“The City’s vision is that we can enhance and elaborate the interface between urban and natural states. For more than a decade, the City has been demonstrating how to do this. In doing this work, we are not re-creating pristine natural conditions. Rather, by designing with nature we are creating an informed and intentionally designed urban landscape,” states Doug Pope.
“We have arrived at a good place, but the journey has not been easy. In fact, we had to work our way through some pretty contentious periods. We persevered, we adapted and we progressed. We want other local governments to know about the good, the bad and the ugly of the Coquitlam story so that they may learn from our experience and know that it is okay to stumble,” states Peter Steblin.
“We have a plan; there is agreement about the goals; we are developing tools for use by staff, developers and homeowners; and we have a schedule of opportunities. Everything that we need is in play. It is important that we seize opportunities to tell the Hastings Creek story. It is also essential that we communicate why and how we are being successful. If we all tell the story, then people will become energized in the re-telling,” states Gavin Joyce.
“Every generation will use the images that they got at the beginning of their conscious lives as a standard and will extrapolate forward. And the difference then, they perceive as a loss. But they don’t perceive what happened before as a loss. You can have a succession of changes. At the end you want to sustain miserable leftovers. And the question is, why do people accept this?,” stated Daniel Pauly.
“Fundamental change in the scope of rainwater/stormwater planning, development standards, construction and operations will only happen if there is a broad understanding as to why the changes are needed, what they are, and how they can be practically implemented. The ability of consumers and the development community to adapt will then set the pace of change,” stated Erik Karlsen.
“After ten years of involvement with the Partnership for Water Sustainability, I feel as committed as ever. At times, I find myself amazed at the collective expertise of the volunteers who work in Partnership initiatives. Their wisdom makes the work of the Partnership efficient; it allows a great deal to be done with very limited dollars. We collaborate with practitioners as equals and take services to their territories,” states Tim Pringle.
In his 1969 book, Design With Nature, Ian McHarg pioneered the concept of environmental planning. “So, I commend Design with Nature to your sympathetic consideration. The title contains a gradient of meaning. It can be interpreted as simply descriptive of a planning method, deferential to places and peoples, it can invoke the Grand Design, it can emphasize the conjunction with and, finally it can be read as an imperative. DESIGN WITH NATURE!,” wrote Ian McHarg.
“Our story is about what it means for a group of people to share a vision and make a long-term personal and professional commitment to creating a better future in the regions of BC. We challenge our audiences by asking ‘What do you want this place to look like in 50 years’ because the decisions that we make today will ripple through time,” states Kim Stephens.
Their experience covers the continuum from developing provincial policy and tools to implementing actions on the ground.
“Released in 2008, ‘Living Water Smart, BC’s Water Plan’ identified 45 actions and targets that established expectations as to how land will be developed and water will be used in BC. To make it possible to achieve a number of those targets and actions, the Province led development of a suite of tools. These tools are all web-based and support enhanced approaches to water management,” reports Ted van der Gulik.
