Green Infrastructure

“Bridging the gap between policy and desired outcomes is a process. In 2012, the convening for action challenge was to bridge the disconnect between UNDERSTANDING and IMPLEMENTATON. Entrenched beliefs and reluctance to change have delayed proper implementation of the Water Balance metrics for protecting the three water pathways. One should neither forget nor underestimate the impact of the Guidebook and Living Water Smart as drivers for change. It was a logical progression to having a regulatory framework to begin doing it,” stated Kim Stephens.

Creation of the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative, known by the acronym IREI, was a bold leap forward in 2012. This unique mechanism for inter-regional collaboration sought to achieve desired policy outcomes through a peer-based, collaborative education process. The IREI concept resonated with participating local governments. “Collaboration would result in alignment and a consistent approach to actions and outcomes. This would help everyone to go farther, more efficiently and effectively,” stated Jody Watson.

“The Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia brings forward ideas and initiatives that have the support of regional and municipal staffs. Metro Vancouver along with other local governments currently provide support to the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative (IREI) and Partnership. The IREI program is aligned with and supports implementation of the Metro Vancouver region’s Integrated Liquid Waste & Resource Management Plan, in particular the rainwater and stormwater management components,” stated Robert Hicks.

“CREWS partners prioritize community-led planning and implementation so residents shape where projects go, who builds them and how the multiple benefits are shared. However, equitable outcomes require more than thoughtful design. They require a change in who holds power over water decisions. Co-governance models position residents, community-based organizations and public agencies as shared decision-makers. Co-governance means residents help set priorities, shape budgets, choose project sites and define what success looks like in their own neighborhood,” wrote Katharine McLaughlin.

“Gaps between vision and reality are, of course, standard in politics. What makes this one frustrating to water-sustainability experts is how close to success the Metro Vancouver region came not that long ago. Through decades of effort, planning had become policy, and policy had started to become practice. Now the question is whether the high profile of recent floods, droughts, and population growth will put green infrastructure back in the spotlight—and, if so, whether the decision-makers within Metro Vancouver’s municipalities will correct course,” stated Pamela Swanigan.

“Aerial footage of has revealed the benefits of rewilding land in the face of extreme weather brought about by the climate crisis. The area where rivers have been returned to their natural courses and wetlands have been restored have remained green and lush during the five heatwaves across the summer. In contrast, the surrounding countryside has become parched and brown. The two interventions are significant rewilding projects and provide strong evidence that nature-based solutions can protect against wildfires,” wrote Sandra Laville.

“When it rains, it pours once was a metaphor for bad things happening in clusters. Now it’s becoming a statement of fact about rainfall in a changing climate. Intense single-day precipitation events are growing more frequent, fueled by warming air that can hold increasing levels of moisture. As extreme weather events become more prevalent, urban planning and design standards will evolve to include sponge city concepts. And this more robust approach to stormwater management will continue to figure prominently in design and development decisions,” stated Franco Montalto.

“Deep knowledge is being ignored or dismissed at an alarming rate. Our world seems to be getting more wobbly, more unstable, more uncertain, and for all sorts of reasons. Storytelling is needed more than ever. It matters how we share information to ensure concepts are conveyed to, and understood by, the people who need to know. Solutions to the issues of our time lie in WHAT stories we tell and HOW we tell those stories. There is tremendous value in networks to help solve problems together. Cooperation will help buttress this wobbly world,” stated Remi Dube.

“Lately I have been reminding folks that in the 1970s, Canada saw an infrastructure funding boom – everyone built arenas, pools, sewers and water systems on 25 cent dollars. The problem is not aging infrastructure. The problem is the decades that we did not pay attention to it. This inattention created the infrastructure gap! No one thought about the need to replace, or maintain, all those pipes and buildings. And no one could have anticipated the dramatic escalation in replacement costs, now at 100% dollars. So, the infrastructure gap grows,” stated Bill Sims.

“Drainage has long been a galvanizing issue for sustainable development. The cumulative impacts of land use changes on stream function are proven. Streamside protection regulation is a fact of life. We understand how to turn problems into solutions. But we keep failing to overcome inertia,” stated Richard Boase. Restoration of urban watershed health is an unfulfilled promise. Inertia stymies universal, consistent implementation of effective standards of development practice. How do you overcome inertia? Peer-based learning plus collaboration across boundaries!