FLASHBACK TO 2004 CONSULTATION WORKSHOP: What is “Green Infrastructure”?
Note to Reader:
In June 2004, the British Columbia Green Infrastructure Partnership (GIP) released a Consultation Report which included a comprehensive definition of “green infrastructure”.
Built and Natural Environments are Connected: So, Design with Nature!
The Green Infrastructure Partnership (GIP) was formed in 2003 to promote an integrated approach to land development and infrastructure servicing that addresses the need for coordinated change at different scales – that is: region, neighbourhood, site and building.
Green Infrastructure Defined (2004)
“Using a narrow interpretation, green infrastructure refers to the ecological processes, both natural and engineered, that are the foundation for a healthy natural and built environment in communities,” wrote Deborah Curran for the GIP’s 2004 Green Consultation Report. Deborah was the original West Coast Environmental Law (WCEL) representative on the GIP Steering Committee.
“Municipalities using the green infrastructure as an integral part of how development occurs find that it is often less costly than hard infrastructure, and also offers aesthetic, environmental, health and recreational benefits.”
“Using the green infrastructure to manage common processes, such as rainwater runoff, keeps water on the land longer, thus recharging aquifers while protecting stream hydrology and morphology.
“Street trees, greenways and rooftop gardens, the ‘urban forest’, help mediate summer heating in developed areas, restore pre-development levels of evapotranspiration, and sequester pollution while providing habitat for many species.
“Green infrastructure in neighbourhoods, such as green streets, constructed wetlands, protected stream corridors and new greenways, are seen as amenities and increase property values.
“Finally, maintaining working lands is important both for the economy and for their contribution to the green infrastructure of a region,” concluded Deborah Curran.
To Learn More:
Read the Report on the Green Infrastructure Consultation Held on May 11, 2004 in Vancouver.
