Spring/Summer 1995

by Stuart Walker

Contemporary manufacturing seems to be being pulled in opposite directions: towards large scale production for global markets, and towards sustainable practices that target smaller scale production for local markets. To maintain economic security and a healthy environment we must find ways of integrating these two courses.

The environmental damage wrought by some manufacturing is well documented. But is it possible to modify manufacturing methods and at the same time to maintain or enhance quality of life?

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the most common form of environmental assessment of a product. It attempts to sum up the negative environmental effects of the product by analyzing total impacts, from raw materials extraction to the ultimate recycling or discarding of the product. The information gained can be used to make improvements. But LCA is expensive, and it does not address the problem that many products have little real use and perhaps ought not to be manufactured in the first place.

Furthermore, it does not readily allow for the inclusion of non-quantifiable considerations, which may be based more on moral and ethical values. These considerations must be taken into account in the decision to manufacture or buy a new product - if they are, overall negative environmental impacts will automatically be reduced.

Locally based manufacturing, utilizing local resources and minimizing transportation costs, lends itself to the establishment of an integrated system that creates jobs and reduces environmental impacts. At present, however, the trend is toward international markets and the bulk transportation of goods around the world.

Each type of production has its advantages and disadvantages. The international approach makes sense in sectors requiring heavy investment in R&D, or where specific product or component s-tandards are necessary. A good example is the compact fluorescent lamp - a socially useful product that reduces the burden on the environment. Its development was feasible only for a global market. However, locally based enterprises could easily handle the design and manufacture of the lighting fixtures in which compacts are used.

Large corporations could integrate these different scales of activity by opening small, locally based facilities for the "total cycle enterprise" of production, disassembly, reuse of parts and recycling of materials. Such a system could yield many economic and environmental benefits. Equally important, it would provide human and social benefits by creating local employment and opportunities for regional diversity . Germany has recently introduced legislation which encourages films to adopt this "total cycle" approach.

Large scale production is capital and energy intensive but has low labour costs. For this reason the unit cost of products can be

significantly lower than that for goods produced on a small scale. However the cost advantage becomes less clear if we factor in the so-called external costs of resource depletion, pollution, and so on. "Full cost pricing" attempts to include external costs in the price of the product itself, with the result that those costs are borne by the producers and purchasers of the product. Already we can see moves toward full cost pricing. If and when it is implemented, it will provide a powerful incentive for more sustainable practices in manufacturing and consumption.

This is a summary of a paper entitled "Big and Profitable or Small and Sustainable", which will soon appear in the ECODEClSlON journal

by Craig Townsend

Last summer, when I told people of my plans to conduct research toward a planning degree in "Thailand, they often jumped to the conclusion that I was going to help find "the solution" for Bangkok's traffic problems. My usual response was "No, actually I'm going to study how Bangkok may be developing into a "Los Angeles World City", and ideas about "community" . . . anyone trying to deal with Bangkok's traffic problems would have to be crazy!" But within three weeks of arrival in Bangkok, I was researching transportation problems for an MDP called: "People, Culture, and Behaviour in the Bangkok Urban Region: Liabilities or Assets for Transportation Planning?"

Actually, studying transportation problems in Bangkok is a logical pursuit when one lives in the urban fringe, about 45km from the centre of the city (although no one really knows where the centre of Bangkok is). I routinely spend 5 or 6 hours a day in transit, so I reasoned that I might as well study traffic and call that time "field work".

In academic terms, the impetus behind my MDP research is the apparent failure of conventional approaches to ameliorate Bangkok's transportation problems, and the fact that even the most optimistic observers see no prospects for improvement in the short to medium term. Furthermore, at the international level Bangkok's traffic congestion and air pollution have come to symbolize the negative aspects of rapid economic growth and urbanization in Southeast Asia. To many observers, this worldwide attention underscores a need to "solve" transportation problems in the Bangkok urban region as though some single solution awaits discovery and implementation. In the absence of a viable solution, Bangkok's traffic congestion and pollution continue to worsen, and to mar the positive image of development being promoted by international bodies such as ASEAN. Environmental degradation, represented by transportation problems, challenges the unbridled optimism surrounding the future prospects for rapidly developing countries such as Thailand.

The most visible and widely encountered manifestation of Bangkok's transportation crisis is traffic congestion. Between 1984 and 1992, the population of the Bangkok metropolitan region grew by 21%. During the same period, tbe number of private cars on the road increased by 92% to 1,045,896 and tbe number of motorcycles increased by 140% to 1,094,494. However, roads occupy only 11% of Bangkok's total land area, compared with 20-25 % in such cites as London, Paris and New York. As a result of these and other factors, in some commercial areas of central Bangkok, traffic speeds average 8-9 km/hr in "normal situations," and 2-3 km/hr in rush hours. Traffic flow in crowded residential areas often moves at only 10-15 km/hr.

Another rationale underlying my research is the belief that transportation problems are rooted in both culturally-influenced behaviours, and complex processes of modernization and urbanization. They are not narrowly-defined technical matters. This view is supported by the fact that technical solutions to most transportation problems already exist, but cultural norms and institutional or political structures impede their implementation. Recognition of this fact is integral to an understanding of how Bangkok's current state of affairs came to be, and will be necessary in order to effectively address urban environmental problems in the future.

