UniverCity will host third in ‘2007 Showcasing Green Infrastructure Innovation Series’
‘A Partnership in Action: from Vision to Implementation’ is the event theme
The Green Infrastructure Partnership has announced that UniverCity – the Community at Simon Fraser will host the third event in a series of three events that comprise Showcasing Green Infrastructure Innovation In Greater Vancouver: The 2007 Series. The UniverCityevent will be on Friday, October 19. For more information on the series, click on
According to Chris Hartman, Vice-President of the SFU Community Trust that is responsible for development of a compact, complete community at the top of Burnaby Mountain, “UniverCity will showcase the fruits of our partnership with the City of Burnaby – first, in developing a shared vision of what a ‘sustainable community’ on top of a mountain would look like; and then, in taking that vision from concept to reality.”
In 2000, translating high expectations for UniverCity into practical design guidelines meant revisiting accepted drainage engineering practice. The precedent-setting plan for rainwater management and watercourse enhancement set in motion a chain of outcomes that has resulted in British Columbia being recognized internationally as a leader in achieving ‘design with nature’ outcomes in an urban environment.
The UniverCity experience became the heart of Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia. This then triggered development of the Water Balance Model, which in 
turn led to formation of the Green Infrastructure Partnership.
“UniverCity is a pioneer application in North America of ‘adaptive management’ in a local government setting. The goal of adaptive management is to learn by doing and constantly improve”, adds Dale Mikkelsen, Manager, Planning and Sustainability.
Green Infrastructure Partnership
The Green Infrastructure Partnership was formed in 2003 and is a consortium of four organizations. Under the umbrella of the Water Sustainability Action Plan, the mission of the Green Infrastructure Partnership is to facilitate implementation of design with nature infrastructure practices and regulation province-wide. If we design with nature, then the water balance can be maintained or even restored over time.
According to Paul Ham, Chair of the Green Infrastructure Partnership, “The purpose of the Showcasing Innovation Series is to celebrate… and build on…the on-the-ground successes that are enhancing the ways communities are being developed and water is 
being managed.”
“The goal is to promote networking, build regional capacity, and move ‘from awareness to action’ — through sharing of green infrastructure approaches, tools, experiences and lessons learned as an outcome of designing with nature”, adds Paul Ham, whose day job with the City of Surrey is General Manager, Engineering.
Posted June 2007