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“The effects that climate change may have on flood hazard is a concern for many local governments and citizens in British Columbia. Planning for future changes in precipitation is important, but it should not overshadow the significance that day-to-day development has on stream flows,” stated Chris Jensen. “Local governments may not be able to change future storm events, but they can affect how land is developed and redeveloped.”

”People eagerly embrace the opportunities for engagement and education. They really want to share their thoughts and experiences. Residents have a stake in restoring watershed health. There is so much experience that we can mine. We who live in the watershed are the experts,” stated Soren Henrich. He helped build buy-in. He is a professional graphic artist. Among his many
contributions is the Bowker Creek Initiative logo.

President Xi Jinping has been quick to back the idea of “sponge cities”. The Chinese central government pledged to provide billions in financial assistance over the next three years to implement green infrastructure so that the urban landscape in 16 cities will function as urban sponges.

“Implementing the Regional Green Infrastructure Plan will be a monumental undertaking over the coming decades, but the beauty of green infrastructure is that it complements what already exists, builds from the success of our existing infrastructure, naturalizes and beautifies our urban fabric, and can be built in our front and backyards alike,” concluded Kevin Shaffer.

“While most people prefer to make land-use decisions that restore the environment, land planners and decision makers may still overlook key natural resources. Just as we plan for our gray infrastructure – roads, bridges, power lines, pipelines, sewer systems – so should we plan to conserve natural resources as our green infrastructure”, said Karen Firehock.

“Living Water Smart provides a framework and sets a direction. The purpose in convening for action is to establish consistent expectations on-the-ground: This is what we want to achieve, and this is how we will get there. Our immediate objective in convening for action is to encourage ‘green choices’ that will ripple through time,” stated Kim Stephens. “We are NOT saying that every community must follow the same formula; what we are saying is that everyone needs to agree on expectations and how all the players will work together, and after that each community can reach its goals in its own way.”

“We’re in a critical moment—natural ecosystems continue to degrade, existing gray infrastructure continues to age, and costs continue to rise. Even if just a portion of upcoming water infrastructure investment is directed toward green infrastructure, the opportunities for cost savings and water-related benefits are immense,” writes Todd Gartner.

NYC Green Infrastructure Plan – cover (360p) – October 2010
Green infrastructure is the wave of the future. That’s how any city that’s interested in sustaining itself and its public health over time has to view its urban planning.

Robert Hicks (120p) – Metro Vancouver
The genesis for ISMPs was a desire to integrate the community, engineering, planning and environmental perspectives. Local governments knew they had to do business differently to protect or restore watershed health.

Paul Crabtree (120p) – Rainwater in Context Initiative
The one-size-fits all sites approach often ignores the watershed scale, and can have unintended negative consequences in regards to infill, redevelopment, and compact urbanism in general.