Communities in Transition Information Resource: Tim Pringle

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Friday, September 17, 2010

Stewardship and Conservation Collaborations Deliver Performance

by Tim Pringle, Director of Special Programs, Real Estate Foundation of BC

editor's note:

Tim Pringle has been working with stewardship and conservation groups for over 20 years, through is work at the Real Estate Foundation of BC. This article draws observations from Tim's experiences, and focuses on those organizations and collaborations whose work influences policy makers and planning processes at the regional and local levels. As Tim says, "This critical work helps the public, governments, land owners and developers to appreciate the relationships among green infrastructure, ecological health and community well being."

Context

The wealth and well-being of communities is tied to the land and surrounding ecology. It should be no surprise that that 30% of the current statues (164 of 538 acts, not counting attached regulations and schedules) comprising BC Law substantially address these resources. This reality describes the commons values of BC residents in the lands of the province. Having credible stewardship and conservation expertise available to measure the condition of ecological and environmental values in the local government context as well as more widely, supports holistic approaches to planning for use and conservation of lands. This intelligence exposes the weaknesses of historic land use strategies, which tended to discount the value of natural capital.

Introduction: advocacy, but also expertise

The stewardship and conservation (S&C) sector in British Columbia is known for its strong roots in advocacy – the birthplace of Greenpeace, conservation in the Carmanah Valley, and the recent success of the Rainforest Solutions Project. This results of this work protects some of BC’s unique and ancient ecological systems. The sector also comprises another leading group of organizations that have proven their beneficial capacity to influence management of settlement change in the province. These S&C practitioners work in the local, regional and senior government contexts. Their research, mapping, public and professional education, as well as other services wisely support policy and planning to address ecological diversity concerns. In the last 20 years these organizations have become, in several regions, the primary source of expertise about regional and local ecological assets. What has supported this trend and what guidance about successful practices might be observed?

One reason the S&C sector’s expertise gains recognition is the commitment of conservancies and stewardship organizations to their values. As non-profit, usually charitable societies, their constitutions declare their primary values as does the history of their work. Their missions align with protection of public trust values concerning stewardship and conservation – subjects that often are on the minds of communities. There are a growing number of successful projects, among many. For instance, Darkwoods at Kootenay lake, the “largest single private conservation project in Canada” (see Kingfisher, Vol. 18), was realized by national heavy weight, the Nature Conservancy (BC) and regional collaborators working with an owner favouring conservation of bio-diversity.

A second defining characteristic of the sector’s expertise stems from the collaborations and networks that these organizations often build to carry out their work. Among the most influential regional groupings are organizations such as the South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program, the Grasslands Conservation Council of BC, the Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program, and provincially, the Land Trust Alliance of BC among others which provide educational, leadership, convening, and research services. These alliances can produce powerful results as evidenced by the role of the East Kootenay Conservation Program when it spearheaded the initiative that resulted in the Columbia Valley becoming the first community in Canada to adopt a “comprehensive conservation fund tax” (Dec. 2008). BC’s largest membership conservation organization, The Land Conservancy, collaborates widely and constantly pursues innovation. Currently TLC is exploring the use of numerous financial incentives to encourage community agriculture.

Successes built on a practice of forging regional collaborations

These commitments to mission and successful forging of multi-partner initiatives with innovative strategies make the regional collaborations unique. Their qualities have attracted a constellation of funders. Federal and provincial ministry programs, foundations based in BC and elsewhere, local governments and businesses have provided financial support. Very importantly, the funding has been accessible over a number of years, although the amounts rarely have been enough to keep up with the growing need. Over the years funders have conferred occasionally about the importance of the work carried out by the regional collaborations. The repeated funding commitments confirm that the funders have valued the services delivered.

These groupings focus on regional biodiversity and work with all relevant land practitioners to fulfill their mandates. The Real Estate Foundation has funded six S&C collaborations, some for several years, to support their development and services for regional communities. This long-term involvement has made clear a third key strength that they have. Like most of their colleagues in the S&C sector, the regional collaborations focus on outcomes. This is the performance-based bias and it can be a very effective fit in the local government context. .

