CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION IN METRO VANCOUVER: “The productiveness of the dialogues during the years 1997-2005 inspired a lot of professionals to dig deeper and find solutions and learn,” stated Susan Haid, adjunct assistant professor at the University of BC
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!
History of the past three decades
“Context is everything and that includes an understanding of how we got to where we are today. With that understanding, we can turn today’s problem into an opportunity. It requires an appreciation for the factors that are critical to success, whether they are in alignment, and what would it take to coax them into alignment if they are not,” wrote Kim Stephens, Synopsis author and Partnership Executive Director.
“Susan Haid offers valuable insights that illuminate the story behind the story of the Fish Protection Act 1997. She has played a leadership role in trailblazing an ecosystem-based approach to community planning in British Columbia, first with the City of Burnaby and then with Metro Vancouver. This approach also took root in her subsequent experience in the District of North Vancouver and the City of Vancouver.”
“The 1990s was a very instrumental time of policy and regulation development. And municipal dialogue too,” recalls Susan Haid. “You felt like you were part of a movement. Those were such fantastic discussions and collegiality between municipalities. There was a really good alignment and call to action on making streamside regulation work. It was a major advancement but a lot of stress as well.”
Nine factors critical to success must be in alignment
“When writing the Chronicle, I had to find a way to distil and communicate three decades into an easy-to-tell story of how the region got to where we are today. Companion images help do that. Four distinct eras define the past three decades, with the period of time for each varying between 6 and 9 years.”
The table below provides historical context, is a reality check, and serves as a springboard to the Year 2025 and beyond. And the figure below the table distills the chronicle of the past three decades into a set of defining statements to describe each of the five sub-periods.
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