“The intended purpose of an ISMP is to provide a clear picture of how local governments can be proactive in applying land use planning tools to protect property watershed health, while at the same time accommodating land development and population growth,” states Ray Fung.
Don Moore was a commonsense practitioner; he was not captive to terminology. Part of his legacy is being the catalyst for looking at drainage differently in 2004. Don Moore was also responsible for constructing the first ‘engineered rain garden’ in British Columbia.
The ‘design with nature’ paradigm is borrowed from the seminal book by Ian McHarg because it captures the essence of climate change adaptation. Adaptation is about responding to the changes that will inevitably occur. Adaptation is at the community level and is therefore about collaboration.
Richard Boase (120p)
The catalyst for pending action is the current incremental impact of property redevelopment on stream health. Our watersheds have been experiencing death by a thousand cuts as the house footprint has grown larger and larger over the decades.
The plan reimagines the city as an oasis of rain gardens, green roofs, permeable pavements, thousands of additional trees, and more. According to Howard Neukrug, the Philadelphia Water Department’s Director of the Office of Watersheds, “We are taking that (old, grey infrastructure) barrier down, and are stopping the water from ever hitting the system.”
“The cost of trying and failing may be high. But the cost of doing nothing is higher still. We have one chance to develop things right—to provide for safe and attractive neighborhoods, ecological balance, and clean water. If we mess it up, it will take decades and millions of dollars to fix it later,” writes Andy Reese.
John Slater MLA (120p)
Living Water Smart sets the direction for changes to use of water and development of land. One-third of the 45 actions in Living Water Smart either require legislative change or would be strengthened with changes to water laws.
A decade ago, British Columbia and Washington State had the same science and a common understanding of what it meant. The point of departure for rainwater management and green infrastructure was the same. A decade later, are they on diverging paths? A cross-border panel session created the opportunity to compare prescriptive vs educational approaches. “We call our approach designing with nature,” continued Remi Dubé, “We have borrowed from the teachings of Ian McHarg because we believe this is the way we will create livable communities and protect stream health.”
Stormwater Management: Using trees and structural soils – manual cover (360p)
Researchers know that urban forests, like rural forest land, can play a pivotal role in rainwater/stormwater mitigation. Structural soil reservoirs may provide new opportunities for meeting engineering, environmental, and greenspace management needs in urban areas.
CRD logo (360p)
The workshop provided an overview of what homeowners can do to manage rainwater on their property.