In contrast, local government agencies carry out their operations with a “regulatory bias,” which stems in part from specific statutory responsibilities under the Local Government Act, Community Charter, and other laws. At the same time, local governments also see the advantages of employing performance-based approaches to deliver their mandates. With their attention on outcomes, the regionally-focused S&C collaborations can work effectively with local governments that may be seeking expertise to support planning fro management of ecological assets in the broader land use context.

Nonetheless, a number of local governments engage in performance-based, creative strategies to manage use and conservation of land. The City of Victoria accessed internal leadership to encourage the Dockside Green project and reach a planning and management process that served both the developer interests and those of the city. The City of Langford has taken a performance-based path with several development areas. The District of Maple Ridge engaged in a “Smart Growth on the Ground” planning charrette program to achieve a community-supported plan for redevelopment of the urban core. The plan contains a number of performance-based criteria.

Inevitably, any performance-based negotiation will differ considerably from what has been the usual development review process. Risk increases because the number of actors tends to be greater; outcomes have to be mutually defined; all parties need to access expertise to support their case in the negotiations. And, some subject matter may be unfamiliar to one or more of the actors involved.

Rewards increase as well. The Province of BC has espoused a “green cities” agenda, including the "Climate Change Action Charter" which requires local governments to commit to plans to reduce the carbon footprint of operations. In response to these and other indicators, cities and towns want to accommodate green buildings – including LEED certified; they value “design with nature” strategies and local/urban agriculture projects now capture their attention.

A growing appetite for local government - S&C partnerships

Increasingly, local governments in particular welcome joint ventures where S&C organizations may be cooperating agents to help carry out research, provide public and professional education, and work on new or revised policy concerning protection of the ecology. The regional collaborations in particular have considerable ability to enable and support performance-based strategies in the local government context of managing development and conservation of land. Certainly this is a trend that merits support.

There are several examples of effective joint-venture strategies employed by regional stewardship and conservation partnerships. The South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program, which has 50 partners, is a collaborator with six local governments to enhance planning services concerning the regions ecological values. Three of the government partners contribute to the funding that provides a shared “environmental” planner and supports a roundtable for implementation of performance-based strategies.

In the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island, the Comox Valley Land Trust (CVLT) and its partners in the sustainability Centre have researched and published the report Nature Without Borders. The quality of the research supporting the report’s recommendations has enabled the CVLT to act in an expert capacity in the Regional Growth Strategy (RGS) process. Presently, the local governments in the Valley are pursing a joint implementation strategy concerning the RGS. The CVT is a collaborator in this process as well.

As a final example, Wildsight based in the East Kootenay region (reported in Kingfisher Vol. 19), offers a five-year success story in the “Healthy Lake Windermere” Project. This venture includes science and development of methodology to support community stewardship of this important recreation lake in the Columbia Valley. Other regions now use the Lake Windermere model to engage stewardship practices concerning lakes providing key ecological and recreational values.

These critical partnerships demonstrate the need for collaboration between local governments, use of performance-based approaches in planning for management of the built environment and protection of the natural areas with their ecological goods and service. They provide an effective fit with local and regional government needs in the context of community and regional planning.

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©Real Estate Foundation of BC / 2010. We encourage the reproduction of articles on this website non-profit educational purposes. Please notify the Foundation and the author of all reproductions, including in-house uses.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Tim Pringle talks about Crown land and rural community interface issues (pt 2)

In June 2010 the town of Smithers, BC hosted a conference on Crown land and rural community interface issues. Tim Pringle attended the conference on behalf of the Real Estate Foundation of BC, as part of the Foundation's ongoing work with rural communities in BC. Tim talks with hanspetermeyer about the conference, the highlights, and the issues.

This is part of a series of podcasts on rural community issues sponsored by the Real Estate Foundation of BC through its Communities in Transition program. For more information visit the Foundation's website at REFBC.com.
©Real Estate Foundation of BC / 2010. We encourage the reproduction of articles on this website non-profit educational purposes. Please notify the Foundation and the author of all reproductions, including in-house uses.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Welcome to the JUNE 2010 postings from the Communities in Transition Information Resource

Summer's here...

