The 'sustainable' future of one of the largest residential development projects in the city's history is underway at the Canada Games Centre.

In an interview Monday, city planning manager Lesley Cabott said the Porter Creek bench charrette, which began Sunday and runs until Thursday, is going well. The first of a series of evolutionary development designs will be on display tonight, she said.

'It's been great. We've had presentations by (socio-econonic, heritage, smart growth and air quality) consultants who have been working on the project,' she said.

Public input on the charrette plan, she added, will begin tonight.

'They'll be seeking comments and feedback which will then be fed back into the design teams,' she said.

Porter Creek Community Association president Jeff Marynowski, who is on the charrette design team, said he is pleased with the level of collaboration between design experts and public members of the team. He is encouraging members of the public to provide input to the project, he added.

'This is all about public input. This is democracy at its finest and ultimately, the politicians will listen to us,' he said.

'I would encourage people to come out,' he said.

Marynowski said thus far in the charrette process, team members had been working on a 100-year vision for the Porter Creek bench based on sustainable principles.

B.C. smart growth consultant Rob Barrs, who is participating in the charrette, said he has worked on a number of charrettes in southern cities. He feels the process is a positive way for communities to build the communities they want and need.

'We use charrettes in a lot of what we do (in B.C.),' he said.

'It's a good way to move forward.'

He said charrettes are an effective way to reduce the NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) factor in development planning because community members are participating in the development process.

NIMBYism, he said, is something Whitehorse and other Canadian communities are struggling with.

'People often associate quality of life with spreading out into the wilderness and escaping urban areas,' he said.

Sprawl is not an environmentally responsible way to develop, he added.

Barrs said one of the key things being discussed and worked on by the charrette team was the creation of the 'walkable' community which would reduce Whitehorse residents' reliance on vehicles.

Barrs said from his perspective, Whitehorse is a sprawling city with many unconnected neighbourhoods, which means people living in the city have to use vehicles.

'(Whitehorse neighbourhoods) are isolated pockets. Some of them are low-density and can't support transit,' he said.

He said smart growth includes such factors as linkages from neighbourhoods to green space, air quality concerns, mixed use planning, 'green buildings' and energy efficiency.

'Smart growth is all about choice,' he said.

Anyone interested in learning more about the charrette should call the city's planning department at 668-8335.