Quality of life the focus of new city map
Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Dec 08/00) - Yellowknifers are getting together to create a new view of the capital.
Once completed, a Green Map will identify the city's significant environmental, cultural and historical sites.
The 'green' refers to the maps' purpose as a planning tool for the monitoring and promotion of a more sustainable city, but map co-ordinator Shelly Kovalench said the perspective the map provides is broader than conservation and the environment.
"It's more about quality of life," said Kovalench, a project assistant with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society's Northwest Territories chapter (CPAWS).
The map identifies such things as city trails, the best places to walk your dog or baby, green spaces, environmental hot spots and historical sites.
A series of copyrighted green map icons will be used to illustrate the city's 'green' features.
Sites were added by residents when the park's society displayed it at the trade show, at the Alternatives North annual general meeting and community mapping events organized by CPAWS NWT. Students will get a chance to add to it when Kovalench takes it into the schools in February.
Because the city's social and recreational landscape changes from summer to winter, a 'white' version identifying sites like skiing trails, northern lights viewing areas and toboggan hills, will also be developed.
The two maps will be printed when they are completed this summer and offered free to tourists and residents alike.
"Our primary focus is the residents," Kovalench said. "They're the ones that live here and they're the ones impacted by decisions the city and industry makes."
The first city to be green mapped, back in 1992 in preparation for its hosting of the Earth Summit, was New York. The idea was to show the Big Apple is more than skyscrapers separated by honking, grid-locked taxis.
Since then, green maps have been developed of 130 cities in 26 countries.
With a budget of $18,000, Yellowknife's green and white maps are being produced by CPAWS in partnership with the city, Ecology North, the Northern Frontier Visitors Association.
