Rural Revitalization through
Sustainable Community Design

There is a profound urgency for a model of sustainability that enables a rapid reduction in the burning of fossil fuels and remodels how we as humans interact with our environment. Falls Brook Centre has developed a a number of Ecological Design Workshops which examine how rethinking neighbourhood design, zoning, and construction can make real contributions towards reducing air pollution, maintaining wildlife habitat and greenways, and encouraging local food production and consumption.

1) Design Approach

Sustainable Community Design (SCD) is a land-planning approach in which the central principle is the preservation of natural lands and the restoration or maintenance of ecological connectivity between development zones. The combination of SCD with the latest green building and community infrastructure approaches makes feasible the design and construction of neighbourhoods that are pedestrian friendly and are focused on renewable energy, organic agriculture and green living. The goal is to start designing liveable sustainable communities.

Key Question: How can new neighbourhood developments preserve the natural assets of a site and integrate connectivity between homes, food production, employment and recreation without the reliance on fossil fueled transportation?
The extent that New Brunswickers become aware of practical ways to conserve their local landscapes (including fields, woodlands, meadows, hedgerows, riverbanks, and ponds) will depend upon progressive future-minded local policies and ordinances.

Using the case study of over 450 acres of organizational, private lands and potentially 500 ha of proposed nature preserve, Falls Brook Centre is working on a landscape level approach to potential development in our vicinty. Approximately 60 acres of the above mentioned land is proposed for clustered residential development that preserves at least 50% of the buildable area for ecological restoration, organic agriculture & recreation.

Two sites are proposed for the future development. The proponents of the first site are Tegan & Leland Wong-Daugherty who have purchased 49 acres in Knowlesville and are in the process of incorporating the South Knowlesville Community Land Trust as a non-profit entity that will eventually own the land in perpetuity. The second site is on Knowlesville Road and includes 18 acres of Falls Brook Centre land and a portion of land belonging to Jean Arnold. The Falls Brook Centre site was purchased for a potential future site for the community-based environmental organization and may include residential clusters as well.

Following the Sustainable Community Design approach currently being championed by Daniel Savard, a senior planner within the NB Department of Environment, the two sites have undergone preliminary site analysis and development constraint maps developed. Sustainable Community Design is a planning tool for managing development growth and protecting natural areas as a viable alternative to conventional suburban sprawl.

What is Sustainable Community Design
Under sustainable community design, half or more of the buildable area is designated as undivided, permanent open space. The main steps of the conservation design process are as follows:

• Locate primary conservation areas based on environmental constraints (ie. steep slopes,
  watercourses, floodplains)
  
• Identify secondary conservation areas that should be protected. These areas are typically
  not protected by regulation but are nonetheless significant. They could include historical
  or cultural sites, environmentally significant areas and scenic views.
  
• Delineate where development will occur based on the determination of primary and
  secondary conservation areas.
  
• Connect streets and determine lot lines only after selecting the best location for
  residences on the remaining land.

Red, Yellow and Green Conservation Zones

Inventorying site and context offers the opportunity to discuss land-use opportunities for better project planning. Integrating the information from various maps, surveys, inventories and community dialog the Falls Brook Centre team put together a series of conservation maps for each site.

• The red zones represent environmental constraints such as buffer zones around streams and wetlands as well as any area that is not buildable due to steep slope or poor drainage.
  
• The yellow zones represent a wider set of sites that are identified for conservation based on other values such as cultural use, historical significance, views, trails, corridors, etc. These combine to form secondary conservation areas that will not be used directly for housing but may provide garden space, trails, recreation zones and open lands.
• Finally the green areas represent potential residential development zones.

2) Case Studies

Site # 1: South Knowlesville Community Land Trust

• Red, Yellow and Green Conservation Zones Determined based on Site data

• Land Use Concept Developed based on Conservation Zones and overall vision for the neighbourhood

Site # 2: Falls Brook Centre New Site & Neighbourhood

• Red, Yellow and Green Conservation Zones Determined based on Site data

• Land Use Concept Developed based on Conservation Zones and overall vision for the neighbourhood

3) Ecological Design Workshops

Falls Brook Centre has developed a series of ecological design workshops that integrate SCD’s landscape level planning approach with energy conservation-oriented design. The goal of the workshop series is to provide capacity-building opportunities for individuals and communities interested in re-designing their local neighbourhoods to achieve a net-zero energy balance while enriching the social and environmental relationships with the land and between neighbours. To book a workshop in your area, please call Greg at 375-4310 or email greg@fallsbrookcentre.ca

Workshop Series #1:  Designing Communities for a Liveable Future

Sustainable Community Design 1:
SCD 1 provides an introduction to the basic principles of conservation subdivision and sustainable community design, with particular emphasis on the potential benefits of SCD in rural communities.  The workshop will also explore the possibilities that community land trusts provide to maintain connectivity on larger tracts of land.  The South Knowlesville Community Land Trust will be used as a case study. 
SCD1 can be tailored to various audiences to fit an hour to two hour timeframe.

Sustainable Community Design 2:
SCD 2 provides a more in-depth and hands-on training for those interested in applying the concepts of SCD.  This workshop may be of interest to planners, developers, municipal officials, and community leaders.  The basics of sustainable community design will be reviewed, along with other alternative community design and planning models.  A number of case studies from the Maritimes will also be examined.  Hands-on design activities will encourage participants to apply the principles they have learned to real-world examples. 

Workshop Series #2:  Energy Mindfulness, Renewable Energy Generation & Natural Building

Energy Mindfulness 1: 
Energy Mindfulness 1 will examine renewable energy for a conservation-oriented lifestyle.  It provides an overview of renewable energy technologies as well as energy budgeting and economics and simple efficiency and conservation measures.
EM1 can be tailored to various audiences to fit an hour to two hour timeframe.

Energy Mindfulness 2: 
Energy Mindfulness 2 will provide an in-depth hands-on training in building with local, natural materials and using solar electric.  The natural building component will focus on the use of cob and straw as building materials, and will involve participants in the construction of a timberframe home with strawbale infill. EM2 will be offered only at Falls Brook Centre to in order to visit and participate in on the ground projects at or nearby Falls Brook Centre. These workshops are generally full day events.

For more information about the workshops offered or to book a workshop in your area, please call Greg at 375-4310 or email greg@fallsbrookcentre.ca

Support for research and workshops on the topics above came from the following: Artful Acre Design, EcoAction Community Grant, Environmental Trust Fund, Mark Connell, V.W.Trails, and Welwyn Wong Landscape Design.