Preparing for 2005

This Spring the Faculty had visits from the accreditation panels from both the Planning and the Architecture professions. We thank Programme Directors Dale Taylor and Tom Harper as well as their colleagues for their considerable efforts in preparing the Faculty for these visits. Onceeveryfive years we are subjecttotheseassessmentsof ourcurriculum so our students who qualify will receive professional accreditation. This provides us with a very important opportunity to take stock of our teaching and professional practice and to gauge to what degree are we meeting our obligations to the four fields that we serve. It is also a marvelous opportunity to show offthe excellence of our student work and to discuss first principles.

The university and the professions we serve are both going through a period of fundamental change driven by fiscal constraints and public expectations. Our students must be trained for the world of 2005 not 1995. This is a period of dynamic change for EVDS. We must preserve the traditional strengths along with the new Computer Aided Design and other skills. It is an exciting period to be dean.

by Dr. Jim Love

Canada is returning to a system of accreditation of architecture programmes. For the past decade, graduates of architecture programmes have had to apply individually to the Canadian Architecture Certification Board (CACB) for certification of their academic programmes (the granting of certification means that the studies completed by an individual fulfill the academic component of the requirements for registration as an architect). For graduates of an accredited programme, certification will be a formality and fees will be ca. 10% of the fees for a full certification review. The accreditation review also provides an important independent measure of a programme's performance. As reported in the last newsletter. the Architecture Programme Report submitted by The University of Calgary, (an accreditation requirement), was accepted by CACB in 1994. A second component of the accreditation review is an on-site assessment by a "Visiting Team" appointed by CACB. This evaluation was conducted April 1-5.

The Visiting Team was chaired by Mr. Barry Johns, an architect in private practice in Edmonton. Prof. Rick Haldenby, Director of the School of Architecture at The University of Waterloo, was the Canadian academic appointed to the Team. Ms. Lucille Moyer was the public representative. She served for many years as the public representative on the Council of the Alberta Association of Architects, and is an honorary member of that association. Prof. Patricia O'Leary, from the University of Arkansas, represented the U. S. National Architectural Accrediting Board, in accordance with reciprocity arrangements pertaining to accreditation of architecture programmes. Mr. Blaine Nichols, an architect in private practice in Sudbury, was another representative of the profession. Ms. Lynn Noftle. a recent graduate of the School of Architecture at The University of British Columbia, represented architecture interns. Mr. Hugh MacMillan, an architect from Calgary who was involved in the initiation of the architecture programme in Calgary, was the Faculty of Environmental Design's observer.

The Visiting Team held entry and exit interviews with the President and Vice President (Academic) of the university and with the Dean of EVDS. The Team spent many hours reviewing student work and discussing with students their perceptions of the programme. Other activities included meeting with alumni and practitioners at receptions that were held in the Professional Faculties building. meeting with academic staff to discuss the programme, and reviewing faculty scholarly work. The accreditation manual sets out 54 performance criteria having to do with the substantive areas of knowledge that should be covered in an accredited architecture programme. An exhibition, exemplifying the programmes' approaches to meeting these criteria was mounted. While the report of the Visiting Team is not scheduled for release until June. the Team gave an oral presentation of its impressions to staff and students on the last day. The comments were quite complimentary. The team reportedly found that the Architecture Programme met 52 out of 54 performance criteria, which is considered high. Highlights of the final report will be presented in the next newsletter. Prof. Dale Taylor deserves the Faculty's thanks for his hard work in preparing the Architecture Programme Report and in organizing the review.

by William A. Ross

The Environmental Science Programme is in the process of creating an Advisory Group to review the mandate for ES and to advise on the extent to which the Environmental Science Programme is fulfilling that mandate, including all aspects of teaching, scholarly activity and service. It should also provide advice on how the Programme and the Faculty can adapt to the realities of the mid 1990s (different levels and types of government funding coupled with different demands for our teaching, scholarship and service).

This kind of professionally focused forward thinking is necessary in order not only to survive but also to thrive.

This Advisory Group will consist of professionals from outside the Faculty who understand the professional practice of environmental science. They would meet formally with members of the Environmental Science Programme (and of the Faculty) a few times per year, to review materials between such meetings and to consult informally from time to time. In some ways, this Group will undertake a detailed review of the Programme, much like the accreditation reviews of the Planning and Architecture programmes.

Recent Town Hall meetings in the Faculty have indicated clearly that the student body also has a strong desire to participate in such a review and that students have strong views on the nature of changes needed.

Professor Tang Lee and some colleagues at The University of Calgary have set up a large fish farming enterprise to raise warm water fish for domestic consumption. At Orientation last September, Tang gave a guided tour of the facility which was already in operation.

The all steel building was designed by Tang to conserve energy and use solar energy for space and water heating. The facility houses six large fish tanks, each holding several thousand fish.

Attached to the building is a residence for the caretaker and fish biologist. An attached greenhouse is used to help soak up some of the nutrients from the water.

This project demonstrates the interdisciplinary endeavour of faculty members, and the importance of combining research, practice. and business.

The Gender and Learning Environment Committee was formed early last year in an effort to facilitate the best learning environment possible. We do not only address gender issues, but gender issues have been identified as an area for consideration that touches on other facets of our learning environment. The Chair of this committee is a student, and membership consists of student and faculty representatives of each programme, the Associate Dean, and a support staff representative.

