This has been an extraordinary year for the District of Ucluelet, B.C.

It started in June at FCM’s 69th Annual Conference and Municipal Expo^TM in Montreal when Ucluelet won a 2006 FCM-CH2M HILL Sustainable Community Award for sustainable community planning.

Then, in November, the community-university research alliance between the District of Ucluelet and Malaspina University-College in Nanaimo was singled out as an "example of the world’s best practice" at the United Nations Liveable Communities (LivCom) Environmentally Sustainable Community Awards competition held in Hangzhou, China.

Ucluelet was the only North American finalist to be invited to the final stage of the competition. The District walked away with three prestigious international awards for its grassroots approach to community planning: a gold award for its official community plan, a silver in the most liveable community category (population under 20,000), and the top prize for the most sustainable community.

Ucluelet received praise for developing its official community plan with a limited budget and modest staff resources, "but with huge commitment from the community and through an inspiring partnership with the university-college." The judges called the community-university research alliance "an example of the world’s best practice."

An unbelievable journey

Located about 300 kilometres north of Victoria, Ucluelet is home to some of Canada’s most spectacular geography — ocean views, sandy beaches, islands and inlets and the temperate rainforests of British Columbia.

The district’s economy has historically been dominated by forestry and fishing but over the last decade these industries had declined, while pressure from new developments has been posing a threat to Ucluelet’s natural environment.

In 2003, the district began reviewing its official community plan. With only a limited budget and a one-person planning department, the community devised an official plan. The Malaspina University-College in Nanaimo, a key partner, helped with community consultation.

The result was a surge in interest from the public. Using the public’s input and ideas, the District modified existing policies and created new ones to guide Ucluelet's future using sustainable development initiatives and innovative techniques.

Its new official community plan contains several innovative smart growth policies that address staff and affordable housing, a density bonus system, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines, Alternative Development Standards (ADS), and public access. Overall, the development community has reacted positively to the policies.

Felice Mazzoni, director of planning services for Ucluelet, invited two tourism students, Heather Richards and Richard Crowley, and Professor Dave Robinson, to accompany him to the competition and awards ceremony in China. Mazzoni, Robinson and Richards made a presentation before an international audience, explaining the Malaspina-Ucluelet research alliance, and the ways in which students helped create Ucluelet’s official community plan with grassroots community involvement.

Crowley summed up the experience by saying, "It was like being at the Academy Awards!"

Visit the District of Ucluelet's website.

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