22 – LESSONS FROM THE PAST INFORM THE FUTURE IN METRO VANCOUVER: How do we accommodate more people, ensure livable communities, protect stream health?
Note to Reader:
In November 2024, the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia released THE SYNOPSIS for the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver. The Chronicle is a sweeping narrative of the 30-year period from 1994 through 2024. The Chronicle is a layered package comprising four documents: the Chronicle of the Journey, Stories Within the Story, Synopsis and Executive Summary. The target audience for each layer is different.
The Synopsis is the third layer in the cascade. It is oriented to senior managers who have limited time to absorb what they need to know to make informed decisions. The Synopsis is visual and so can easily be skimmed in 20 minutes or less! This extract is from page S36 and S37.
Knowing What We Know, Now What?
“The task at hand is about how to redefine things in a new political environment so that the region would be able to get a new vision and new political commitment,” suggests Ray Fung. “This is how we ride the curve from a new crucible period to another golden period. Learn from past experience. There is no time to reinvent the wheel.”
In the 2000s. Ray Fung chaired the BC Water Sustainability Committee (2003-2008) and the Green Infrastructure Partnership (2008-2010), Both were rolled into the Partnership for Water Sustainability upon incorporation as a non-profit legal entity in 2010. He is a former Director of Engineer in local government in the Metro Vancouver region.
When there is trust and respect between politicians and staff, good outcomes for the community are more likely to result
“At the end of the day, good decision-making comes down to a good process,” says Pete Steblin, a respected long-time city manager. “When there is a significant level of trust in technical recommendations, Councils rarely override them. Trust is fragile and can easily be broken. When trust is lost, decades of good work can be lost.”
Failure to notice change = baseline creep
“Every generation is handed a world that has been shaped by their predecessors – and then seemingly forgets that fact. This blind spot is the reason why a baseline creeps imperceptibly over generations,” explains Daniel Pauly. One of the most cited fisheries scientists in the world, he coined the term Shifting Baseline Syndrome in 1995.
“We transform the world, but we don’t remember it. We adjust our baseline to the new level, and we don’t recall what was there. You can have a succession of changes. At the end you want to sustain miserable leftovers. And the question is, why do people accept this? Well, because they don’t know that it was different.”
Build political support to stop baseline creep
“What would leveraging political commitment and self-interest look like for rainwater management and riparian forest integrity in today’s context? What combination will it take to effect change? How will we stop baseline creep to prevent further degradation?” asks Ray Fung.
“Housing affordability is an issue and more people in the same area of land means increasing housing density. But as you go up, you need more park and open space. The need for tree cover becomes even more grave to reduce the heat island effect.”
“When you function stack, riparian corridors can also be recreation corridors. And that is needed to keep up with the housing density going up. Packaging and framing it that way rides that curve. It is the only way to build political support.”
Use plain language
“Drainage, recreation, habitat, enjoyment of property – these words are visual. They immediately conjure a picture in our minds. A strategic plan that supports this diversity would appear worthwhile to the greatest number of interested parties,” wrote Kim Stephens, Synopsis author and Partnership Executive Director.
To Learn More:
Download a copy of the Synopsis of the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver from 1994 through 2024. released in November 2024. The Synopsis is structured as six sections.
And to learn more about the work and renown of Daniel Pauly, DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Know Your History and Context to Offset Generational Amnesia” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in November 2021
DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/gi/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/Metro-Van-Chronicle_Synopsis_DRAFT_Nov2024.pdf