“When we refer to designing with nature, we are borrowing from Ian McHarg and the title of his 1969 book. We are consistent with what McHarg intended in terms of ecological planning and letting the landscape inform development. In practical terms, what designing with nature means…is essentially a restatement of Smart Growth principles,” stated Ray Fung.
“In Washington State, we cannot achieve environmental protection using current methods of development,” bemoaned Ed O’Brien, “Not many new developments are applying low impact development techniques. There isn’t a land use dictator who can demand change. It will take public education to instill a culture change for us to have any hope that we can protect aquatic resources in the urban environment.”
“From a City of Nanaimo perspective, the Showcasing Innovation Series is timely. Our participation has served as a catalyst for the City to evaluate our progress to date and reflect on lessons learned from our experience. The City is enthusiastic about sharing what we have learned with our peers in other Vancouver Island municipalities,” stated Rob Lawrance.
Delsom Estates represented the largest tract of undeveloped land in North Delta. “From the inception of the redevelopment project, sustainability was a first principle.“ recalls Marcy Sangret, “Delta staff initiated a “checklist” of environmental, social and economic sustainability elements to be considered for a mixed use community.”
“The Regional District, District of North Cowichan and City of Duncan will showcase the role of partnerships – first, in developing a shared vision of what the ‘valley future’ can look like; and next, in implementing actions that will bring the vision to fruition. The unifying theme is: to make things happen, local governments need to partner and pool resources,” states Kate Miller.
Resource protection – for groundwater supply and fisheries habitat – is the driver for implementing green infrastructure in Langley and the Township is developing a Sustainability Charter. “This is intended to be a high-level policy document that helps guide the Township toward sustainability on the ground. A big part of developing the document will be engaging the community,” states Ramin Seifi.
“We will showcase on-the-ground benefits that result when local governments collaborate to integrate their efforts, and are guided by an holistic way-of-thinking and acting. Case studies will demonstrate how to ‘connect the dots’ to achieve integrated and sustainable outcomes,” reports Kevin Lagan.
“At UniverCity residents have parks, trails, playgrounds and discounted transit, and have access to the university’s recreational facilities and other amenities. In effect, our role is much like that of a City Hall. We are facilitating the partnership between the university and the community. We are doing event planning and promoting community involvement,” reports Nancy McCuaig.
The City of Courtenay was the first BC municipality to adopt a policy requiring developers to provide a minimum soil depth on building sites as a rainwater management tool.
The Wal-Mart development in the City of Courtenay precipitated the beginning of a major change in how the City administers the zoning/development/approval process, collaborates with other agencies and also manages the rainwater resource.
