Simon Fraser University, Vancity, Dunefield Consulting and Parallel 52° have hosted a symposium in Vancouver on the importance of investing in the sustainability of existing communities. Our international speakers shared Canadian and Dutch perspectives on successful sustainable neighbourhood transformation.

International Eco-Cities Initiative
The symposium is part of - and builds upon the research of - the International Eco-Cities Initiative. This initiative is a multi-national network that undertakes research into contemporary urban sustainability and related governance and innovation issues, and performs comparative analyses of diverse eco-city initiatives in various national and cultural contexts.

Speakers
Our speakers included: Mark Roseland (Director of SFU CSCD and Professor SFU Resource and Environmental Management), John Dagevos (Senior Researcher at Telos, Brabant Centre for Sustainable Development), Peter Whitelaw (Planning Specialist at Anura Consulting) and - by video presentation - Simon Joss (Professor at University of Westminster and Co-Director International Eco-Cities Initiative).

Panel and Contributors
The event greatly benefited from the contributions of: Lise Townsend (Ecosystem Planner at City of Burnaby), Dale Mikkelsen (Director of Development UniverCity), Bryn Sadownik (Program Manager, Evaluation & Community Impact at Vancity) and Johannes Vervloed (Consul General of the Netherlands in Vancouver).

Keynote Address
John Dagevos gave his keynote presentation on the 2014 sustainability assessment of all 403 Dutch municipalities, based on 90 indicators and performed by Telos. He stressed the importance of acknowledging the characteristics of communities in interpreting the performances, as sustainability is highly dependant on the size, location and maturity of cities.
Response Presentation
Peter Whitelaw delivered his response and described a current project to apply a comprehensive assessment framework to Metro Vancouver communities, conducted in close collaboration with Simon Fraser University. The methodology distinguishes 6 types of capital that determine sustainability performance and provides valuable insight in a community’s strengths and weaknesses.

Discussion
The audience consisted of 25 thought leaders and decision makers from Metro Vancouver municipalities, universities, developers and research centres. Mark Roseland moderated a lively discussion between the panelists and audience on the importance of sustainable neighbourhood transformation and the necessity of reliable metrics to better understand performance and progress.

Location
The symposium was held at the Flack Block, West Hastings Street, Vancouver. Built around 1899 by Thomas Flack, this building is at the Northeast corner of Cambie and Hastings, and one of Vancouver's most important turn-of-the-century buildings in the Woodward's Block. The building has recently undergone a complete restoration, with new retail frontages recreated to match the 1900 original.

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