Investing in habitat
UniverCity is designed to take advantage of – but also respect – its location adjacent to the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area, one of the most significant wilderness preserves in Metro Vancouver.
UniverCity donated more than 800 acres of that 1,400-acre park in return for the right to develop the 160 acres immediately surrounding the university. The UniverCity community plan also safeguards the natural habitat through stormwater management, tree protection and local planting guidelines.
Saving with stormwater
The comprehensive and award-winning stormwater management system is one of UniverCity’s most essential and successful sustainable initiatives. The system mimics nature by returning nearly 100 per cent of stormwater to the ground instead of diverting large amounts into conventional drainage pipes or storm sewers. The objective is to maintain pre-development stormwater runoff quality and quantity such that a salmon swimming in a stream at the bottom of Burnaby Mountain would have no clue that a thriving urban community exists at the top.