Green Waterfront Design: Charrette Report
The Green Waterfront Design Charrette brought together design experts and staff from five British Columbia municipalities, including planners, engineers, sustainability specialists, emergency managers and biologists to explore how shifts in land use and building design could support community resilience to sea level rise.
Most attention to date regarding sea level rise in the Lower Mainland has been directed to the costs and logistics of raising existing dikes and related structures and maintaining the protection they provide for both urban and rural properties in the region. A growing body of research and practice supports the protection and restoration of natural shorelines and habitats as an effective, and cost-effective way to buffer coastal communities against the impacts of rising sea levels, while also preserving recreational, aesthetic and real estate values.
The charrette focused on responses that developed green infrastructure and provided opportunities to protect and restore coastal ecosystems, and maintain valuable natural shoreline amenities.
