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“I got a call from Don Stenson, Director of Planning with the City of Burnaby. He said there is one thing that I want you to never forget… STORMWATER. What does stormwater have to do with anything, I thought. I knew about contaminated soil and geotechnical issues. But stormwater? I had never encountered the word. But there is no doubt, he went on to say, that it is going to be very important that whatever you build on top of that mountain, the stormwater flows into Stoney Creek must be no worse than they are today,” stated Michael Geller.

“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? How do we put nature first without pushing people aside? The answer is that it is about bringing a body of methodology and practice as to actually how to do it. 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 Sean Markey.

Julia Berry applied original thinking to core concepts and produced an evaluation framework for Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA). Her thesis is a foundation piece in a building blocks process that stretches over time. Publication of Nature-First Cities in 2024 is the latest milestone in that process. “Adapting to climate change will require a combination of approaches, from man-made infrastructure to holistic approaches. British Columbia’s Stormwater Planning Guidebook promotes a holistic approach to rainwater management,” stated Julia Berry.

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. This new book is a guide to building urban ecosystems. “Prepare to be entertained, educated, and stirred to advocate for nature-oriented cities. Brewer, Hammond, and Markey, discontent with band-aids and wishful thinking in the face of planetary crises, address the core of what threatens our survival,” stated Cherise Burda.

“At Washington State University, I study urban stormwater runoff and its impacts on aquatic animals. The really exciting thing about the research that we are doing, and the results we are getting, is that it gives people hope. Green stormwater infrastructure really can be part of the solution,” stated Jenifer McIntyre. “Our research shows that for all experimental combinations, the bioretention system ELIMINATED the toxicity. Not reduced. Completely eliminated! Rain gardens can save salmon.”

The context for the Partnership for Water Sustainability celebrating the life of Barry Janyk is the Smartstorm Forum Series. This transformational series fueled a movement and galvanized an ecosystem-based approach to rainwater management and green infrastructure within the Georgia Basin bioregion of southwestern British Columbia. Barry Janyk, who was then mayor of Gibsons, infused the SmartStorm Forum Series with his passion. He was the political champion who carried the green infrastructure torch to the Metro Vancouver Regional Board and then to UBCM.