Shawn Dalton PhD

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• Shawn Dalton PhD
• Director
• Neighbourhood Design in a Changing Climate
• The UNB Woodlot as a Potential Case Study in New
  Technologies

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A simple fact with profound implicationsHuman
wants and needs are the keydrivers of ecosystem
change
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Sustainable development is development that
meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs.World Commission on
Environment and Development(Brundtland
Commission), 1987
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• WANTS become NEEDS
• New WANTS become new NEEDS

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We need to consider several levels of geography

• Landscape
• Site
• Parcel
• Building

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Sustainable Community Design Applications in
New Brunswick

• Slides provided by
• Daniel Savard, NB Dept. of the Environment

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Sustainable Communities Planning for healthy,
livable communities in New Brunswick
Ministère de lEnvironnement
Department of Environment
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What is a Sustainable Community?
a community that meets the present and future
social, economic and environmental needs of
todays citizens without compromising the
natural environment and the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.
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What are the Characteristics of a Sustainable
Community?

• good quality of life (livable, healthy and safe)
• population within the carrying capacity of its
  environment
• able to supply basic needs for its citizens
  (clean air, clean water, responsible land use,
  employment opportunities)
• sense of belonging to the community
• participation and stewardship
• strong economy
• effective governance

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From Conventional to Conservation
Generic Model
Site
Adaptation from sketches presented in
Conservation design for subdivisions, R. Arendt,
1996.
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From Conventional to Conservation
Generic Model
Wetland
1. Environmental constraints
Adaptation from sketches presented in
Conservation design for subdivisions, R. Arendt,
1996.
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From Conventional to Conservation
Only environmental constraints considered
Generic Model
Conventional Subdivision
Adaptation from sketches presented in
Conservation design for subdivisions, R. Arendt,
1996.
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From Conventional to Conservation
Views
Generic Model
Cultural site
Field / Meadow
Views
Mature trees
2. Significant features
Adaptation from sketches presented in
Conservation design for subdivisions, R. Arendt,
1996.
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From Conventional to Conservation
Generic Model
Conservation Area
PDA
3. Potential Development Area
Adaptation from sketches presented in
Conservation design for subdivisions, R. Arendt,
1996.
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From Conventional to Conservation
Generic model
From this
To this
Adaptation from sketches presented in
Conservation design for subdivisions, R. Arendt,
1996.
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From Conventional to Conservation
Generic model
Same number of units
Adaptation from sketches presented in
Conservation design for subdivisions, R. Arendt,
1996.
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Site and Parcel Design
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Low impact development

• Low Impact Development (LID) is an innovative
  stormwater management approach with a basic
  principle that is modeled after nature manage
  rainfall at the source using uniformly
  distributed decentralized micro-scale controls.
  LID's goal is to mimic a site's predevelopment
  hydrology by using design techniques that
  infiltrate, filter, store, evaporate, and detain
  runoff close to its source.

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Advantages of LID techniques?

• LID has numerous benefits and advantages over
  conventional stormwater management approaches it
  is a more environmentally sound technology and a
  more economically sustainable approach to
  addressing the adverse impacts of urbanization.

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Five basic tools of LID

• encourage conservation measures
• promote impact minimization techniques such as
  impervious surface reduction
• provide for strategic runoff timing by slowing
  flow using the landscape
• use an array of integrated management practices
  to reduce and cleanse runoff
• advocate pollution prevention measures to reduce
  the introduction of pollutants to the environment
  

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(Green) Building Design
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What is green building?

• Green building is the practice of increasing the
  efficiency with which buildings and their sites
  use and harvest energy, water, and materials, and
  reducing building impacts on human health and the
  environment, through better siting, design,
  construction, operation, maintenance, and removal
  the complete building life cycle.

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Example construction
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Example gray water system
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Examples images
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Principles of green building

• Siting
• Energy efficiency and renewable energy resources
• Environmental impact
• Resource conservation
• Indoor air quality
• Community issues

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Benefits of green building

• Human health and well-being
• Energy efficiency (i.e. climate change
  mitigation)
• Reduced resource use
• Cost-effective

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Bringing these Tools to UNB
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Woodlot Historical Context

• Land was endowed as a long-term resource to
  support the University through revenue generation
  

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Woodlot Historic Evolution
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UNB will no longer sell land
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Significant Features
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Whats next?

• Sustainable Development Advisory Committee
  formed includes faculty members from FOREM and
  Biology (to date)
• Create Sustainable Development principles that
  can be used as guidelines for Properties
  Committee decision-making
• Create a mixed-use neighbourhood that
  incorporates the best technology available, and
  works with the landscape rather than against it
• Consider the needs of future generations who will
  be living in this neighbourhood in a changed
  climate
• Work with Properties Committee to create
  solutions that are mutually beneficial

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Unique Opportunity

• UNB is going to build a neighbourhood that people
  will be living in 50-100 years from now, in a
  full climate change scenario
• This neighbourhood can be a national model for
  resilient and sustainable neighbourhood
  development
• UNB has the intellectual capacity, research
  skills, and opportunity to provide local,
  regional, national, and international leadership
  in sustainable development

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Why do we care?