Green Infrastructure

banner

Tag:

Tim Pringle

    NATURE-FIRST CITIES AND URBAN ECOSYSTEM-BASED PLANNING: “Nature-First Cities is not a heavy academic book. We wrote it to be inspirational. We challenge readers to understand why we have become so disconnected from nature and what happens when we start to rebuild that connection,” stated SFU Professor Sean Markey


    “Nature belongs in cities, but how do we put nature first without pushing people aside? Nature-First Cities reveals the false dichotomy of that question by recognizing that people and nature are indivisible. What are the costs associated with having cities that are not nature-based? What are the benefits if we invite nature back into our cities? What would it take to actually do this? If we are to challenge how urban development has taken place without a deep understanding of our connection to nature, what is a strategy for bringing nature back into cities,” stated Sean Markey.

    Read Article

    GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INFLUENCER IN THE METRO VANCOUVER REGION: “My passion is about driving positive change. Being committed to goals. Setting long-term objectives. And committing to those until they are delivered. That is what gets these big items over the finish line,” stated Melony Burton, Manager of Infrastructure Planning with the City of Port Coquitlam


    Melony Burton’s actions in driving positive change are guided by her no-nonsense approach to keeping it simple, practical and implementable. She is results-based and has a history of accomplishment with three local governments. Her responsibilities encompass the entire infrastructure portfolio. “I have leveraged my career into a position that allows me to have more influence and positive change. This came, in part, from channeling the frustration at being limited in the role I was in. When you are comfortable, you are not motivated to make a change,” explains Melony Burton.

    Read Article

    12 – LESSONS FROM THE PAST INFORM THE FUTURE IN METRO VANCOUVER: Twin Pillars of Stream System Integrity


    Puget Sound research correlated land use changes with impacts on streams. Hydrology and riparian integrity are of equal importance. “There are many factors that influence stream degradation. There is not a single smoking gun. Impervious area is the main culprit. But you can trash a stream just as badly by deforestation of the riparian zone as you can by paving over the headwaters with a mall,” says Chris May.

    Read Article

    18 – LESSONS FROM THE PAST INFORM THE FUTURE IN METRO VANCOUVER: Stream Health in Metro Vancouver Region


    “Both the Metro research in the late 1990s and the current EAP research are spatial analyses. With hindsight, I can say that Metro was ahead of its time and got it right with the RFI index but let it slip away,” stated Tim Pringle. “EAP deals with parcels which is as spatial as you can get. The EAP process allows local governments to transcend the numbers and explore the financial impact of land development choices.”

    Read Article

    19 – LESSONS FROM THE PAST INFORM THE FUTURE IN METRO VANCOUVER: Passing of the intergenerational baton


    “Vancouver Island University is all-in because the Ecological Accounting Process is an idea that can change the game with respect to protection or restoration of riparian integrity along streams. The strategy ensures that knowledge is retained at an institutional level, that is, VIU. Students are excited to contribute to the change. We will be continuously training youth to apply the EAP methodology,” stated Graham Sakaki.

    Read Article

    20 – LESSONS FROM THE PAST INFORM THE FUTURE IN METRO VANCOUVER: Communities need annual budgets to tackle Riparian Deficits along streams


    “Asset management is a process for sustainable service delivery. The BC Framework is designed as a wheel as there is a beginning but no end to the process, The role of natural assets in our communities is not well understood. As the AMBC Primer published in 2019 shows, significant work has been done on the integration of natural assets into the overall asset management program,” stated Wally Wells.

    Read Article

    LAND PLANNING PERSPECTIVE FOR RISK REDUCTION ON STREAMS: “Urban streams are rarely managed as ecological systems or as municipal assets. Rather, they are sliced and diced to suit land development objectives,” Tim Pringle, Chair of the Ecological Accounting Process (EAP)


    “The starting point for EAP is Natural Asset Management. We are taking a spatial approach. We deal with parcels which is as spatial as you can get. We need readers to understand that in order for EAP to be real to them. It lets local governments know the financial value of their streams as a Natural Commons Asset. Next, we are moving EAP from a primary emphasis on Asset Management to use by planners for spatial analysis related to streams and trees. As we evolve EAP through more projects, we will be able to say here are rules of thumb for planners,” stated Tim Pringle.

    Read Article

    FUSION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND NATURAL INTELLIGENCE: “Engineers do not understand nature because they were not taught it. And that brings us to why there is the need for Blue Ecology and interweaving other ways of thinking so that we can fuse AI, artificial intelligence, and natural intelligence, aka NI,” stated Michael Blackstock, independent Indigenous scholar and co-founder of the Blue Ecology Institute


    “There is untapped intelligence out there in nature. It is on our doorstep but we are tapping it even less because we are so focused on Artificial Intelligence,” says Michael Blackstock. “There is this vast amount of wisdom out there that Indigenous peoples have seen forever…and that is Natural Intelligence. Avoid getting caught up in only looking to AI to solve your problems. The balance principle is central to Natural Intelligence and Blue Ecology. It calls for a narrative shift towards healing and giving back to the environment.”

    Read Article

    AN ENGINEERING PERSPECTIVE GROUNDS NATURAL ASSET MANAGEMENT: “We see EAP as a closely aligned initiative with the things that we promised to do in the 10-year work plan for the region’s Drinking Water & Watershed Protection Program,” stated Murray Walters, Manager of Water Services with the Regional District of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island


    “Our focus in moving forward with EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process, is on land we own. The RDN is all-in with our participation. As an organization, we need to get wiser about natural asset management. We need to be able to open people’s eyes about natural asset management in general and as an element of municipal infrastructure services. We also need to open eyes more so to the financial side of what these natural assets contribute. And vice versa. How much financial aid we need to put into these assets to allow them to do that,” stated Murray Walters.

    Read Article

    AFFORDABLE, EFFECTIVE AND PRAGMATIC NATURAL ASSET MANAGEMENT: “The credibility of the Ecological Accounting Process is building. With UBCM involvement, it is about hitting that critical mass piece as you get more and more understanding,” stated Bill Sims, General Manager of Engineering and Public Works with the City of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island


    “The EAP program is embedded in our Integrated Action Plan. This supports City Plan: Nanaimo Reimagined which provides direction for the coming 25 years on everything…land use, transportation, climate adaptation, etc. We made sure EAP is part of that. It is firmly rooted,” stated Bill Sims. “By being pragmatic and making the financial case using real numbers, we answer the question of why we should be investing in stream maintenance and management. You also need the Repetition Factor to reinforce what EAP stands for…so that people have the context in their minds.”

    Read Article

    Next Page >