CONVENING FOR ACTION IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “When we are part of a network, everyone goes further,” observes Derek Richmond, former chair of the CAVI-Convening for Action on Vancouver Island program
The Partnership for Water Sustainability originated as a network in the 2000s as an outcome of the provincial “convening for action” initiative. This multi-year program demonstrated the power of peer-based learning, collaboration and partnerships in combination with a regional team approach that spans jurisdictional boundaries. “When you bring the appropriate people together in constructive ways with good information, you look to them to create authentic visions and strategies for addressing the shared concerns of their organizations and community,” stated Derek Richmond.
GREEN, HEAL AND RESTORE THE EARTH: Ian McHarg’s “Design With Nature” vision has influenced implementation of British Columbia’s Water Sustainability Action Plan – desired outcome is to achieve Settlement, Economy and Ecology in Balance as communities develop and e-develop
In his 1969 book, Design With Nature, Ian McHarg pioneered the concept of environmental planning: “So, I commend Design with Nature to your sympathetic consideration. The title contains a gradient of meaning. It can be interpreted as simply descriptive of a planning method, deferential to places and peoples, it can invoke the Grand Design, it can emphasize the conjunction with and, finally it can be read as an imperative. DESIGN WITH NATURE!.” His philosophy was rooted in an ecological sensibility that accepted the interwoven worlds of the human and the natural.
DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Municipal Infrastructure Gap – We are past the point where local governments can catch up” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in May 2026
“The asset management process does not include futures. Only when an asset is newly constructed is it added to the register. That disconnect got me thinking. Infrastructure must one day be replaced. In the meantime, what do we do with the futures stuff? Where does the process and plan fit into the big picture for municipal councils? Councils have dealt with the futures stuff and the need for master plans for decades. But what is missing from the futures agenda is an equal master plan dealing with the future condition of existing infrastructure,” stated Wally Wells.
MUNICIPAL INFRASTRUCTURE GAP: “The problem is not aging infrastructure. The problem is the decades that we did not pay attention to it. This inattention is what created the infrastructure gap,” stated Bill Sims, freshly retired as General Manager of Engineering & Public Works (City of Nanaimo)
“We put all our energies into planning for the future to accommodate growth. It is almost to the point where infrastructure is an afterthought. Then we create an extreme variety of demands and high levels of service that we cannot possibly sustain. Local government is dealing with a double-edged sword. The demand for services and quantity of services is going through the roof. But there is a clash with the willingness of residents to pay for those services. But the revenue from development cost charges and user rates is not enough to cover asset renewal,” stated Bill Sims.
DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Open Minds, Overcome Inertia, Implement Effective Standards of Practice for Urban Watershed Health in British Columbia” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in April 2026
The Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation brings to life an exciting period in local government “convening for action” history. The Chronicle weaves quotable quotes by those who were in the frontlines of the green infrastructure movement to tell their story. “Creating change is not easy. We talk a lot about barriers that must be overcome. But the real issue is inertia. It takes effort and energy to get everyone moving in the right direction. And it requires a willingness to take calculated risks. By 2012, we had good reasons for optimism when we looked ahead,” stated Richard Boase.
CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION: “Why is knowing the history for the period 2012 through 2017 important? A decade later, restoration of urban watershed health is an unfulfilled promise. Inertia stymies universal, consistent implementation of effective standards of development practice,” stated Kim Stephens, Chronicle author
“What can we learn from the period 2012 through 2017? What takeaways and insights should we apply in 2026? Will we? Context is everything. Polarization, COVID and AI. This harmful combination impacted the trajectory for what might otherwise have been achieved through peer-based learning and collaboration across boundaries. Deep knowledge is being ignored or dismissed at an alarming rate. Our world seems to be getting more wobbly, more unstable, more uncertain, and for all sorts of reasons. Storytelling is needed more than ever,” stated Kim Stephens.
ARTICLE: “When we are part of a network, everyone goes further” (Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine, 2026)
“As individuals, under deadlines and demands for expediency, we can easily forget to look beyond local resources. Accepting and sharing concepts and points of view becomes part of a synergistic process that promotes others above self and focuses on the mission at hand. Constructive collaboration with others creates a powerful tool that is far greater than the sum of its parts. Because of transformational events, such as COVID, we have rapidly shifted to an era where trusted knowledge sharing has become more important than ever,” stated Derek Richmond.
HUMAN-TO-HUMAN CONNECTION IS BEING LOST: “Foundational knowledge, based on inter-generational networking, is being lost at an ever-increasing rate,” write Derek Richmond and Kim Stephens in an article published in Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine (April 2026)
“In this issue, authors Derek Richmond and Kim Stephens begin by saying that ‘networks are a way to get greater leverage on your scarce resources and move forward together with other likeminded, values-aligned colleagues.’ However, they fear that human to-human connection is being lost,” wrote Steve Davey in his editorial comment. “Recently, the Partnership hosted the Convening for Action Forum, as part of a strategy to help reverse this situation. Reading about this event brought back my early memories of face-to-face networking.”
DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: BCIT green roof programming an early victim of an ebbing tide” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in April 2026
Maureen Connelly founded and led the Centre for Architectural Ecology at the BC Institute of Technology from inception. She recruited a team of engineers, architects, and researchers to establish a world-class research facility. The Centre addressed the lack of performance data for green roofs in the Pacific Northwest. BCIT became an important hub for green roof research, education, and policy development, as the movement grew and evolved across North America. When the Centre suspended operation, out of the ashes emerged GRIN to provide a voice for green roofs.
OUT OF THE ASHES CAME THE GREEN ROOF INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORK: “Part of the vision for GRIN is to use green roofs to break down silos. If we truly acknowledged the climate emergency, biodiversity crisis and loneliness epidemic, there would be green roofs everywhere,” stated Dr. Christine Thuring, Executive Director
“If we can at least grow the literacy of the population, who can then confidently demand certain things from their councils, that is bottom-up and very organic. We are using the upcoming tour for World Green Roof Day as a way to test where Vancouver civic political parties stand on green roofs. World Green Roof Day is on June 6 every year. It is basically a social media wave that starts in Australia, with the hashtag #WGRD following the sun around the world, ending here, more or less! It is a great way for anyone to generate green roof pride in our region,” stated Christine Thuring.
RESILIENT REGION DESIGN CHARRETTE TACKLES NEW HOUSING LEGISLATION: “Now that Metro region mayors have called on the Province to repeal ill-conceived housing legislation, this creates a unique opportunity for a course correction,” stated Patrick Condon, author of Broken City, and sustainable design thought leader
“In this year of the election, I am particularly encouraged by the fact that the mayors in the Metro region have spoken out. The mayors are hearing it and their constituents are now hearing it because their constituents are in the neighbourhoods and they are affected by it. It is a unique opportunity because it hits everybody literally where they live, literally where they live! That creates a very dynamic crucible politically for us because livability is on the table, definitely on the table. Everybody is thinking about this now. So everybody is going to be interested,” stated Patrick Condon.
DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Resilient Region Design Charrette tackles housing legislation – regional livability is on the table…again!” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in March 2026
“Regional livability is definitely on the table again. So, I am reviving with Derek Lee the idea of a regional charrette prompted by a lot of the same kinds of housing, transportation, and ecological issues that informed the original Sustainability by Design series. Metro Vancouver faces increasing resistance to provincially mandated Transit-Oriented Area (TOA) development amid concerns over the impacts of rapid densification. Without coordinated planning, this growth risks producing fragmented, unaffordable, and poorly serviced communities,” stated Patrick Condon.