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“With municipalities receiving just eight cents of every tax dollar to build and maintain almost half of the country’s core infrastructure, it’s not surprising that Canadian cities are looking for innovative, cost-saving approaches to manage it. As aging infrastructure eats up more and more of municipal budgets in maintenance, repair and replacement costs, this becomes urgent,” wrote Michele Molnar.

“Canadian municipalities must innovate to address at least three major, interconnected issues now and over the coming years. The Town of Gibsons, just north of Vancouver, is pioneering a strategy that could contribute to the efforts of municipalities in BC and elsewhere to address these issues. The Gibsons ‘eco-asset strategy’ is proving to be an effective financial and municipal management approach,” stated Emanuel Machado.

Cities selected for this program are able to take advantage of a full year of personalized advice provided by individuals with decades of sustainability expertise. “The participating cities are not the usual suspects, like San Francisco, New York or Boston. They are small to mid-sized cities that may have similarities to Portland in some cases, and in others, could not be more different. A lot of these are very unglamorous cities, which makes it kind of fun,” says Robert Liberty.

“We should be developing cities to promote biodiversity rather than hamper it, as part of a drive for higher quality external design to create better places for urban citizens to live, work and relax, where people can lead healthier and happier lives. As space in cities becomes more precious, planning for green needs to be considered as a fundamental consideration and not as an optional add-on or a nod towards biodiversity,” stated Tom Armour.

“A decade ago, the new language and direction in the Official Community Plan provided City staff with the mandate to turn ideas into action,” says Dana Soong. “Linking watershed and neighbourhood planning processes gave all departments a vested interest in the outcome.”

“We wanted Blue City to be an accessible report, grounded in rigorous research and analysis but presented in the style of a magazine. The report focuses on real measures and solutions of urban water issues that exist today. This is a very tangible report on a common vision and shared innovations,” states Kirk Stinchcombe.

“The Wetland Workshop is designed to inform and educate planners, engineers and other municipal / regional district staff involved in urban development policy and permitting, Integrated Stormwater Management Plans (ISMPs), wetland mapping projects and/or watershed planning,” states Neil Fletcher.

“More than a decade into the 21st century, the idea of collaborative watershed management has come of age, and watershed groups across the province are eager to participate. It is all about learning to think like a watershed. That is our vision,” emphasizes Oliver Brandes.

Will Marsh (Landscape Planner, Teacher, Author):
This is a straight-forward planning principle that facilitates a ‘Design with Nature’ approach to development. This approach respects the inherent qualities that make places special.

The Tool is well suited to assessing development projects ranging in size from a collection of houses to a block-by-block infill development to an entire subdivision