SUSTAINABILITY
Urban design contributes to a sustainable future by helping communities and nature coexist. At Placemark, we foster harmony between ecosystems and people through three Sustainability Directives: working with nature, supporting local lifestyles, and living lightly.
Chapter 1
WORKING WITH NATURE
CONSERVE ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY
Identify and protect both significant and sensitive terrestrial and aquatic habitats.​
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Design an interconnected network of wildlife corridors to secure habitat and ensure functional ecology at a landscape scale.
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Minimize future disturbance of natural systems through comprehensive master-planning.
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Promote stewardship of natural systems through interpretive programs and outdoor educational opportunities in cooperation with local stakeholder groups.
Chapter 2
SUPPORTING LOCAL LIFESTYLE
FOSTER A VIBRANT + DIVERSE COMMUNITY
Accommodate a range of lifestyles and life stages.
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Provide a variety of housing choices, from duplexes and row houses to village apartments to ridge-top estates.
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Plan for “aging in place” through a variety of housing choices and encouraging the “Safer Home” standards in response to a maturing population.
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Promote a variety of housing tenures (i.e. fee simple, strata ownership, and purpose-built rental market, affordable and non-market rental).
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Provide a range of amenities for all age groups through the neighbourhood.
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Provide affordable new homes for first-time buyers.
Chapter 3
LIVING LIGHTLY
DESIGN COMPACT, WALKABLE NEIGHBOURHOODS
Create a sense of place within each neighbourhood.
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Provide a coherent neighbourhood pattern of streets + pathways with a variety of home & lot sizes.
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Design streets for people and create an enjoyable pedestrian environment.
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Encourage walking through the incorporation of amenities & parks within a 5-minute walking distance of each home.
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Promote neighbourhood safety by designing homes that address the public realm with “eyes on the street.”