Green Infrastructure

banner

Tag:

Michael Geller

    CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION IN METRO VANCOUVER – PART C – FOR THE PERIOD 1997-2005: “There was tension between stakeholders. Yet the productiveness of those dialogues inspired a lot of professionals, myself included, to dig deeper and find solutions and learn. You felt like you were part of a movement,” stated Susan Haid, career environmental and urban planner with regional and local governments in Metro Vancouver


    Susan Haid played a leadership role in trailblazing an ecosystem-based approach to community planning in BC. This approach flowed from passage of the Fish Protection Act 1997. “With an ecosystem-based approach to planning, you can look back and you can look forward. The principles of diversity, interconnectivity, and redundancy within a systems approach are very robust and stand the test of time,” stated Susan Haid. In the 2000s, leaders ventured into uncharted territory. Great changes took place. These were possible because individuals took personal risks to innovate.

    Read Article

    CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PERIOD FROM 1997 THRU 2005: “Leaps of faith and calculated risks – during the crucible period from 1997 through 2005, that succinct statement defined the approach and way of thinking that guided and made innovation possible,” stated Kim Stephens, Executive Director, Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC


    “Zooming out to view the past three decades as a whole, the period 1997 through 2005 was the crucible for the golden period that followed from 2006 through 2011. The era is bracketed by the passage of the Fish Protection Act in 1997 and the Green Infrastructure Consultation Workshop held in May 2005. These were literally watershed moments.A large cast of characters was involved. We were venturing into uncharted territory. We pushed the boundaries of knowledge and experience. We learned together,” stated Kim Stephens.

    Read Article

    CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PERIOD FROM 1997 THRU 2005: “The iconic salmon is much like the canary in the coal mine in that the decline of the fish population is an early warning sign of danger to or potential failure of aquatic habit in streams,” stated Robert Hicks, Senior Engineer with the Greater Vancouver Regional District


    British Columbia’s Fish Protection Act in 1997 was a response to the Coho salmon crisis. When it was enacted, it established a North American first because it did what nobody else had done. It established a provincial regulation to protect stream corridors in urban areas. “What we saw was, things will get worse if we do not change our ways. ‘The combination of streamside regulation and Washington State research directly influenced the stormwater component of the region’s first Liquid Waste Management Plan,” stated Robert Hicks.

    Read Article

    CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PERIOD FROM 1997 THRU 2005: How does one dance with the tiger? You do it carefully, skillfully, courageously, in tune to the same music,” wrote Brian Nattrass and Mary Altomare, authors of ‘Dancing with the Tiger: Learning Sustainability Step by Natural Step’, published in 2002


    “Transformation is often fraught with danger for both the change agents themselves and their organizations. It is like dancing with a tiger – with the outcome frequently uncertain. So why would you want to engage in a dance with a force that would as soon eat you as dance with you? The underlying reason is simply that our common future depends upon it,” wrote Brian Nattrass and Mary Altomare, authors of Dancing with the Tiger. Their analogy provides relevant context for the third installment of the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver for the years from 1997 to 2005.

    Read Article

    CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PERIOD FROM 1997 THRU 2005: “A paradigm is what we think is true and right about a certain subject. Whether our paradigm is, in fact, true and effective is not the point. We believe it is,” Andy Reese, humourist and co-author (with Dr. Thomas Debo) of Municipal Stormwater Management


    In a magazine article titled Stormwater Paradigms, Andy Reese insightfully looked back at why we pursued stormwater management in ways which unknowingly – at the time – foreclosed opportunities for more sustainable, livable communities. Andy Reese traced nine such shifts against the backdrop of social change. “We only reluctantly change our ways and agree with someone else’s paradigm,” observed Andy Reese. The article inspired the BC team of Erik Karlsen, Robert Hicks and Kim Stephens to collaborate with Andy Reese to introduce a tenth paradigm.

    Read Article

    CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PERIOD FROM 1997 THRU 2005: The beauty of the Growth Strategies Act, which has not been realized, is that it allows all the various agencies to plug into the process in their own interests. This is the only real way to get anybody to cooperate, stated Ken Cameron, co-architect of Metro Vancouver’s Livable Region Strategic Plan in the 1990s“


    “In 1990, the Metro Vancouver region initiated a growth strategy embodying many Smart Growth principles. Two former premiers, Mike Harcourt and Gordon Campbell, were planning influencers. When I was manager of policy and planning, I would tell my staff that we have been put in charge of the planning for the life support system for this region. We cannot own it but we can leave it to our children. To build a better place, we need people who understand the state of mind that lay behind the success of the Livable Region Strategic Plan,” stated Ken Cameron.

    Read Article

    CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PERIOD FROM 1997 THRU 2005: “Local governments have now been unequivocally called on by senior governments and the public to protect fish habitat. Increased effort will be necessary to more effectively engage the full and effective use of local government planning programs.” – Erik Karlsen, 2001, from the foreword to “Overcoming Institutional Barriers: From Planning to Implementation”“


    “Fundamental change in the scope of rainwater and stormwater planning, development standards, construction and operations will only happen if there is a broad understanding as to why the changes are needed, what they are, and how they can be practically implemented. Publicly-supported decision-makers will determine the timing and phasing of change. The ability of consumers and the development community to adapt will then set the pace of change, which will not take place with a single event. Success in one area will be transferred to others,” wrote Erik Karlsen.

    Read Article

    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.

    Read Article

    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.

    Read Article

    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.

    Read Article

    Next Page >