Living green above the big box

Cool Town Studios has a very interesting new blog post about an award-winning development called The Rise in Vancouver.  Although the project is anchored by big-box retail, the parking is underground, there are 90 homes above, the building has a green roof, and it is adjacent to rapid transit.  Cool Town's post says the building is designed "to use 31% less energy, 67% less potable water, and will generate 52% lower greenhouse gas emissions" than a conventional development.  A nice way to tame the footprint of big retail while adding value to the community.

Kaid Benfield writes (almost) daily about community, development, and the environment.  For more posts, see his blog's home page.