Category:

“Use of the tool will help design professionals understand what ‘thinking outside the pipe’ and ‘designing with nature’ actually mean in the context of ‘green’ subdivisions that have been built in recent years in British Columbia,” stated Richard Boase. “The tool enables assessment of the effectiveness of site designs that incorporate rainwater source controls such as absorbent landscaping, rain gardens, infiltration facilities and green roofs. The Water Balance Model can be applied at three scales: site, subdivision and watershed.”

“The widespread changes in thinking about rainwater runoff impacts that began in the late 1990s reflected new insights in two areas: hydrology; and aquatic ecology. These new insights were the result of improved understanding of the causes-and-effects of changes in hydrology brought about by urban development, and the consequences for aquatic ecology,” explains Peter Law.

“For the past three years we have been educating practitioners and others on the importance of soil depth as a rainwater management tool. Looking ahead, implementation of the Tree Canopy Module is the first step in developing a similar science-based understanding regarding the benefits of maintaining a tree canopy in the urban environment,” stated Ted van der Gulik. While considerable research has been undertaken in forest stands in the natural environment, very little has been
done in an urban setting anywhere in North America.

A number of British Columbia municipalities have embraced the concept of “sustainable streets” and have recently completed flagship projects.

Fourteen distinguished Washington State scientists have responded to the Puget Sound Partnership plan with a bold outline for action to save the Puget Sound eco-system. The outline includes recommendations for preserving whole watersheds, implementing restrictive LID development standards, and adopting a policy of no net loss of forest cover.