Our terms of reference, which are currently under review are to:

• review and make recommendations to update Faculty policy and curriculum
• act as and outreach by facilitating discussion between students, faculty and staff on sensitive issues that affect learning
• act as an inreach resource for students, faculty and staff.

The committee is currently discussing how to fairly and effectively deal with specific issues arising in the faculty. Input on how you would like to see your concerns handled would be appreciated.

Achievements to date:

• recommended, to the VP Academic, that the gender imbalance in faculty positions must be addressed
• revised Student Handbook
• compiled and reviewed application, graduate, and drop-out statistics for FMC to determine what implications these may have for future policies and procedures
• ongoing discussions take place to form a knowledge base for committee members to make informed recommendations. Discussions so far have been with Dale Taylor concerning the Carleton Report which outlines related issues at Carleton University' s Faculty of Architecture, institutional gender and learning environment issues with Mary Valentich and Elly Silverman (Advisors to the President on Women's Issues), and teaching and learning styles with Bob Schulz (Management)
• the letter to prospective applicants was redrafted to more accurately reflect the Faculty

Issues currently under review:

• acting with the Student Town Hall Working Group to identify solutions to concerns raised
• establishing a survey to identify problems and potential solutions
• gender and equity opportunities
• public presence and space for models
• teaching assistantship policy
• evaluation review of teaching performance
• curriculum review in the context of gender, part-time, and non-traditional studies
• equal opportunity process for scholarships
• faculty appeals and grievance policy

If you are interested in the details of our work the minutes are posted. copies are available at the main office . our meetings are open and you are welcome to attend. We encourage you to talk to the members of the Committee. We need your input.

This year's members were: Margot Stephenson (Chair), Lauren Bartlette, Theresa Baxter, Andrea Czarnecki. Laurie Dellemonache, Rosanne Fleury, Graham Livesey, Rosa Malta, Julie McLean, Stan Stein, Ron Wardell.

by Theresa Baxter and Kitty Mok

Recently, the Faculty ' s Gender and Learning Environment Committee undertook a study about the gender balance among students in EVDS from 1971-1994. The following highlights some of the findings.

In terms of 1971 admissions, 63% of the students admitted to EVDS were male and 37% were female. The ratio of male:female admissions has changed over time, from 3 males admitted to 1 female (1971-1975) to 1.1 males admitted to 1 female (1991-1994).

Over the 23 year period, of those students who graduated, 65% were male and 35% were female. The ratio of male:female convocations ranged from 6 male graduates to 1 female graduate (1971-1975) to 1.3 male graduates to 1 female graduate (1991-1994).

Fifty-seven percent of EVDS graduates took between 4 and 5 years to convocate. By the end of the fifth year. 79% of the males and 71% of the females completed their degree. Unlike many other Master's programmes, which are a continuation of studies in the same discipline. EVDS offers first professional degrees to students with a wide variety of backgrounds and previous degrees.

Recent investigations suggest that choosing an MDP is the most difficult task for EVDS students. As the first of a series, the Monitor examines one method for finding an MDP topic by using an example from a real-life EVDS graduate. His method was to simply recycle an early childhood experience.

Grade 1: excerpt from "My Dog" by Robbie Birkenstock, age 6 I have a dog. His name is Candy. He is wite and has blak spots on his bak. He watches TV with me and likes to eat dog biskits. Sometimes when we go camping with mommy and daddy he chases bunnies but daddy says Candy only scares them. One day he chased a bunny down a road and it got hit by a big truck. The bunny I mean. I was sad.

Grade 5: Excerpt from "My Summer Vacation" by Robbie Birkenstock, age 10 This summer my mom and dad and my baby sister and my dog Candy went camping in the woods. It was a lot of fun. I went fishing with my dad and I caught three whoppers. My dad only caught two. It reminded me of the time we were walking through the woods with Candy and he saw a bunny rabbit and started to chase him. It was funny to watch them run around in the woods. Candy almost had him but the rabbit ran out onto a road and got schmucked by a truck with a camper on it. I felt bad but was glad Candy wasn't hurt.

Grade 9: Excerpt from "My Ecology Project" by Robbie Birkenstock age 14 For my ecology project, I decided to study rabbits. Rabbits are well adapted to their place in the ecosystem and they are part of the food chain. They are herbivores, which means they eat plants. Carnivores (meat eaters) eat them. I know because my old dog used to chase them when my family would go camping. He never caught one but I suppose he would've eaten it if he did because dogs and carnivores. Rabbits have long ears and listen for carnivores. They also have well adapted legs and can run very fast. Another enemy of the rabbit is man. Many rabbits are killed by hunters and by vehicles on the road (Rabbitovores).

Biology 341: Wildlife Management Excerpt from "A Management Plan for the Snowshoe Hare (Lapus americanus)" by Robbie Birkenstock, age 20 Consideration has been given to predator control programmes. Zorley (1992) and Radvarli (1990) have both reported that the snowshoe hare has a high mortality rate in areas with high populations of predators, especially lynx. However, an increasing population of hare mortality is a result of human encroachment on. and recreational use of, the hare's natural habitat. Peterson (1993) reported that the loss of habitat due to urbanization has resulted in a 19% reduction in hare populations in certain areas of Idaho between 1968 and 1991. Personal experience has shown that stressful encounters with dogs (Canis domesticus) can also lead to mortalities, either through direct capture and consumption, or through fatal encounters with highway vehicles during attempts to escape capture.

