LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “The task at hand is about how to redefine things in a new political environment so you would be able to get a new vision and new political commitment,” stated Ray Fung, stated Ray Fung, a retired Director of Engineering in local government, and former Chair of the Green Infrastructure Partnership
Note to Reader:
Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published on September 17th 2024 is the first of a series of reflections that preview the SYNOPSIS for the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver (1994-2024). The release date for the Synopsis is November 2024.
Competing pressures: accommodate more people, sustain a livable region
“This past summer, I finished writing the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in the Metro Vancouver Region (1994-2024). It is a 500-page tome! It is also the fifth in a series of legacy documents about the power of collaboration in combination with a regional team approach,” stated Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.
Be aware of unintended consequences
“The companion Georgia Basin Initiative and Regional Growth Strategies Act provide an over-arching context. In the Chronicle, I bring forward the thinking that would help today’s elected leaders tackle our region’s complex problems while minimizing unintended consequences – the ones that result when one-off solutions are done in isolation of understanding the whole.”
“Heavy on images and light on text, the Chronicle is a sweeping narrative. It reveals the “stories behind the stories” through the use of quotable quotes. Crafted to be an easy read, the Chronicle is a series of storyboards that weave storylines at a glance for each stage of the journey.”
“Previous legacy resources in the series featured the other four regions that are partners in the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative (IREI). What sets the Metro Vancouver chronicle apart is that I delve deep to answer this defining question:
Knowing what we know, now what?
“In this era of short attention spans and soundbites, who among the next generation has the curiosity and time to read a 500-page tome? That is the communication challenge that we are wrestling with at the Partnership,” continues Kim Stephens.
“How does one distil 30 years of history into a succinct and helpful set of takeaways? The approach we are taking is a layered one as illustrated in the diagram below. It is two-way. In one direction, it distils. In the other, it delves deeper.”
“In November, we will release the Synopsis legacy resource. Building to that moment, we are rolling out a series of seven preview extracts titled Reflections on the Green Infrastructure Chronicle. This edition of Waterbucket eNews is the first preview. It is an appetizer.”
The past informs the future
“The series draws on the rich history of the Georgia Basin Initiative. We feature individuals who have deep knowledge of the top-down and bottom-up commitment to collaboration and innovation…that kept so many organizations on track for so long…until too many individuals either forgot or never knew WHY so many were successful for so long.”
“The series theme is a call to action: LEARN TO LOOK BACK TO SEE AHEAD AND THEN DO BETTER,” concludes Kim Stephens.
Distil, distil, distil
The Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation is heavy on images and light on text, has four layers, and is designed to be a ‘legacy resource’. The target audience for each layer is different.
The interests and attention spans for the continuum of audiences also differ. The layered approach is two-way. In one direction, it distils. In the other, it delves deeper.
This Synopsis is oriented to senior managers who have limited time to absorb what they need to know to make informed decisions. It can easily be read in 15 minutes or less!
A defining statement characterizes each era:
With new political commitment, build a new coalition for a livable, resilient region
“The task at hand is about how to redefine things in a new political environment so you would be able to get a new vision and new political commitment. This is how you ride the curve from a new crucible period to another golden period. Learn from past experience. There is no time to reinvent the wheel,” states Ray Fung,retired director of municipal engineering and transportation.
In the 2000s. Ray Fung chaired the BC Water Sustainability Committee (2003-2008) and the Green Infrastructure Partnership (2008-2010), Both were rolled into the Partnership for Water Sustainability upon incorporation as a non-profit legal entity in 2010.
To Learn More:
To read the complete story, download a copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver – Solutions to complex problems require deep knowledge.
