and all of the significant woodlots, waterways and historic home
sites on the property have been preserved. 

FRIENDLY, SAFE AND AFFORDABLE 

In a sustainable community, streets are for people, not just for cars -
similar to a village. The human scale of the streets and slower traffic
speeds make these safe, comfortable and pleasant places to walk. A mix of
homes, shops and offices present a friendly face to the street and keep the
neighbourhood active throughout the day and evening. Neighbours can look out
for each other and meet up on front porches or at a nearby park. Homes close
to the sidewalk with porches and windows out front allow everyone to keep an
eye on the street, and children can play safely. 

However, a neighbourhood is only sustainable if you can find a home that
meets your needs at a price you can afford, which is why a sustainable
community features a variety of affordable housing choices. Options ranging
from apartments and condos to townhomes, duplexes and semi- or
single-detached houses create a neighbourhood you can stay in throughout
life's stages. As your age, family structure and income change, you can
still find a suitable home in the place where you have put down roots. 

GROWING DEMAND 

Old or new, sustainable neighbourhoods are places where you and your family
can find not just a home to live in but a community to thrive in. Work is
underway at local, provincial and national levels to adapt existing
communities and create new ones to maximize the positive features of a
sustainable neighbourhood. By becoming knowledgeable and asking for
neighbourhoods that contain more of these features, consumers can play an
important role in creating demand for a more sustainable society. At the
same time, you can benefit from being in a neighbourhood that is livable,
convenient, and aesthetically pleasing. To help you learn more about
sustainable communities, CMHC has a free About Your House fact sheet called
Your Next Move - Choosing a Neighbourhood with Sustainable Features. To
order your copy, call our toll-free number 1-800-668-2642 or visit us online
at www.cmhc.ca. 

Mark Salerno is district manager for the Greater Toronto Area at the Canada
Mortgage and Housing Corporation. You can reach him at 416-218-3479 or email
him at msalerno at cmhc.ca. 

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY FACTORS 


To determine whether your next neighbourhood promotes sustainability, ask
yourself a few simple questions: 


Can I use my car less or not at all? 


Can I save money by living here? 


Could I stay in the neighbourhood if my housing needs change? 


Is it easy to get to know my neighbours and local shopkeepers? 


Is it a safe, pleasant place to walk? 


Have natural areas in the neighbourhood been preserved? 


Is land used efficiently? 

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