CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PERIOD FROM 1997 THRU 2005: “The Stormwater Planning Guidebook’s premise that land development and watershed protection can be compatible represented a radical shift in thinking in 2002,” stated Peter Law, Chair of the Guidebook Steering Committee
“With the change in provincial government in 2001, the Guidebook steering committee recognized the need to be bold yet strike a balanced tone. We were successful and had support that cascaded down from the highest levels. Prior to 2002, the lack of a science-based bridge meant there was a disconnect between policy objectives and site design practices. The Guidebook integrated breakthroughs in hydrological and biophysical understanding to bridge the gap between policy and site design. It introduced achievable Performance Targets,” stated Peter Law.
CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PERIOD FROM 1997 THRU 2005: An introduction to seven Tier One Champions, who were influencers in a profound and public way for implementing an Ecosystem-Based Approach to regional livability in southwest British Columbia
Many individuals have played important roles in the green infrastructure movement. “A lot of this was off the sides of people’s desks originally. And then we turned it into something real…and real valuable,” stated Ed von Euw, former Senior Engineer at Metro Vancouver. But whose efforts were make or break during the crucible period? Seven individuals stand out for their ability to change the game. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. That expression captures the collective contribution of the group of seven. They are described as Tier One champions.
TIER ONE CHAMPION FOR AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED APPROACH IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: Bill Derry, one of the first stormwater utility managers in the USA, convinced his local government colleagues to co-fund creation of the Center for Urban Water Resources Management at the University of Washington
“Working with local governments in British Columbia in the late1990s, I came up with the phrase ‘a shared vision of science-based watershed management’ to guide our work. A variety of perspectives need to be integrated in reaching consensus on shared achievable goals for watershed and stream corridor management. For this reason, we must understand how adults take up new ideas,” stated Bill Derry. For 20 years, he chaired the Washington State stormwater committee. They framed eight key questions. These defined areas of research by graduate students.
TIER ONE CHAMPION FOR AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED APPROACH IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “When I reflect on the history of ‘green infrastructure’ in BC, much of what has transpired over the past three decades can be traced back to who was in the room on October 10, 1997 at the UBCM workshop in Richmond,” stated Kim Stephens, Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC
“My collaboration with Erik Karlsen played out in multiple ways during the period 1997 through 2005. High profile among these was Patrick Condon’s vision for the Headwaters Project in East Clayton. Erik brought the three of us together for a meeting at the Simon Fraser University campus in downtown Vancouver. Headwaters was still very much at the idea stage. I left the meeting committed to help Patrick bring the idea to life. That’s the kind of magic spell that Erik Karlsen cast when he brought people together,” recalled Kim Stephens.
TIER ONE CHAMPION FOR AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED APPROACH IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: Professor Emeritus Patrick Condon is a larger than life character at the University of BC. A compelling speaker, he is master of the soundbite. He served as the James Taylor Chair in Landscape and Liveable Environments and led the “Sustainability by Design” project.
“What the cell is to the body, the site is to the region.” A quarter-century ago, that Patrick Condon quotable quote was a call to action to fundamentally change drainage engineering practice in British Columbia from Stormwater Management to interdisciplinary Rainwater Management. Patrick Condon thinks on a grand scale. Recognizing the need for collaboration on the ground as a fundamental part of designing sustainable communities, he pioneered public engagement methods. One of his many claims to fame is his skillful use of charrettes.
TIER ONE CHAMPION FOR AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED APPROACH IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: In 1988, the inaugural Real Estate Foundation Board of Governors appointed Tim Pringle as their first Executive Director, a position he held for 20 years. In 1991, the Governors adopted his recommendation to adopt a philosophy that “use and conservation of land are equal values”
The Real Estate Foundation is a creation of the Province. Adoption of the philosophy that ‘use and conservation of land are equal values’ provided me with the mandate and authority to leverage Real Estate Foundation grant funding to effect positive land use change. That is the context for Real Estate Foundation leadership as a co-funder of the Headwaters Project in East Clayton. Process issues could have derailed the Headwaters Project. But the Real Estate Foundation provided the workaround and Erik Karlsen made the workaround work,” stated Tim Pringle.
TIER ONE CHAMPION FOR AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED APPROACH IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: Barry Janyk, former 4-term mayor of Gibsons, was an early political champion whose efforts as an influencer elevated the profile of the green infrastructure movement in the urban regions of BC
In 1999, Barry Janyk had a vision which morphed into the SmartStorm Forum Series. He chaired the inter-governmental committee which initiated the series. He added political profile in his moderator role for the series. His tone-setting presentation to kickoff each event was titled: The Political Consequences of Doing the Wrong Thing: Why Elected Officials Must Consider Smart Development. “Technical people have to demonstrate cost-effectiveness in order to transform political acceptability into political will to implement change and spend money,” stated Barry Janyk.
TIER ONE CHAMPION FOR AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED APPROACH IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “Michael Geller is another outsized personality. He put his stamp on the UniverCity sustainable community atop Burnaby Mountain. This is the project that had the profile to put the Metro Vancouver region on the international map as a leader,” stated Kim Stephens
The Pacific Northwest is a part of North America acutely sensitive to environmental issues. And with the ‘salmon crisis’ being such a dominant issue, people wanted action rather than more talk. There was a commitment by all those involved in the Burnaby Mountain project to leave a legacy for the next generation. “One of the real advantages we had at UniverCity is that I had the budget to try out new ideas. So, as far as I was concerned, Kim Stephens could do whatever he wanted to protect Stoney Creek,” stated Michael Geller.
TIER ONE CHAMPION FOR AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED APPROACH IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: The Ministry of Agriculture’s Ted van der Gulik initiated and led the inter-governmental Water Balance Model Partnership because the water balance consequences of urbanization in the uplands are felt in the agricultural lowlands!
Two game-changing provincial water tools for use in different settings are part of Ted van der Gulik’s incredible legacy. One is the Agricultural Water Demand Model suite of tools; the other is the urban-centric Water Balance Model for BC. “What exactly is it that we want to do? With the answer to that question clear in our minds, we can work backwards and figure out the steps in a plan to make it happen,” states Ted van der Gulik. That bold way of thinking and doing is the context for Ted’s actions in bringing together an inter-governmental partnership.
INCREASED FREQUENCY, MAGNITUDE, DURATION AND LIABILITY OF FLOODS: “A forest’s influence on flooding stems from the many random or ‘chancy’ features in a watershed. And when something is chancy, this requires a deeper understanding of Nature,” stated Dr. Younes Alila, professional engineer and professor in the UBC Faculty of Forestry
“Thinking like a system means you do not make decisions at the site scale. It is not about a particular stream reach or cross-section, or a bridge or a culvert. You need to step back and look at the big picture. You need to look at the entire stream network and what these flows are doing over time an in the landscape of the watershed. It is not just that the forest owes its causal power to the landscape features. The hydrological response of the landscape owes its power to the landscape feature and to the climate feature. That’s the space-time relationship, stated Younes Alila.