Zoning bylaws define how specific areas of land can be used. For example, land can be zoned for residential, commercial, industrial or recreational. Zoning bylaws can also specify the nature of these uses in more detail (eg. multi-family residential, mixed residential) and regulate characteristics such as lot size, placement, density and height of structures.
Zoning shapes smart land use by implementing sustainable land use policies set out in the Official Community Plan [1] and Regional Growth Strategy [2]. Local government authority and influence in the rezoning process (see Leveraging the Rezoning Process [3]) is a powerful tool and can be used to take climate change action. Nearly all of British Columbia’s communities use zoning, although some exceptions do exist. Local government’s core zoning authority is set out in the Local Government Act, Section 903.
Zoning can play a strong role in developing a compact and complete community, to the extent that directly impacts GHG emission and energy use in the following ways:
In addition to direct climate benefits, co-benefits of zoning for complete and compact land use are:
For further information on benefits of compact land use, see Land Use [4].
Specific zoning strategies to cut energy use and emissions include:
Links
[1] https://www.toolkit.bc.ca/tool/official-community-plan
[2] https://www.toolkit.bc.ca/tool/regional-growth-strategy
[3] https://www.toolkit.bc.ca/diverse-zoning-strategies-diverse-communities#process
[4] https://www.toolkit.bc.ca/solution/land-use-solutions
[5] https://www.toolkit.bc.ca/diverse-zoning-strategies-diverse-communities#housing%20strategies
[6] https://www.toolkit.bc.ca/diverse-zoning-strategies-diverse-communities#CD%20zones
[7] https://www.toolkit.bc.ca/diverse-zoning-strategies-diverse-communities#TOD
[8] https://www.toolkit.bc.ca/diverse-zoning-strategies-diverse-communities#zoning%20for%20low%20carbon%20bldgs
[9] https://www.toolkit.bc.ca/diverse-zoning-strategies-diverse-communities#zoning%20for%20ag