The Green Infrastructure Guide describes how the ‘greening’ of British Columbia’s urban communities can be achieved
Published in 2007, The Green Infrastructure Guide: Issues, Implementation Strategies and Success Stories was developed by West Coast Environmental Law and is a deliverable under the Outreach and Continuing Education Program of 
the Green Infrastructure Partnership.
The Guide builds on a body of work that has preceded it, and is designed to be used in conjunction with the range of important resources available from various organizations and government to support a sustainable approach to community development of infrastructure. For an overview of the Guide content, please click here.
The Guide is designed to complement Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia and serve as a useful backdrop for conversations to take place both within and beyond the local government’s planning department and legal advisors.
Distinguishing Natural from Engineered Green Infrastructure
Two complementary strategies can “green” a community and its infrastructure: first, preserving as much as possible of the natural green infrastructure; and secondly, promoting designs that soften the footprint of development.
Green infrastructure design is engineering design that takes a ‘design with nature’ approach, to both mitigate the potential impacts of existing and future development and growth and to provide valuable services.
The Guide provides guidance on how local governments may, using legal and policy strategies, encourage or require more sustainable infrastructure designs. It refers readers to strategies, and highlights case studies of local governments that have already taken steps to incorporate a green infrastructure approach. The focus is on implementation mechanisms, issues and barriers, and on what lessons have been learned from experiences to date.
Legal and Policy Strategies to Support Green Infrastructure
The Guide traces some of BC’s local government experience in implementing engineered green infrastructure designs. The Guide’s purpose is to encourage successful designs, by reporting on what the legal and policy strategies are, what some of the implementation hurdles (and solutions) have been, and how they have been effective in achieving sustainability goals.
The intent is to support the efforts of local government officials and decision-makers to green their community’s infrastructure, by sharing the tools and the collective wisdom that have been gained as a result of implementation experiences from around the province.
Posted September 2007