Waterfront Initiative: building a vision for Vancouver BC's waterfronts
Presentation Abstract
At the interface of land and water, the waterfront of Vancouver, BC shows the stresses of increasing urban densification, heightened climate change and growing land-use conflicts caused by the competing needs of stakeholders. Yet, as these stresses grow the city faces the reality that it has no agreed upon vision for the use or protection of its waterfront nor does it have an appropriate structure to engage or work with a broad range of stakeholders to create a vision that reflects the diversity of needs. Inspired by the successful Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance of New York/New Jersey (MWA) whose 700+ member organizations are transforming their local waters into clean, accessible places to learn, work and play and building on its extensive collaborative and cross-sectoral experience, the Georgia Strait Alliance (GSA) has launched the “Waterfront Initiative” to help build a vision for Vancouver’s waterfront and put in place the structure to ensure that vision becomes a reality. Built on the theory of collective impact, GSA is providing the space through which conversations over issues such as housing, industry, recreation, climate change, economic development and others can take place and solutions can be created that build strong community and a strong economy while protecting and enhancing urban ecosystems. Through the project, GSA is building a network of collaborators including governments, business, labour, NGOs, residents, educational institutions, ports, developers, and recreational users – the broadest possible network of waterfront stakeholders committed to creating an agreed upon vision. Georgia Strait Alliance Executive Director Christianne Wilhelmson will discuss the motivation for launching this project, the steps taking so far and the path forward for creating a vision for Vancouver’s waterfront and making it a reality.
Session Title
Session S-04G: Using Cross-Sectoral Collaboration to Create Long-Lasting Solutions
Conference Track
Planning Assessment & Communication
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 8:30 AM
End Date
1-5-2014 10:00 AM
Location
Room 6E
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Waterfronts--British Columbia--Vancouver--Planning
Subjects – Names (LCNAF)
Georgia Strait Alliance (Vancouver, B.C.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Vancouver (B.C.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Waterfront Initiative: building a vision for Vancouver BC's waterfronts
Room 6E
At the interface of land and water, the waterfront of Vancouver, BC shows the stresses of increasing urban densification, heightened climate change and growing land-use conflicts caused by the competing needs of stakeholders. Yet, as these stresses grow the city faces the reality that it has no agreed upon vision for the use or protection of its waterfront nor does it have an appropriate structure to engage or work with a broad range of stakeholders to create a vision that reflects the diversity of needs. Inspired by the successful Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance of New York/New Jersey (MWA) whose 700+ member organizations are transforming their local waters into clean, accessible places to learn, work and play and building on its extensive collaborative and cross-sectoral experience, the Georgia Strait Alliance (GSA) has launched the “Waterfront Initiative” to help build a vision for Vancouver’s waterfront and put in place the structure to ensure that vision becomes a reality. Built on the theory of collective impact, GSA is providing the space through which conversations over issues such as housing, industry, recreation, climate change, economic development and others can take place and solutions can be created that build strong community and a strong economy while protecting and enhancing urban ecosystems. Through the project, GSA is building a network of collaborators including governments, business, labour, NGOs, residents, educational institutions, ports, developers, and recreational users – the broadest possible network of waterfront stakeholders committed to creating an agreed upon vision. Georgia Strait Alliance Executive Director Christianne Wilhelmson will discuss the motivation for launching this project, the steps taking so far and the path forward for creating a vision for Vancouver’s waterfront and making it a reality.
