LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “I consciously use the word GOOD rather than PERFECT because good is normative,” stated Patrick Condon, UBC professor emeritus, author of Broken City, and sustainable design thought leader
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. Stories are structured in three parts: One-Minute Takeaway, Editor’s Perspective (reproduced below), and the Story Behind the Story.
The edition published on March 24, 2026 featured Patrick Condon, UBC Professor Emeritus. He has long been the champion in British Columbia for the “charrette process” as a design methodology for achieving sustainable community design.
Now retired, Patrick Condon continues to give back. He is contributing seed funding and energy to revive the idea of a Resilient Region Design Charrette as a vehicle to help reduce social pain in accommodating population growth.
EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE / CONTEXT FOR BUSY READER
“Patrick Condon is a sustainable urban design thought leader. Although recently retired, his mission continues as he continues to give back – for example, he seeded the Resilient Region Design Charrette with a contribution of $80,000 from the James Taylor Chair research fund in 2025,” stated Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.
“Patrick Condon and my career paths became intertwined almost 30 years ago when he conceived and led the charrette process for the East Clayton Sustainable Community in Surrey. Patrick also contributed to the success of UniverCity atop Burnaby Mountain.”
“The East Clayton and UniverCity twin successes were the springboard to what Patrick Condon subsequently accomplished via his Sustainability by Design charrette series during the 2000s,” concluded Kim Stephens.
Patrick Condon advocates striving for Good Solutions rather than Perfect Solutions to reduce social pain
“I am reviving with Derek Lee the idea of a regional charrette prompted by a lot of the same kinds of housing, transportation, and ecological issues that informed the original Sustainability by Design series,” explains Patrick Condon.
“Metro Vancouver faces increasing resistance to provincially mandated Transit-Oriented Area (TOA) development amid concerns over the impacts of rapid densification. Without coordinated planning, this growth risks producing fragmented, unaffordable, and poorly serviced communities.”
To Learn More:
Waterbucket eNews stories are structured in three parts: One-Minute Takeaway, Editor’s Perspective and Context for Busy Reader, and the Story Behind the Story. To read the complete 3-part storyline, download a PDF copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Resilient Region Design Charrette tackles housing legislation – regional livability is on the table…again!.
DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2026/03/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Patrick-Condon_Resilient-Region-Charrette_2026.pdf