Green Infrastructure

“The question and issue format enabled a seamless transition into a town hall discussion where seminar participants talked about what they have done or what they want to do. Kevin Lagan and Derek Richmond of the City of Courtenay provided me with some questions that were at the forefront of their minds. I morphed what they gave me into generic questions. Previously when I made presentations, I focused on the legal tools and then worked from the legal tools to how do you apply them. In the Comox Valley seminar we flipped that upside down by saying: I have this problem, now what do I do in terms of a solution,” explained Susan Rutherford.

UVic transitioned to a water-centric approach that is holistic and integrated –– the new business as usual. “This transformational experience resulted in a new vision for constructing water and energy efficient buildings in a built environment that respects the natural environment. UVic is leading by example,” reports Sarah Webb.

Cowichan Valley Forum – provincial pilot for building developer and local government capacity to apply the Water Balance Model. “The provincial and regional water regulations are changing, and by 2012 provincial water laws will substantially change how development occurs. The purpose of the workshop is to review progressive rainwater/stormwater management techniques and how they can be incorporated into the planning and development process,” wrote Jack Peake, Chair of the Cowichan Valley Regional Board.

In 2008, the Ministry of Community Development developed A Guide to Green Choices to help local governments continue the extensive work they were already doing in fostering green communities. “We have a series of initiatives within the Ministry that are integrated with other broader provincial initiatives. These are seeking to help us build green communities in our province. We all benefit from having attractive, liveable communities…with a healthy natural environment,” stated Dr. Laura Tate.

The main purpose of the Comox Valley Conservation Strategy is to prioritize sensitive ecosystems, linkages via expanded riparian strips and designated upland wildlife corridors and to create a new and exciting watershed-based land use planning framework. “The current process has the Conservation Strategy Community Partnership collaborating with Regional and Municipal planners, engineers and elected representatives to develop a new way of doing business in the Comox Valley,” stated Jack Minard.

In 2005, the Portland Metro Council launched Nature in Neighborhoods, ushering in an era of public/private innovation, investment and collaboration. Projects range from neighbors volunteering on small restoration projects on the region's creeks and rivers to multi-year professional habitat enhancement efforts and everything in-between.

In 2007, Portland City Council directed the Office of Sustainable Development to develop policy options to improve the environmental performance of commercial and residential buildings community-wide. The result was a High Performance Green Building Policy.

In November 2008 Raymond Fung, Chair of the Green Infrastructure Partnership (GIP), announced that Vincent Lalonde and John Sidnell will represent the Master Municipal Construction Documents Association (MMCD) on the GIP Steering Committee.

“A problem with conventional subdivision loop and curl street patterns is that they inhibit walking and are disorienting and confusing to pedestrians as well as to drivers. They provide tranquility, safety and security at the expense of connectivity. They control traffic well but often create bottlenecks at peak times in predictable spots. The Fused Grid uses a continuous grid of roads for district and regional connectivity and a discontinuous grid of streets for neighbourhood safety,” stated Fanis Grammenos.

“A consensus is emerging that conventional approaches to suburban development are not sustainable. From a transportation perspective, single-use, low-density residential developments with curvilinear, poorly connected road networks limit transportation options to the point that that private automobile is the only choice for many trips.This increases automobile travel and, as a result, fuel use, emissions and transportation costs. With this in mind, municipalities are re-examining neighbourhood layout and land use concepts,” stated Fanis Grammenos.