Smart Growth Voting Guide

Well the federal election is over and we appear to be in the same place as we were before the election. Oh well, at least I got to practice by “X” writing skills for the local municipal elections that take place on November 15th.

As you know, Smart Growth BC and South Fraser OnTrax are partnering for an All-Candidates Forum on October 21st. You can find more information on the right side of this blog. I hope you can make it out.

In the meantime, Smart Growth BC has published a pocket guide for our local government election. You can download the document from their website. The guide covers 12 topics: mix land uses, build well designed compact neighbourhood, provide a variety of transportation choices, create diverse housing opportunities, encourage growth in existing communities, preserve open spaces, natural beauty, and environmentally sensitive areas, protect and enhance agricultural lands, utilize smarter and cheaper infrastructure, and green buildings, foster a unique neighbourhood identity, and nurture engaged citizens. This document also suggests questions to ask your candidates. As an example, the transportation choices questions are:

How will you ensure that land use decisions put homes, workplaces and shops closer together so that people can choose to walk, cycle and use public transit instead of driving for everyday needs?

What specific transportation and land use policies will you advocate for?

What opportunities exist for upgrading and increasing bike lanes and pedestrian access to various parts of the community?

You’ll be able to ask these questions and more at our All-Candidates Forum, but download the guide today!