Long days and warm nights. Good for growing food and enjoying the beauty of BC's rural landscapes.

Before you settle into the garden (or the garden chair), we hope you'll be inspired by some of the conversations about land use, conservation, and sustainability we've gathered in this posting of CITinfoResource.

The June 2010 Issue

Since our last editorial dispatch in mid-May we've posted a number of items that reflect some of what the Real Estate Foundation of BC does in non-metro BC communities. In her overview of the Organic Farming Institute of BC administrator Sarah Clark outlines how Foundation investments are translating into smarter, more sustainable agricultural practices in BC's Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys – and beyond. As this is being written, Tim Pringle is attending the Interface 2010 conference in Smithers. In our interview, Tim talks about what the conference is about and why it's important to non-metro communities.

Tim is also the co-author of George Penfold's latest post on creating more effective rural economic development in BC's regions. George also responds to Maureen LeBourdais' post on the BC Rural Summit, and comments on his joint post with Tim in this audio post.

A lot of what happens on the community side of the Foundation's investments have to do with sustainability. BC has a number of experts on sustainability – and a number of people who are still puzzling over what that means "on the ground." We recently interviewed Mark Holland and received a great – critical – response from Vancouver Island resident Charnal Macfie. In his most recent appearance at CITinfoResource Mark continues the dialogue. Gene Miller is another of the experts on sustainability we've had the pleasure to work with here at CITinfoResource. Gene's particular expertise is related to organizing one of the premiere sustainability conversations in Canada: the Gaining Ground Summit series, which the Real Estate Foundation of BC has helped to sponsor on a number of occasions. Our video interview with Gene looks at the 2009 Resilient Cities event, and forward to the upcoming October 2010 event in Vancouver. Finally, I weigh in with some thoughts on what Tim Pringle has described as the "rural/urban divide."

Coming soon...

CITinfoResource will host a number of posts over the summer, following up on themes we've presented during the year. We've got an interview with Kathy Bishop of Leadership BC's Central Vancouver Island chapter, talking about the June "Dialogue in Nanaimo" about water sustainability. We'll be posting about the environmental planning initiative coordinated by the South Okanagan-Similkameen Conservation Program. We're also going to be talking to Tim Pringle about the outcomes of the Smithers Interface 2010 conference. As you recline lakeside or gardenside during these summer months, take a moment to see what else is being posted about activities related to investments by the Real Estate Foundation of BC in non-metro BC communities!

Investment in community sustainability

The Real Estate Foundation of BC funds a wide range of land use related projects in non-metro BC communities. In 22+ years the Foundation has been involved in over 1500 projects across BC, with more than half of these outside the Lower Mainland and Victoria. CITinfoResource is one way that the Foundation is extending the reach of these projects, recirculating it through CITinfoResource via our blog, Facebook, and Twitter posts. You can also connect with the Foundation at its website and its new Facebook page.

Our goal at CITinfoResource is to "stimulate and support the conversation about land use, conversation, and sustainability amongst land-use practitioners in non-metro BC communities." Check us out. Use and circulate our resources and posts. Let us know if we're having an impact in your region or organization.

hanspetermeyer

Editor,

CITinfoResource

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©Real Estate Foundation of BC / 2010. We encourage the reproduction of articles on this website for non-profit educational purposes. Please notify the Foundation and the author of all reproductions, including in-house uses.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Tim Pringle talks about the Interface 2010 conference in Smithers, BC

Tim Pringle is Director of Special Programs at the Real Estate Foundation of BC. He talks to CITinfoResource editor hanspetermeyer about the upcoming June 16-18, 2010 Planning for the Crown-Settlement Interface Lands conference in Smithers, BC.

Tim's focus in this conversation is on hedonic pricing of lands and real estate in rural communities. He emphasizes the importance of communities understanding their values and values-based planning as part of the strategy to deal with Crown-Settlement interface issues.

CITinfoResource is an initiative of the Real Estate Foundation of BC with a purpose of supporting and stimulating the conversation about land use, development, and conservation in non-metro BC communities. For more information visit our blog at CITinfoResource.com.

