Green Infrastructure

The Beyond the Guidebook Seminar in Novmber 2007 provided a timely opportunity to inform local government and land use practitioners regarding the emerging policy framework and senior government expectations for applying a 'Beyond the Guidebook' approach to land development and watershed management.

“In November 2007, the Capital Regional District hosted a full 1-day workshop titled “Bio/Infiltration: Tools for Rainwater Management”. Organized under the umbrella of the Stormwater, Harbours and Watersheds Program, the workshop emphasis was on municipal implementation, particularly funding, bylaws and other tools available to municipalities to work towards innovative rainwater management,” stated Jody Watson.

“We are identifying case studies that celebrate leading examples of real estate development projects in Vancouver Island communities. These case studies illustrate how green value approaches have been implemented, and include a review of the benefits/liabilities of each project,” states Tim Pringle.

The Ministry of Community Services and Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia have concluded that there would be value in jointly funding a catalogue of local government policies and practices that accommodate settlement while at the same building in green value – such that the outcome of each policy or practice contributes to A Positive Settlement Strategy.

A goal of the Green Infrastructure Partnership is to build capacity through the sharing of experiences, approaches and lessons learned by practitioners in implementing green infrastructure policies and practices.

The Controlled Subject Index provides users with convenient, indexed access to stories and resources that are contained in the Green Infrastructure Online Library. When a resource is added to the library, it is categorized against an index that comprises five ways of classifying the resource.

In the United States, water and wastewater treatment facilities account for 35% of energy used in municipalities. The consequences of the growing electric power and water demands will require more intensive management of water resources, greater integration between water and energy planning, more watershed or regional planning, and new science and technology to meet these needs.

“The City of Courtenay's Official Community Plan illustrates the benefits that result when municipal master planning and program implementation are guided by an holistic way-of-thinking that ‘connects the dots’ to achieve integrated and sustainable solutions,” stated Kevin Lagan.

Paved surfaces present rainwater management challenges, especially when adjacent to fish-bearing streams. The driveway and parking lot at the Regional District of Naniamo’s Water Pollution Control Centre represent a practical response to these issues.

Three Vancouver Island case studies comprised of commercial developments represent a linked set.They address similar rainwater management issues including extensive impervious surfaces as well as challenging geological and hydrological site features, and in every project “design with nature” technologies have been used to address these challenges. Finally, the same owner's agent was responsible for all three projects.