EVDS Master's Degree Project (Environmental Science Programme) Excerpt for "The Use of Roadside Fences and Barriers as a Wildlife Management Tool" by Robbie Birkenstock, age 26 Research in several areas of Canada (May 1991; Wilson 1992; Thompson, 1993) has shown that fences and barriers paralleling highways can actually negatively affect populations of prey species, including ungulates and lagomorphs (such as the snowshoe hare). This is a result of the obstruction of the animals' normal escape routes causing the animal to become trapped along the fence by predators, such

as lynx, wolves, and even the domestic dog. However, Parks Canada and other wildlife management agencies have reported that the number of mortalities arising from the fatal encounters with highway vehicles is significantly reduced for all species in areas where roadside fences are constructed and maintained. Reduction of roadkills is important, not only because it maintains a viable species population, but also because it reduces the economic and emotional costs associated with such accidents. I know this from personal experience..

Robert Bly's Men's Awareness Wilderness Seminar - Excerpt from a speech made to a group around a campfire by Robbie Birkenstock age 44 I used to have a dog named Candy. It was interesting how he had a name usually reserved for female pets. Anyway, he was white and black and had sort of a passive aggressive temperament. I remember that we used to sit together as I watched TV and he used to tear off after rabbits. My dad said Candy was only trying to scare them but under hypnosis therapy one day I remembered seeing Candy regurgitate a large hairball and bits of flesh. That notion of male aggressiveness obviously stayed with me and was a significant factor in the failure of my first marriage. Candy, like myself, was a survivor though. I distinctly recall him chasing a rabbit onto a road and just ducking under a massive truck that literally pancaked the rabbit. Luckily my memories of Candy have had little affect on most of my life even though I think Candy liked my dad more than me.

Mr. Birkenstock (MEDes 1983) is currently working of his Ph. D. in Psychology at Dalhousie University. His dissertation is tentatively titled, "The Effects of Early Childhood Encounters with Wildlife: Implications for Marital Disorders" .

1. Aimlessly hanging around the faculty on the pretense of working on your MDP.
2. Camping in the wilderness counting berries or fish in the pretense of working on your MDP.
3. Sitting in the Grad Lounge discussing normative theory on the pretense of working on your MDP.
4. Flipping burgers on the pretense of working on your MDP (Architecture students only).
5. Kicking back and having fun, knowing that next year's student loan will have to pay your expenses, and saying to hell with your MDP.

The following is the recently released list of the best MDPs during the last year:

Cults and the Effect of Their Ideologies on Nozickean Theory - A Participative Examination (Harry Rama - Planning) A 19 year study of planning concepts used within Hare Krishna groups and applications for the alleviation of modern social problems (Note: MDP includes an impressive pressed flower collection, and a CD of chants and incantations).

Applying New Technology to Existing Ideas: The Second Generation K-Tel and Ronco Products (Etwell Slicendice - Industrial Design) An exploration of new design concepts for three classic products; the Patty Stacker. the Record Selector, and the Fishin' ' Magician.

The Sexual Life Cycle of the Lesser Spotted Puddle-Duck and Its Implications on Global Warming and Political Instability in Bhutan (Grant Ola - Environmental Science). A wide ranging 3 year study of a Calgary population of the rare lesser spotted puddle- duck as modern-day "canaries in a coal mine".

A Conceptual Design For a Fast-Food Kitchen (Patty Berger - Architecture). Sponsored by a joint McDonalds/Wendy's grant, this work examines ventilation, lighting and spatial requirements for large volume kitchens. Model includes a working griddle.

This publication is designed to provide inaccurate and unauthoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that those stupid enough to get excited about the content should get a life and worry about more important things. The publisher is not liable for any difficulties, problems, assassinations, wars, or other skirmishes that may arise from the information contained within this publication; nor is the publisher responsible for any lost or stolen articles. Contents under pressure - may explode if heated. Avoid inhaling. Why did you read this part anyway?

Thanks to Peter May and Mel Wilson

We would like to thank you for all your support and contributions to this and past newsletters. If you would like to submit papers or graphics to Intervention in the future we like to print: Short Papers (not exceeding 800 words), Upcoming Events (EVDS. UofC or profession-related), Letters to the Editor, Must Read or Must See (new books. exhibitions, etc.), Programme News, (Gallery Exhibits. MDP and Technical or Professional Notes, and Alumni News. Text and graphic submissions should be in hard copy and on 3.5" disk (IBM or Mac). Please label the disk with the title of the article, cornputer type and programme used. Include a 2-3 sentence author biography.

Send Newsletter Submissions and Contributions to:

The Affordable Sustainable Community Project

by William Perks

In EVDS, practice and theory focused on the sustainability topic are being pursued in a good number of individual and collaborative research projects; and courses have been generated out of them. What follows is a glimpse of some of that work.

The Affordable Sustainable Community (ASC) Project was initiated with David Van Vliet, Bob Kirby, Bill Zwerman and others in 1990. A number of reports, and publications in Plan Canada (1994) and the Institute of Urban Studies have since appeared. The most informative and inspirational document is Assessment of Built Projects for Sustainable Communities (Perks and Van Vliet September 1993). It is available from the Canada Housing and Information Centre, CMHC @ (613) 748-2241.

