When the phrase first started to sneak down south, EcoDensity struck many here as green-washing of the highest order. Combining ecology and density--traditionally two diametrically opposed ideas--was pure Canadian fancy. The people that spent loonies, were sure acting looney. What could they be thinking, eh?

Well it turns out that they were right on target. Local initiatives like the Cascade Agenda, Open Space Seattle 2100 and ULI's Reality Check have shown that Vancouver's model is what many urban environmentalists have been pushing for here. Underpinning all of these initiatives is a host of evidence that shows refocusing on the city is good for the environment, human health, climate change and even community cohesion.

So what did Vancouver do?

The EcoDensity initiative is explained by Vancouver's planning director Brent Toderian at a recent post on Planetizen. Without re-stating everything he says, i want to point out a few things that Seattle might learn from this planning effort.

1. It had vision and branding. In the pantheon of words that paint a picture, EcoDensity may be up there with Willy Wonka. Like the beloved chocolateer, you can't see that word and not have an image arise in your mind. (Try that with metronatural--I keep seeing a fern with well groomed nails.) Over 3 years, they hung onto a central idea, a grounding core around which all of the dialogue whirled. It's like a parti in the design process---the intuitive, back of napkin sketch that gets you 75% of the way there. Unfortunately it is the easy 75%, but provides direction and certainty about where you're going. We seem timid to even do that much, we're unsure about where we want to go, so we hem and haw in often conflicting directions.

2. They had committment. One. Two. Three. Three years. Three iterations. Three improvements. When first rolled out, not everyone was smitten with EcoDensity. But it got the conversation going. And, proving Milenko Matanovic's truism that "we are smarter than me," as the idea was discussed in the community, if got stronger and both the planners and the community educated each other.

3. They were comprehensive. 17 EcoDensity initial actions were brought to Council, and 13 of them were passed out of Council unanimously. Three more were split decisions. One was removed per staff recommendations and Council obliged. These actions had to do with zoning, housing affordability, LEED standards, lane-oriented housing (our DADU's) which they call "hidden density,"

4. Affordability was just as important as "saving the planet through density."

5. It wasn't perfect. Fears were raised. People reacted. Seven nights of public meetings were held in a row. One hundred fifty people testified. Thirty protesters had black tape over their mouths because they felt "silenced." Politics occasionally got in the way and obfuscated the issues.

So, what is Seattle's EcoDensity? Is our regional growth target EcoDensity enough?

Vancouver Sun coverage here. Vancouver Courier coverage here.