Developing sustainability indicators for rural residential areas: The public transit connection.

摘要

The rate of population growth within rural residential areas of British Columbia's Georgia Basin has, over the past 20 years doubled, and often tripled, that of adjacent urban areas.;To help measure the sustainability of rural residential areas, four subsidiary questions inform this research. The first of these subsidiary questions reveals that the post-1950s automobile-based approach to planning caused mobility deprivation, encouraged rural residential sprawl, promoted community designs that were hostile to pedestrians, contributed towards road congestion and road capacity expansion, elevated local and global air pollution, and contributed to greenhouse gas emissions. The second subsidiary question reveals that a transit-based approach to planning will reduce road congestion, improve access to activity centres, reduce local and global pollution, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The third subsidiary question explores the development of sustainability indicators for rural residential areas. The final subsidiary question examines the role that public transit plays in influencing the sustainability of rural residential areas. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)