This Assessment report sets out 10 Sustainability Performance Characteristics derived from the successful planning and building of projects in various stages of development in Scandinavian countries. Five cases are presented, and key informant interviews are reported. The cases are described and analyzed with graphics and wide-ranging data that allow for a finite grasp of the planning, urban design and environmental management of these communities. We do some further thinking about the transferability to the Canadian context of this European experimentation and quickly-gathering wisdom on urban sustainability. A proposed Demonstration project for Canadian cities is also set out in terms of conceptual design and programme. The application of sustainability in the urban context of urban development is also discussed.

Another work that flows from our ASC project is a piece called Sustainable Canadian City in the Year 2021: A Voluntary History of Willmore and Calgary. This narrative futurecast tells a story of place-making and the recollections of Mrs. Dwellnow as told to her grandson Robin. Dwellnow celebrates a residential community who organize themselves and develop with sustainability performance and conservationist lifeways at the forefront

of their collective purposes. It further commemorates the passing of our "planning system" while it portrays a different conception of Urban development practice for Calgary to think about. You can have WILLMORE for copy-cost by phoning Nancy Ellenton at 220-6604. It is also obtainable from CMHC's Centre for Future Studies, as Chapter 6 in Vision of Life in a Sustainable 21st Century Canadian City, 1992. Six essays by brainstormers from across Canada are included here.

Over 1991-93, two EVDS block courses on "Municipal Futures" (with Torben Gade, Denmark, Rebecca Barnes, Seattle, and others) and another, a studio on "Sustainability-Urban Design" (with Tjeerd Deelstra, Netherlands) came directly out of ideas and research findings and networks assembled as the ASC research progressed. Development industry managers, municipal officials and interest group representatives variously participated in these courses. In February this year we brought in Dr. Mary-Ellen Tyler from Manitoba, one of our ASC collaborators, to deliver a block on "Environmental Planning", a first of its kind for EVDS; some 30 students were enrolled.

I don't think it exaggerates to say that the Calgary Planning Department's major undertaking with the "Sustainable Suburb Roundtable" (ongoing since September 1994), owes much of its inspiration to the impetus and findings of the ASC Project. Senior managers from the city and the development industry were participant subjects at one stage or another in our ASC research. In bimonthly meetings of the RoundTable, many of these same people are now attempting to forge a delivery system and new sets of planning guidelines for building sustainable and more fiscally responsible suburbs. It is gratifying to note that EVDS Planning alumni Tim Creelman and Kevin Froese are key members of the Task Group at the City that are doing the research, conceptualizing and the tough sell in this RoundTable venture. Kevin and Tim were participants in the special course on "Affordable Sustainable Community" that we offered back in 1990.

Friends and alumni will want to know that the ASC projects and the block courses mentioned above were generously supported by the Faculty of Environmental Design as well as by outside funders - CMHC and Alberta Municipal Affairs in particular, and Trans Alta and private donors. City of Calgary, Carma and Genstar helped finance block courses. A majority of the funding went into employing EVDS students. A dozen or so have been employed in the ASC or block courses for short term tasks or summer employment.

Three fresh R&D projects are afoot since last Spring:

Testing Consumer Receptivity to Sustainable Suburbs Design in Calgary, funded by CMHC and the Faculty, Bill Perks and Andrea Wilton-Clark heading it, David Van Vliet assisting from the UBC PhD programme, and the Calgary Planning Department cooperating; this CMHC grant to an EVDS faculty member was one of only 18 ERPs awarded across Canada in 1994, and the only one received in Alberta;

Environmental Assessment and the Municipal Planning process, (EA+MP), sponsored by the Intergovernmental Committee on Urban and Regional Research and EVDS, with Bill Perks and Dixon Thompson, and Jag Bilkhu and Adrienne Schipperus as the main workhorses (ICURR is a committee of Canada's deputy ministers of Municipal Affairs); and Municipal Restructuring for Sustainability, funded by the University Research Office and EVDS, with Bill Perks, Jag Bilkhu and Professor Mary-Ellen Tyler at work.

Students and graduates besides Andrea, Jag, Adrienne and David who have been variously employed in these projects are Tom Ainscough, Lorraine Byerley, Benjamin Lee, Vincent Nugroho and David Stobie.

The Testing Consumer Receptivity project elaborates in design detail and on a large scale the Demonstration project that was advanced in 1992-93. It "redesigns" the Edgemont community in Calgary. The site covers 640 hectares. Today's Edgemont has a population of 12,500, with 75% single family housing and household incomes averaging $90 000. We apply the 10 performance criteria mentioned above. We put particular emphasis on an ecological design approach to land planning and urban form. We designed for full choices and greater affordability in housing, a blending of income status that replicates the Calgary profile, for full social and household diversity, and a density of built form equal to 7.6 du/acre - about double today's. We also introduce a number of innovative technologies or system designs for streets, water, waste and energy supply and management.

In the outcome, we expect to have a reading on crucial questions that are being asked by the development industry and city administrations, such as: Do the consumers (we prefer to speak of "Homeseekers") want sustainability? Will they "accept", "favor", "buy" if homes and communities were to be developed for sustainability performance? Which performance features in particular would they favour - piecemeal-like? - and which would they not favour, whether for cost, lifestyle or other reasons? How far might the favourably-disposed homeseekers go in packaging a set of performance features, from the basic idea, for example, of a smaller property and house, through to a gray water system in the home, higher density, district heating, energy co-generation. etc.?

