Making Sustainability a Priority
From our earliest days in the 1930s, when British Pacific Properties employed the renowned firm of Olmsted Brothers as landscape architects, we have always made the natural environment a key feature of our neighbourhoods.
Over time, we have become increasingly sophisticated in integrating each development within the topography, watercourses, flora and fauna of its unique location. Residents of Whitby Estates, for example, enjoy access to a wealth of hiking trails that thread their way through the nearby rainforest.
Landscape Architect Ian McHarg
Our development approach has been guided by the principles of sustainability and the “Design with Nature” philosophy of 1960s landscape architect Ian McHarg. McHarg introduced the ‘sieve analysis’ process, which examines an area’s topographical and geotechnical conditions to reveal where development would best ‘fit with the land’ and avoiding areas where it would be inappropriate. We complement this framework with contemporary sustainability principles that call for a diversity of people and housing, pedestrian and cycling-friendly connections, green building and infrastructure, and community facilities and programs.
This integrated planning approach provided the framework for the Rodgers Creek Area Development Plan, which was approved by the District of West Vancouver in 2008.
Complete details may be found at: http://westvancouver.ca/government/bylaws-strategies-reports/strategies-plans/rodgers-creek-neighbourhoods