61 “With the Greenest City 2020 Action Plan (GCAP), a challenge initiated by the mayor at the time, Gregor Robertson, to make Vancouver the greenest city in the world in which to live, work, and play within the space of a decade, Vancouver’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have dropped by 10% compared to 2007’s baseline that we had established. They are probably the lowest in the country and among the smallest per inhabitant in North America. The outcomes I’m most proud of are those associated with the economic objectives of the plan, which looked to double the number of green jobs. With an 87% rise within a decade, the results exceeded our expectations. As far as we know, no other city in the world has seen this kind of growth. Another of these aims was targeting an increase in the number of companies involved in a sustainable development process. Their number quadrupled (from 5% to over 20%). We have also noted positive effects on health. Vancouver is the only North American city with such a high rate of soft mobility (walking, cycling) and public transport use, which represent more than 54% of intramural trips. Vancouver’s model of setting bold targets and measuring them in fine detail is replicable. Without necessarily drawing up a plan like Vancouver did, other cities could take inspiration fromour approach and measures, such as our sustainable building code. The principle of sharing is also exciting, extremely powerful, and useful.” (1) Vancouver Economic Commission: This Climate Smart‑certified external agency tasked with the city’s economic development is responsible for defining and monitoring the GCAP’s actions. DISCOVER the full interview with George Benson in our online magazine Constructing a sustainable future
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