Architecture Block Course with AA Master Peter Salter

by Graham Livesey

In March, Peter Salter, the recipient of the 1995 William Lyons Sommerville visiting lectureship directed a design charette with architecture students from the Universities of Calgary, Manitoba and Waterloo. The project, located in the former Dominion Bridge fabrication works, involved the students recording atmospheric, lighting, scale, building aging qualities and translating these findings into the design of a minimal dwelling.

Ecological-Environmental Planning

by Anne English

This block course was taught by Dr. Mary-Ellen Tyler, an alumnus who is now with the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba. Ecological-Environmental Planning introduced students to the structures, functions and processes of ecological systems. This brief look at the landscape ecology theory, restoration ecology, synthetic ecology, ecological design and ecological restructuring of urban form was intended to broaden the perspective of planning students to more fully grasp the impacts of urban form on ecological systems and the reintegration of ecological systems into the urban environment.

Planning with Constraints

by Anne English

Planning with Constraints was presented by Sandy Aumonier, Neil MacDonald and Greg Husband, all of Parks Canada, Western Region. This course provided an overview of planning for communities located within protected environments such as national parks, forest reserves and agricultural reserves. The focus of the course was on issues facing planners in this type of community that has limited resources, yet is experiencing the pressures of growth.

Sustainable Development in the International Context: Theory and Practice

by Lynda Plaut

Professor William Adams from the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge, provided a number of examples of sustainable development from Sub-Sahara Africa, which incorporate social and ecological factors into development programmes. These programmes recognized that many traditional agricultural and pastoral methods, developed by indigenous peoples, are in harmony with the environment and should be incorporated into local development schemes to promote sustainability.

A Brief Encounter with the Petroleum Industry

by Debra Zanewich and Jean Mulligan

The week-long February block course, Environmental Management in the Petroleum Industry, provided students with a useful introduction to the oil and gas industry. The material was presented by Dr. Al Kennedy, a CRE alumnus, who is now an environmental policy advisor at Imperial Oil Limited.

Students were introduced to environmental issues within this industry including the regulatory framework, components of environmental management systems, and environmental issues in Western Canada. Broader areas of concern to the industry such as global warming were also discussed. The course concluded with a field trip to the Quirk Creek Sour Gas Processing Facility near Millarville.

Student response was overwhelming in support of these types of courses that bring industry perspective and practical issues in environmental management to the halls of EVDS.

Waste Management in EVDS

by Pete Millman

A number of waste minimization projects and courses have been offered in the Faculty this year. For 702, Jennifer Anderson (ES), Warren Climenhaga (Pl), Andrew Higgins (ES), Mona Ha (Pl) and Pete Millman (ES) completed a Waste Minimization Plan for the City of Wetaskiwin (located southeast of Edmonton).

All aspects of waste management were investigated excluding hazardous materials. Stakeholders were consulted in a visioning session, to define important waste management issues in the municipality. The final report provided recommendations and an implementation strategy that would allow the City to achieve the largest waste reduction volume. The recommendations were guided by the following principles:

• user pay;
• full-cost accounting;
• the 3R's: reduce reuse and recycle; and
• a leadership role for the City.

A number of the recommendations have formed the basis of new City by-laws that have since been passed by council.

During the winter term both a Waste Management Block Course and the regular term waste minimization courses were offered. The differing focus of the two courses provided an expanded perspective for students interested in waste management. The block course was instructed by Carole Boyle, an EVDS graduate now pursuing a post-doctoral degree at the University of British Columbia.

This course focused on industrial waste management including a review of pertinent legislation, hazardous waste minimization, waste treatment and environmental implications as well as industrial ecology. Students in the class were also required to participate on a waste audit for the University of Calgary.

The waste audit was also a fundamental portion of the EVDS waste minimization class being run by Dixon Thompson and Chris Ryley. Students from the two classes weighed and sorted through U of C refuse for a week determining volumes, content and sources of the garbage. The audit will provide the U of C with a better understanding of the composition and volume of the waste stream and improve waste management practices. The audit was conducted by Laidlaw, the findings of the audit will be submitted to Caretaking and the waste minimization class by Laidlaw in the late Spring.

Ozone Water and Wastewater Treatments: Theory and Practice

Course Manager: Dixon Thompson

Ozone is a strong oxidant and disinfectant, in use around the world for treatment of water supplies. As part of a water treatment system it can achieve high rates of disinfection, even with difficult-to-kill pathogens, without significantly increasing health concerns. In industry, the use of ozone can achieve high levels of treatment of both water supply and waste water, often at reduced costs.

The course will outline the theory and practice of ozone generation and its chemical and physical properties. Applications considered will be: various water supply treatments, treatment of storm water runoff and cooling tower water treatment. Costs and cost recovery factors will be discussed. A visit to a gas plant cooling tower recently converted to ozone treatment may be arranged.

November 12-14 1995, University of Calgary

This international conference will bring together back country recreation stake holders to discuss, define and describe environmental ethics and leading edge practices established to protect the environment and the quality of the back country experiences. Climbers, alpinists, skiers, cavers, and hikers will work with land managers, environmental scientists, facility operators, guides, educators and regulators in a cooperative , non-confrontational setting. Proceedings will be published so that results can be widely distributed in the USA in 1996 and in Mexico in 1997.

A plenary session and workshop will deal with the environmental ethics and codes of practice. Papers will be presented and discussed in parallel sessions throughout the three days of the conference.

