Launched in May 2006, the goal of the Celebrating Green Infrastructure Program is to build regional capacity through sharing of green infrastructure approaches, experiences and lessons learned as an outcome of ‘designing with nature'.
“We wished to present as a group so that you would see that the province, local government, and practitioners are working together, helping one another, and working hard to reach out to you. You can trust these people. Their only goal is to turn local governments on to the practical reality that designing with nature – particularly water – is underway, is working, and holds out hope for communities and cities to function better, to our lasting benefit” stated Mayor Pam Goldsmith-Jones.
“Monthly breakfast meetings provide an ongoing opportunity for network and partnership building while at the same time building awareness and understanding of urban sustainability challenges, bringing together individuals and organizations interested in the sustainability of the region,” stated Mayor Lois Jackson when explaining the Strategic Region Initiative.
The University of British Columbia has implemented the world's first closed-loop system integrating rainwater runoff, wastewater treatment and ground source heating, and a small-scale biodiesel production unit which will transform waste cooking oil into a clean-burning fuel.
The third in the 2006 Showcasing Green Infrastructure Innovation Series was co-hosted by the University of British Columbia and the City of Vancouver. Three roadway projects were showcased: the Country Lanes Demonstration Project and Crown Street Streetscape & Fish Habitat Enhancement Project in the City, and the Sustainability Street Project at UBC.
This study recommends best practices that will help communities in British Columbia better understand the impacts of higher and lower density on their water resources. The findings indicate that low-density developments may not always be the preferred strategy for protecting water resources.
In 2005, the Master Municipal Construction Documents Association (MMCD) published a Draft Green Design Supplement. The Green Design Supplement provides criteria and guidelines to design more sustainable (i.e. green) municipal infrastructure.
This publication focuses on the relationship between development patterns, water use, and the cost of water delivery. It reviews literature that shows how large-lot, dispersed development patterns can cost more to serve because of the length of pipe required, pumping costs, and other factors. It also includes policy options that directly reduce the cost and demand for water, while indirectly promoting smarter growth.
Increasingly, the focus of design professionals is on how to build and/or rebuild communities in balance with the natural environment. Green infrastructure means use of processes and systems that are natural or mimic nature to provide community services — i.e. “design with nature”.
The Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) is one of the world's leading institutions concerned with education, training, research, and consultancy relating to the planning, provision, and management of infrastructure for development.
