Green Infrastructure

Three projects were featured – a lane, a highway and a local community. Participants were taken by bus to see how these projects have been implemented. “Selection of porous pavement to infiltrate rainwater runoff was an outcome of an inter-departmental design charrette where the Water Balance Model was a key decision tool,” reported Richard Boase.

“The focus was on what the City believes it can systematically accomplish on-the-ground, at a watershed scale, now and over the next 50 years by building on the East Clayton experience. The emphasis was on the approach the City is developing under the umbrella of the Fergus Creek ISMP to facilitate changes in how land is developed and/or redeveloped,” reported Remi Dube.

Held in December 2006, the workshop was attended by municipalities from throughout the Peace River region.

“The Country Lanes Demonstration Project originated from community desire for the City to provide a more environmentally friendly and visually attractive alternative to Vancouver’s existing asphalt lanes. The initiative was further propelled by a policy directive from the City’s Corporate Management Team which encouraged staff to incorporate enhanced sustainability into all the City Operations as a way of doing business,” reports David Desrochers.

In May 2005, the Green Infrastructure Partnership (GIP) conducted a Consultation Workshop in collaboration with the Regional Engineers Advisory Committee of the Greater Vancouver Regional District. “The clear message was to make outreach and practitioner education the #1 priority. This resulted in a reconfiguration of the GIP Work Plan as a set of ten educational elements,” reports Kim Stephens.

The Greater Vancouver Regional District launched the Sustainable Region Initiative (SRI) in 2001 to identify principles that should guide regional development.

“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 Celebrating Green Infrastructure Program was launched in May 2006 in the Greater Vancouver region as a provincial pilot.

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.

During the summer of 2003, the City of Vancouver constructed three “Country Lanes” as part of a demonstration project to evaluate more sustainable alternatives to regular lane paving.