EnviroLine, an environmental business publication, is looking for one or two students to assist with writing, research and office work. They currently need someone to do approx. 20 hrs/ week (flexible) for nominal pay. Must be able to work to deadlines. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about the industry and gain experience and exposure. Call Aline Cornford at 263-3272.

EVDS Association

EVDS has recently placed its own home page on the Internet. A section on the EVDS Home Page has been dedicated to our Alumni. For those of you who are interested in having your home page linked to our home page please provide us with your URL address.

To start off the 25th Anniversary celebrations of EVDS, and to honour Don Jardine, an architecture student who passed away last summer, EVDS alumni are organizing the Don Jardine Symposium on the City. This first annual symposium will be held in the 1996 winter term. It will focus on the subject matter and ideas raised in Don's nearly completed thesis. Generally, the thesis examined the densification of Calgary's city centre as a means of ensuring the city's long term cultural and social vitality, as well as it's environmental and economic sustainability.

The symposium has several purposes:

• to encourage discussion in a hospitable and informal setting
• to generate and exchange ideas, insights and experience across disciplines, between academics and practitioners, and
• to create opportunities for students to make contacts with outside professionals.

A summary of Don's thesis will be distributed and his incomplete manuscript will be available at the EVDS Resource Centre. All EVDS alumni, faculty and students are invited to participate.

For information please contact:

Grant Laing (Arch '94)

Telephone: 	(403) 541-0108 (home)
 		(403) 244-6009 (work)
By mail:	902-1209 6 St. SW.
		Calgary, AB T2R-0Z5

Congratulations to Val and Dale!

Dr. Stuart Walker presented a paper entitled "Sustainable Development and Implications for Manufacturing, Consumption and Product Design" at the Annual Conference of the Environmental Design Research Association. The conference was held in Boston in March.

At the Annual Meeting of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, Graham Livesey delivered a paper entitled "Towards a Redefinition of Design" and John Brown gave a paper entitled "An Hour Is a Vase: Meaning in a Post-Modern World". The meeting was held in Seattle in March.

Dr. Jim Love was one of two Canadian representatives at an International Energy Agency meeting held to prepare a work plan for proposed Task 21 "Daylight in Buildings." The meeting was hosted by the Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne. Dr. Love has been appointed a member of the Canadian National Committee of the Commission International de l'Eclairage , the international body that sets guidelines for lighting design and practice.

As I walked out of the airport, I found a sudden change. It was quite cold outside, there was a strong breeze. But apart from that there was something else that I just felt was different from the places I had visited before. I was not able to make out what this unusual thing was, then after a few days I realized it was the quality of air that made it distinct. I found Calgary most unpolluted. As the days went by, I was aware of something new every moment: the broad roads, traffic patterns, discipline . . . I find Calgary to be a place where the same things can be seen from many different viewpoints. It's the terrain that allows you to do this. The land rolls. You are at either an elevation or a depression, looking at the same things. In this young city, I also see a confluence of cultures. The city has an efficient public transportation system. It has got some of the best sports and recreation facilities around. With all these and more I see Calgary marching towards a new era.

Lois Frankel (ID '93) has finished her first year as Assistant Professor at Carleton's School of Industrial Design. She has pointed out that the editorial committee failed to acknowledge her role as inspiration for and curator of the exhibition "Concepts and Constructs: Furniture by Calgary Designers" in the Fall of 1994. She was assisted in this role by Denis Heidenreich. She also asked us to note that she and Ron Wardell co-authored the paper entitled "Ergonomics and Responsible Industrial Design", which she presented to the International Ergonomics Association in Toronto in August of 1994.

The purpose of this newsletter is to acknowledge the accomplishments of our students and staff. Intervention's editors wish to apologize for any shortcomings and any omissions.

Mark Crisp's Masters Degree Project was the design of a cooking school specialising in NorthWest cuisine and sited in Victoria, B.C. The project supervisor was Graham Livesey and the external committee member was Brian Plunkett, executive chef at the Calgary Country Club and member of Canada's gold medal winning Olympic cooking team. The project explored a variety of themes such as architecture and its relationship to the body, appetite, cooking and landscape.

WINTER SPORTS DESIGN COMPETITION

The Canadian Luge Association's first annual Winter sports Product Design Grant in Aid competition is underway. Industrial Design students are preparing proposals. $2 000 will be awarded for work to be done in the Fall 1995 term. The Grant in Aid Competition will be offered annually for a period of ten years.

Selections will be based on the following:

1. Proposed projects must deal with the design and development of product design concepts related to winter sports or winter recreation
2. The funds must be used to acquire material or services critical to the successful realization of a product.
3. Submissions with the potential for, or actually seeking , matching funds will be encouraged.
4. Proposed projects must be completed within the duration of the term that they are awarded for.
5. A plan to manage the funds must be included in the proposal.
6. The Canadian Luge Association must be clearly acknowledged in the proposal.

The Last Bear in Banff Faces Off in Court

by George Hegmann

A recent CBC "Nature of Things" episode interviewed a tourist at the Chateau Lake Louise who essentially stated that the national parks should develop to meet the growing demand for tourist services; that, essentially, parks should build up to meet demand because people want to use the parks.

