The Town of Okotoks, Alberta is one of the fastest growing rural towns in the 30 minute commuter shed surrounding the City of Calgary. In response to this intensive growth pressure, the Town consulted extensively with its citizens about lifestyle and quality of life issues. The result was the 'Emerald Award' winning Sustainable Okotoks Municipal Development Plan (MDP), which was the first formally approved Sustainable MDP approved by the Provincial Government. The Faculty of Environmental Design in partnership with the Town, William T. Perks and Associates, TransAlta Utilities, Prominence Realty Ltd and the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation,in response to a request from the Town to help with its MDP implementation process, undertook the development of a sustainable design demonstration project to illustrate what the MDP’s sustainable growth and quality of life objectives could look like and what the consumer and market receptivity might be. The demonstration involved the design of a ‘sustainable neighbourhood’ on a143 acres parcel site on the southwest boundary of Okotoks. The project incorporated social amenity and community features which included a range of housing typologies, mixed densities and land uses, multimodal circulation systems and spatial connections, civic places and neighbourhood centre development with space for live work units and small business potential. One of the most unique aspects of this project was the consumer testing component. An interactive CD-based survey featuring animated sequences and graphic illustrations of conventional and alternative design features was used to find out what design features and sustainable innovations a sample of 100 potential home buyers in the Okotoks area would support. The design features that received the highest consumer response were housing diversity and civic space, the alternative design of streetscapes and ecological infrastructure and community environmental stewardship opportunities.
