What's Green and Not-So-Green About Vancouver

Jonathan Hiskes writes "The David Suzuki Foundation, a prominent Canadian environmental group based in Vancouver, has a mildly optimistic take. It gives the games a 'bronze' medal for green efforts, praising the smartly designed venues, fairly compact layout of the games, and transparent carbon accounting. But it says organizers missed a big opportunity by making many transportation improvements temporary rather than permanent additions to the city.

Many locals have a much dimmer view, protesting the $6 billion public bailout used to rescue the games from recession woes, a ticketing racket that shut out many locals, and the perception that real estate honchos held undue sway over the planning."

Among its green pros are the city's density, mass transit and the new Athletes Village, which is being heralded as one of the most sustainable developments in North America.

Some of the city's cons include its homelessness, crime and affordability issues.