About the DCP:
The Dynamic Cities Project (DCP) is an enterprising non-profit organization based in Vancouver that helps local communities adapt to unprecedented global challenges including oil depletion and climate change. The DCP conducts scenario-based research in collaboration with local professionals and governments, in order to develop practical tools that foster the growth of more resilient cities, towns, and neighbourhoods.

Based on discussions with municipal staff, local politicians and consultants there is an expressed need to develop strategies for cities and regions to quickly become less dependent on fossil fuels. The DCP is contributing to that process by working with municipalities within the Greater Vancouver Regional District to develop integrated energy transition strategies for urban and regional planning.

Energy Transition:
At the DCP we believe that the combined impacts of peak oil and climate change will drive a global transition away from cheap fossil fuels over the coming decades, and that we are, today, in the first stages of that massive and unprecedented transition.

Out of this belief, stems our desire to contribute professionally to the global dialogue around peak oil and climate change and to help municipalities (starting with those in the Greater Vancouver Region) develop energy transition strategies; strategies that will reinforce the best aspects of our society while creating a healthy and just future.

As urban planners and designers, we have become increasingly aware of our complete reliance on fossil fuels for heating, manufacturing, transportation, and food production - and the extent to which this dependence is built in to the very fabric of our neighbourhoods, cities, and regions.

Similarly, we understand that there are numerous uncertainties surrounding the implications of both peak oil and climate change, and that these implications will be weighed (by decision makers) against other risks - including natural disasters, disease pandemics, and terrorism - and against other benchmarks such as economic growth and market share.

As a general approach, then, we aim to illustrate the specific risks (to our current business models, to our personal health and prosperity, and to global stability) and to craft appropriate design, planning, and policy solutions that help us not only to address these risks, but also to create a preferred future for ourselves and our children.
Please join us in this effort.

Contact Bryn Davidson: bryn@dynamiccities.org