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Task 3: Clarify Project Potential
Assemble project team
The core team and sustainability coordinator assemble the project team. This team is similar in make-up to one established in a traditional development process. The difference lies in the fact that the sustainable neighbourhood project team is expanded to include more expertise and interests, and is charged with undertaking design in a more collaborative and integrated manner. The sustainability coordinator oversees the work of this team.
The responsibility of the project team is to ensure that the sustainable neighbourhood principles and a sustainable living lens are applied to all planning and design decisions from the outset through to project completion. The project team’s composition and responsibilities will change over time as the project moves through its various stages. It is essential that the project team fully buys into the core team’s commitment to sustainable neighbourhood development and to the application of the SuNliving work plan.
Determine municipal buy-in
It is important that the municipal jurisdiction has also made a commitment to sustainable neighbourhood development and is moving towards integrating sustainable neighbourhood guidelines into their bylaws and regulations. Sustainable neighbourhood development invokes innovative solutions which require municipal cooperation and collaboration in order to facilitate the approval of sustainable alternatives. It is essential, therefore, that the core team tests municipal buy-in early on and engages municipal champions from the outset.
Identify municipal approval process hierarchy
Municipal collaboration and cooperation throughout the approval process are essential to the success of the project. Understanding this process and the municipal decision-making hierarchy ensures that key individuals are identified and engaged from the outset. Ideally, these individuals will serve on a municipal sustainable neighbourhood design review committee established in Task 19.
Deliver sustainable neighbourhood primer workshop
The project commitment to sustainable neighbourhood development can now be applied to the proposed project. The workshop is attended by the core team and other key project sponsor personnel, project team members and the municipality. It is facilitated by the sustainability consultant.
Prior to this workshop, it is likely that an evaluation of the potential site has already been initiated. Potential benefits and barriers have been considered, a preliminary concept and a pro forma have been developed and a high level market scan has been conducted. The purpose of this workshop is to review these ideas in more detail against the sustainable neighbourhood principles and to start to unpack each sustainable neighbourhood theme into issue areas and opportunities.
This workshop serves another important function. Zoning can be reviewed with respect to the proposed development to identify the potential need for rezoning. Since a bylaw amendment can be a lengthy process, it should be factored into the overall project work plan and timeline at the outset. In this way, the production of the implementation manual emerging from the charrette process will not be unduly delayed.
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Engagement Tools |
Sustainable Neighbourhood Primer Workshop |
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Additional Support |
NCI Charrette Handbook: 1.4.1 Conceptual Sketching and Testing |
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EHUV Case Study |
Developer Design Workshop Presentation Material |
Conduct project complexity analysis
Building on the output from the primer workshop, a complexity analysis is carried out to help provide a better idea of the magnitude of the proposed development. Facilitated by the sustainability consultant, the core team rates the level of difficulty for project categories such as site, environmental, transportation, economics, market, politics and approvals. The sustainable neighbourhood themes can be used to ensure all areas are being considered. The analysis is important when making decisions regarding the scope of work, the project schedule and timeline, charrette team size and makeup, and the duration and nature of the charrette.
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Informing Tools | Project Complexity Analysis |
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Additional Support |
NCI Charrette Handbook & NCI Charrette Planners Forms Kit: 1.1.4 Complexity Analysis |
Conduct strategic opportunities scan
There are a number of incentives, grants and programs available to help facilitate sustainable neighbourhood development. The core team identifies local development incentives, potential funding opportunities and strategic partnerships that might help facilitate undertaking a more sustainable neighbourhood development (for example, with utilities, health regions, financial institutions, etc.). This group is responsible for initiating funding requests.
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Informing Tools | Strategic Opportunities Scan |