This view is in direct conflict with those interested in protecting park ecosystems and, especially, park bears. The concept of no more bears in Banff may set some of our collective environmentalist hearts aflutter; but for many, bears border on the abstract. After all, when was the last time you saw one. Well, maybe its good enough to know that its Ôout there somewhere and so I feel better'. And that may be enough, along with such ecological arguments as maintaining biodiversity and predator-prey relationships, or avoiding the dreaded extinction vortex no less. Such arguments, and impassioned pleas (with many a coffee table book) have given us, for example, the new Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial park in B.C.

But why is it such a herculean task to make these arguments in the face of development pressures. Well, bears, and many other creatures, still are not valuable for many. As queried by a legal counsel during the recent West Castle Valley hearings in Alberta, why bears at all? If we do not value something, it will receive scant attention. That is why even the most comprehensive environmental impact assessment (as measured by the kilotonne per volume) can fall flat if we do not at first accept that indeed there is something of value to keep. Even the much ballyhooed 'cumulative' environmental assessment (the Cuisinart of the assessment world: throw a multitude of development projects in and hope that you get something out you can chew on) will not help if we do not at first agree on, or are not later convinced of, what is important.

Without that prerequisite, we have a rudderless assessment, and the bickering never ends until it enters a regulated process (such as under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act). In that arena the issue will be resolved based on evidence before one or more decision makers. In other words, value is often assigned in a legislated, regulated environment, and dare I say a political one. The value of grizzlies, elk, trout, eagles, or whatever will end up where the pendulum swings given the conditions of the development project under review. Value will not necessarily be assigned just because bears are a Ôsymbol of our vanishing wilderness' or our earth-mother will lose one of its children. Were that it was so, but in court or in semi-formal hearings, the arguments and evidence may move along very different lines. And of course, the often unspoken ‡ priori assumption is that bears are important enough to discuss.

So what if we were faced with the last bear in Banff? Even if there are now hundreds, in a sense we may be still seeing the last bear in some murky distant future if genetically the bears we have now are no longer viable, and if habitat fragmentation continues to leave increasingly isolated populations. Imagine the mountains without the bear, and we imagine a future that only points back at our own shallowness, at our desire for growth without us stopping once to think. The challenge of the environmental advocate is then to translate that future silence into a value that is effective in today's decisions.

IDA Conference

by Whitney Smithers

I recently attended the mid-winter meeting of the International Downtown Association, in Denver. My interest in this conference lay in the IDA Benchmarking Project, involving a number of representatives from cities throughout the US, who are attempting to devise a system of benchmarks/performance indicators to measure the "success" of the downtown.

The need for a new evaluative system stems from the changing role of the downtown. Decreasing necessity for location in a central place, and ease of accessibility and lower land costs in suburban areas, have resulted in a relative decline in the use of the downtown over the past thirty years: this trend is evident in many North American cities. However, measures of "vitality" or "success" in the downtown still tend to emphasize market-based factors such as square footage of office space and employment levels (relative to the rest of the city), often casting the downtown in a negative light. E.g. in a recent presentation to the Congress for the New Urbanism III, Christopher Leinberger outlined three different classifications for the downtown: "stable", "moderate decline", and "severe decline". Evidently, "stable" is as good as it gets for the North American downtown.

The objective of the IDA Benchmarking Projectis to develop an alternative process for evaluating success based on performance and outcomes. These alternatives relate to such things as livability, culture, and safety. Such a process has a number of benefits, not only as a guide for measuring performance in particular areas, but also as a useful tool in strategic planning or forecasting exercises. Since Spring '94, numerous members of IDA have worked together at creating a number of evaluative criteria. Many of the cities involved in the project have used the "Leading Indicators" developed by the Calgary Downtown Association as a model, as they represent what is widely regarded as one of the most comprehensive downtown benchmarking systems to date.

Though a need for new systems of evaluation does exist, it must be remembered that benchmarks on their own, are of little value. They must be linked to a series of goals and objectives that serve as a reference point. The "success" of a downtown should be measured not by its performance in relation to other downtowns, but by performance and progress in light of objectives that have broad community acceptance.

ARCHITECTURE

Mark Crisp. "The Body of Appetite: A Cooking School in Victoria, British Columbia." Calgary, AB

Carlo Andras DiStefano. "Viral City - effecting change from within." Calgary, AB

Michael Knudsen. "A House and Garden for the Family: A Question of Balance." Calgary, AB

Tereza Mahnic. "A Feminist Approach to Prairie Architecture - A Raku Facility and Artist's Residences." Lethbridge, AB

EVDS is 25 years old in 1996. The Faculty is organizing a reunion and conference which will take a quick look back and a long look forward into the practice and education of environmental design professions.

Call for Papers and Design Exhibits

• What changes are taking place in your environmental design profession?
• How is your own professional practice changing?
• What are the emerging trends?
• What factors and forces are causing the changes?
• What do the changes imply for policy and curriculum for the Faculty?
• What major or significant advances have you been involved in that you believe should be shared with your fellow professionals?
• What are some appropriate and effective responses to downsizing in the field?

We will attempt to publish the proceedings.

Poster Competition 			Logo Competition
Conference and Reunion			"Friends of EVDS"
Prize for best poster:  $100.00		Prize for best logo:  $100.00
Deadline: August 1st, 1995		Deadline: October 1st, 1995

Editorial Staff

Student Editor:		Sumitra Dutt
Faculty Editors:	Richard Levy
			Jim Love
			Dixon Thompson
			Stuart Walker

Thanks to all the students, alumni and staff who contributed to this edition of the newsletter. We can't do it without you!

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