CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION IN METRO VANCOUVER: “As a predictive tool, the Ecological Accounting Process would make it possible for municipalities to quantify the financial implications of increased development density, including provincial housing policies, for the RIPARIAN DEFICIT,” stated Tim Pringle, EAP Chair
Note to Reader:
In November 2024, the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia released THE SYNOPSIS for the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver. The Chronicle is a sweeping narrative of the 30-year period from 1994 through 2024. The Chronicle is a layered package comprising four documents: the Chronicle of the Journey, Stories Within the Story, Synopsis and Executive Summary. The target audience for each layer is different.
The Synopsis is the third layer in the cascade. It is oriented to senior managers who have limited time to absorb what they need to know to make informed decisions. The Synopsis is visual and so can easily be skimmed in 20 minutes or less! This extract is from pages S28 and S29.
Ecological Accounting Pillar addresses Loss of Riparian Integrity
“In 1997, Metro Vancouver established an interagency Stormwater Management Technical Advisory Task Group,” states Robert Hicks, who was staff support for the group. “It was clear that engineering solutions alone would not result in good stormwater management and environmental protection, nor address regulatory infraction risk.”
“The priorities were hydrology and riparian forest canopy which is why we involved Rich Horner in our watershed assessment and classification work in the late 1990s.”
Metro Vancouver Watershed Health Rating System validated Puget Sound research findings
“We built on Puget Sound research and developed a watershed health rating system for our region. A trend projection from 1996 to 2036 demonstrated how the status quo would lead to a further region-wide decline in stream health.”
“When we showed the picture of the Riparian Forest Integrity index to the Board members, they agreed that things had to change. Things will get worse if we do not change our ways.”
A predictive tool for use by land planners
“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. And so, the RFI idea dropped off the radar screen. A generation later, we are resurrecting RFI and adding the EAP dimension,” states Tim Pringle, Chair of the Partnership’s Ecological Accounting Process (EAP) program. Tim Pringle developed the EAP methodology and metrics.
“Both the Metro research in the late 1990s and the current EAP research are spatial analyses. 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. And it is also about solutions.”
“The region can move to a restored and renewed leadership position by revisiting the 1999 research through the EAP lens. We are moving EAP from a primarily asset management emphasis to use by planners for spatial analysis related to streams and trees.”
To Learn More:
Download a copy of the Synopsis of the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver from 1994 through 2024. released in November 2024. The Synopsis is structured as six sections.
DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/gi/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/Metro-Van-Chronicle_Synopsis_DRAFT_Nov2024.pdf