Peeling back the Pavement - POLIS Water Sustainability Project

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Transitioning to a Rainwater City will, however, require more than just bylaw amendments and green development standards. At the core of the process are the structural changes required to embed sustainable land-use planning principles— and attention to the whole watershed—into local government decision making. Water utilities and local government organizational structures will need to shift to align land-use planning with ecosystem considerations and watershed function. As a basic starting point, technologies and practices that increase permeability and rainwater reuse must be implemented. For our communities to become sustainable, we must reimagine and reinvent our systems of governance. “Watershed Governance” (as an applied subset of Ecological Governance) 20 is the practice of embedding environmental priorities at all levels of decision making and action—from the personal to the global. It means thinking about cities and communities, forests and watersheds, and economic and political life within a new paradigm that treats the environment as all encompassing and all pervasive, not an add-on or afterthought to be “managed.” For our communities to become sustainable, we must reimagine and reinvent our systems of governance. Transitioning to a Rainwater City will require clear roles and responsibilities for watershed health and function managed through a coordinating body, such as a Regional Water Commission or something broader such as a Watershed Authority or Agency. Reform need not create another layer of government but instead could evolve out of regional governments or existing bodies. 21 Reform would specifically seek to facilitate collaboration, coordination, and whole-system thinking across jurisdictions in a given watershed, or across departments in areas where multiple watersheds exist within community boundaries. Watershed governance is not yet common in Canada, and the form it will take will vary from region to region depending on local geography, political and social priorities, and even historical development and existing institutions and practices. Experimentation and a “learn by doing” approach are needed to demonstrate its potential to overcome jurisdictional fragmentation and embed the necessary comprehensive watershed focus. 22 26
HOW TO USE THE BLUEPRINTS The following blueprints outline a process for weaving the three principles of the Rainwater City into a coherent approach to rainwater management. The three principles, as introduced already, are: Build it better let rain do the work watershed governance Although each aspect is discussed separately, the three principles should be viewed as an interconnected whole. Each of the following sections begins by describing how the principle addresses its corresponding problem as identified in the Stormwater City section. Specific actions for local governments based on each of the principles are then listed with attention to the provincial/territorial and federal government roles in each. Each set of actions contains a “First Step” that describes the critical initial action needed to implement the principle. Examples of other communities that have already taken this step are also provided to illustrate the proof of possibility. The “Next Steps” include specific priority implementation actions that are needed to turn the concept into on-the-ground results. Implementing all the actions collectively will begin the transformation from a Stormwater City to a Rainwater City. These principles collectively represent a comprehensive whole and actions can be done in any order. The actions described in each blueprint support and reinforce one another and are intended to be implemented as a suite across all municipalities sharing a watershed. For example, as communities adopt a new governance model that provides a funding mechanism for rainwater projects and increases the coordination between neighbouring municipalities, implementing rainwater harvesting systems and green infrastructure across the watershed will become more desirable and attainable. In the blueprints, each action is linked to its associated outcome(s), as initially discussed in the Rainwater City section: Improved runoff quality Enhanced asset management Reduced runoff volume Watershed governance Throughout the Blueprint section, case studies demonstrate leading examples of what is possible and happening on the ground today in Canada and around the world. 27
Page 1 and 2: Peeling back the pavement A Bluepri
Page 3 and 4: Key messages ➤ In the natural env
Page 5 and 6: introduction A Tale of two cities P
Page 7 and 8: About the handbook: MOVING FORWARD
Page 9 and 10: Photo: Capital Regional District, B
Page 11 and 12: RAINWATER CITY PERMEABLE SURFACES I
Page 13 and 14: PRoblem 1 “CONCRETE JUNGLES”: D
Page 15 and 16: PRoblem 2 RAINWATER DOWN THE DRAIN:
Page 17 and 18: Photo: P. Lynch Flooding due to sto
Page 19 and 20: Photo: www.drainsofmycity.com In so
Page 21 and 22: The transformation of a Stormwater
Page 23 and 24: Green Infrastructure Practices Cons
Page 25 and 26: Principle 3: New Governance: An Int
Page 27 and 28: BOX 4: VALUING PROPERLY FUNCTIONING
Page 29: Illustrations: L. Carnes Transition
Page 33 and 34: let rain do the work watershed gove
Page 35 and 36: and focus for local government ince
Page 37 and 38: CASE STUDY 1 HALIFAX SHOWS five REA
Page 39 and 40: Repair and Replace Obsolete Drainag
Page 41 and 42: CASE STUDY 3 PHILADELPHIA THINKS BI
Page 43 and 44: Department of Transportation and Pu
Page 45 and 46: Blueprint principle 2: let rain do
Page 47 and 48: CASE STUDY 5 RAIN AS A NEW SOURCE D
Page 49 and 50: on both sides of the street. Street
Page 51 and 52: water supplies, and flooding all re
Page 53 and 54: Photo: R. J. Frith Integrate Land a
Page 55: Establish Multidisciplinary Departm
Page 58 and 59: 54 CASE STUDY 7 PROGRESSIVE LEGISLA
Page 60 and 61: CASE STUDY 8 THE BOWKER CREEK INITI
Page 62 and 63: 58 Illustration: L. Carnes
Page 64 and 65: 60 appendix leading thinking and pr
Page 66 and 67: 13. Although the Fisheries Act does
Page 68 and 69: 41. See for example, Brandes, O.M.,
Page 70 and 71: Stratus Consulting Inc. (2009, Augu
Page 72: POLIS Project on Ecological Governa

Peeling back the Pavement - POLIS Water Sustainability Project

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