Abstract Manager

The City of Vancouver has set an ambitious target to treat and retain stormwater runoff from 40% of impervious area with green rainwater infrastructure (GRI) by 2050. One of the approaches used to achieve this target is through the transformation of underutilized road space into Blue-Green Systems (BGS). The overall vision for Blue-Green Systems is to achieve, in the not too distant future, a network of streets, parks, and open spaces that will be redesigned into leafy green landscaped spaces, which prioritize people and communities, walking, cycling, with room for the urban forest and biodiversity to grow to its potential; and where ephemeral raingardens flourish and deliver on their water management potential–-these corridors are wet when it’s pouring with rain and dry but healthy even at the end of our long warm Vancouver summer. They combine sustainable transportation options with GRI, helping to reduce flood risk, improve receiving water quality, and replenish our aquifers.  

The BGS at Sunset Park (2022) and Woodland and 2nd (2023) are the first installations of a larger proposed Blue-Green Network that spans the City. Both projects were a collaborative effort between the Vancouver Park Board and the Engineering Department’s Transportation Design and Green Infrastructure Implementation branches. Landscape architects and engineers from these groups collaborated on the projects that would create a typology for Vancouver’s BGS.   

Both projects permanently closed underutilized sections of road space, converting parking and car lanes to All Ages and Abilities (AAA) cycling paths. Next to the cycling path, GRI bioswales were constructed to manage rainwater from the adjacent bike lane and nearby roads. The bioswale uses soil, plants, and trees to filter pollutants out of urban rainwater runoff. This helps to improve water quality in our receiving waterbodies, protecting river and ocean wildlife. The bioswale also holds water—reducing flooding and preserving the capacity of our drainage pipes to handle bigger storms brought by climate change. The plants also provide shade, carbon sequestration, and promote biodiversity. This brings biophilic and cooling benefits to the active transportation corridor. Informal seating, informal play and artistic educational opportunities were brought in to the streetscape to improve the usability of the space and the public’s connection to urban nature. 

The Sunset Park and Woodland & 2nd BGS not only provide environmental benefits, but they also served a practical purpose, illustrating how innovative environmental solutions can be leveraged to address multiple municipal infrastructure challenges.