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RISE: An ideas competition addressing sea level rise in Metro Vancouver

Cities, Climate + Environment, 2014, Summit Innovation The Shock of the Possible, Community Building

Recent reports predict the ocean that surrounds our Metro Vancouver communities will rise by 1metre by 2100(1), putting housing, transportation and ecosystems at major risk while causing significant economic losses(2).

In September 2014, SFU Public Square launched an open ideas competition to address sea level rise in Metro Vancouver as part of our 2014 Community Summit. RISE provided the platform for people in Metro Vancouver communities to develop innovative ideas that ensure we adapt and thrive – faster than the waters that surround us.

See our dedicated competition website for information on the challenge, team submissions and winners!

Sun, 19 Oct 2014

12:00 - 5:00 p.m. (PT)

SFU’s Segal Building

500 Granville Street, 
Vancouver

About Innovation: The Shock of the Possible

Are you ready to explore the opportunities and challenges presented by innovation? Our 2014 Community Summit took place October 19 to 24 in Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey and included a diverse range of activities and events. We asked what innovation means for some of the most important social, environmental and economic issues facing communities in BC, Canada, and beyond. People joined us for an evening at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre with Ray Kurzweil, Richard Florida and Amanda Lang, an ideas competition addressing sea level rise, a young innovators crawl, a national forum on innovations in undergraduate learning and a roundtable on health technology and patient care.

Learn More

In the News

Opinion: Rising sea level demands attention — Tamsin Lyle, Vancouver Sun (September 13, 2014) 

BOV 2014 contributors’ picks: Activities & Events — The Georgia Straight (September 17, 2014) 

Audio: Shauna Sylvester Talks RISE Competition [2:31:07-2:36:41] on CBC's The Early Edition (September 4, 2014)

Rising sea levels in Metro Vancouver spark open competition: Innovative solutions sought as one-metre rise around Vancouver predicted by 2100 — Deborah Harford, Action on Climate Team (July 28, 2014)

Reports and Resources

Premier Sponsor: Vancouver Foundation

The RISE Ideas competition is only possible with the generous support of our partner, Vancouver Foundation.

With over 1,500 funds and assets totaling $930 million, Vancouver Foundation is Canada’s largest community foundation. Each year, Vancouver Foundation and its donors make more than 4,000 grants, totaling approximately $46 million to registered charities across Canada. Since it was founded in 1943, Vancouver Foundation, in partnership with its donors, has distributed more than $1 billion to thousands of community projects and programs. Grant recipients range from social services to medical research groups, to organizations devoted to arts and culture, the environment, education, children and families, disability supports for employment, youth issues and animal welfare. To find out more please explore Vancouver Foundation's website or connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Research by the Adaptation to Climate Change Team (ACT)

ACT (the Adaptation to Climate Change Team) is a policy planning initiative from Simon Fraser University designed to develop timely options for sustainable adaptation to climate change impacts. SFU Public Square is working in collaboration with ACT to provide RISE competition participants with access to the most recent and relevant sea level rise research and policy reports.

ACT brings leading experts from around the world together with industry, community, and government decision-makers to explore the risks posed by top-of-mind climate change issues and identify opportunities for sustainable adaptation.

For more information on ACT, please see the Adaptation to Climate Change Team website.

References

  1. ^ BC Ministry of Environment (2011) / Climate Change Adaption Guidelines for Sea Dikes and Coastal Flood Hazard Land Use: Draft Policy Discussion Paper
  2. ^ Hallegatte, S, Green, C, Nicholls, RJ, Corfee-Morlot, J, (2013) Future flood losses in major coastal cities, Nature Climate Change, Vol 3, pp802–806 doi:10.1038/nclimate1979

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    Help Metro Vancouver find ways to adapt and thrive as we face a 1metre rise in sea level. Register a team, visit our public exhibition, and vote online for the best ideas.

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