YOUTUBE VIDEO: Rising to the Challenge at Stormwater Australia 2016 – introduction to the top-down & bottom-up approach to “Convening for Action in BC” (Module 3)
Note to Reader:
The keynote presentation by Kim Stephens at the 2016 Rising to the Challenge Conference organized by Stormwater Australia was structured in five parts: a front-end that set the context, followed by four ‘modules’ that elaborated on the theme “parallel journeys” and provided perspective regarding and insight into the “top-down & bottom-up” approach that characterizes collaboration in the British Columbia local government setting.
Module 3, Convening for Action in BC, is the subject of the YouTube video presented below.
Convening for Action in BC
Convening for Action is a provincial initiative that supports innovation on-the-ground. It embraces all components of the water cycle through integrated water management. It is turning ideas into action by building capacity and understanding regarding integration of long-term, strategic planning and the implementation of physical infrastructure.
“When we convene in forums organized by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British, it is not just to listen,” states Kim Stephens, Partnership Executive Director. “We want to use what we have learned so that we can take action and make a difference in our professional lives. That difference is to change the way we develop land. We challenge our audiences by asking what will you do differently when you leave this room?”
What is a ‘Regional Team Approach’?
A regional team approach is founded on partnerships and collaboration; and seeks to align actions at three scales – provincial, regional and local. The key word is alignment: this is what we want to collectively achieve, and this is how we will work together to get there.
The essence of the regional team approach is that all the players will set their sights on the common good and challenge the old barriers of jurisdictional interests.
“The shared vision is to control our destiny and create a legacy for our children and grand-children,” states Kim Stephens. “Having a shared vision means that we will visualize what the regions of British Columbia can look like in 50 years, and today we will set in motion actions that will ripple through time to produce that future.”
“We are NOT saying that every community must follow the same formula. However, everyone needs to agree on expectations and how all the players – whether regulators, developers, designers – will work together. After that each community can reach its goals in its own way.”
To Learn More:
Download Parallel Journeys to a Resilient Future: Water Cycle / Water Balance Approaches in Australia and British Columbia – 2001 to 2016 and Beyond to view a PDF copy of the entire PowerPoint presentation by Kim Stephens.
Visit https://waterbucket.ca/cfa/ to access resources posted on the Convening for Action Community-of-Interest, including Living Water Smart & Building Greener Communities: Implementing a ‘regional team approach’ in British Columbia, an article about Ten Goals that provide the framework for creating liveable communities, reducing wasteful water use, and protecting stream health.
Below, the set of 10 slides from Module 3 are presented for convenience of reference when the reader views the YouTube video (13:18 minutes).