©Real Estate Foundation of BC / 2010. We encourage the reproduction of articles on this website non-profit educational purposes. Please notify the Foundation and the author of all reproductions, including in-house uses.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Tim Pringle talks about large development projects on Vancouver Island

Tim Pringle is Director of Special Programs at the Real Estate Foundation of BC. In this interview, CITinfoResource editor hanspetermeyer talks to Tim about the Foundation's current research on large scale developments on Vancouver Island, and why this is important to Island communities. This research is part of the Foundation's Green Values Vancouver Island initiative. A summary of the research findings will be posted in coming months.

This conversation took place on January 22, 2010.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

The Resilient Cities Interviews 2: Tim Pringle talks about GGRC09

In October 2009 the 6th in the Gaining Ground Summit series attracted 600 people to Vancouver to learn, talk about, and build connections around the theme of "Resilient Cities." Communities in Transition Information Resource editor hanspetermeyer talked to Tim Pringle of the Real Estate Foundation of BC shortly after the conference about his impressions of GGRC09. What follows is an edited transcription of that conversation. An audio version is available here on the CITinfoResource blog. Tim is Director of Special Programs with the Foundation, and has participated in a number of the Gaining Ground events. The Real Estate Foundation has been one of the partners in the series for several years.

hanspetermeyer: Tim, you were there for pretty much the full three days of Resilient Cities, plus some shoulder events is that right?

Tim Pringle: Yes, I attended all of the plenary sessions which were the morning part of the program and then a couple of the afternoon workshops.

hpm: What were your overall impressions of this event?

TP: This is the 6th Gaining Ground summit. Three in Victoria since 2006, and two in Calgary. Now Resilient Cities this year in Vancouver is the sixth one. I think that it continues to build and really support a community of interest around the theme of settlement change that is more sustainable or holistic. That was certainly one of the themes that came out of the conference: to present a holistic perspective where a number of view points and roles of players or actors have to be integrated.

hpm: Give me an example. What kind of range did you see?

TP: Our cities are made up of a lot of players that do things that shape what happens on the ground. On one side you have the development interest, land owners developers, and the people who finance that process. You also have the local approving authorities: regional governments plus provincial authorities that approve what form development may take. And then you have the stewardship and conservation sector, the community and people at large who are concerned about how their places change. The best outcomes are the ones that get all of those actors involved in the process, at stages so there is a conversation about change, so values can be expressed and outcomes are better aligned with what the community feels is appropriate for its place.

hpm: Who was representing the development perspective at the Gaining Ground Resilient Cities?

TP: John Knott was there for example. He is from a family that has more than 100 years of involvement in the building trades and the craft of building. He is currently working on a large project called Noisset in North Charleston, South Carolina. He made a few comments which I thought were very telling. He talked about his company being in the "human habitat business."

hpm: "Human habitat business." Sounds like a bit of marketing talk there.

TP: Not in this case. He also feels that they are in the "community development business" so he definitely doesn't think of their work as only real estate focused. He makes the point by noting that in the case of Noisset what he is trying to create is social durability. They have a place in Noisset which is quite a large area of North Charleston, originally settled in the late 1700's. It has gone through several remakes and has been derelict for a number of years. The history is notable because they have a Frederick Law Olmstead plan for parks.

hpm: He's one of the big names in 19th century park planning?

TP: Yes. Also, another one of the great urban designers helped lay out the plan for this part of Noisette. I can't remember his name right now. The point is that Knott's company had significant heritage to work with. They took that into account and started with that as the key form maker for the way that they would re-develop or re-new. They did a master plan and gave that to the City of North Charleston. That was their contribution, in part, to the public or to the commons. Under that master plan, once it was approved and amended, then various developers have taken roles in re-developing and re-furbishing certain areas. John Knott's company itself, the way they have expressed their commitment to the social or community building, is that they are not only doing the development; they have established a conservancy, a foundation, and a sustainability institute. Each has a role: with non-profits, with people, with the physical heritage and the environmental heritage of the place. All of the development that takes place in this project in North Charleston provides some revenue that goes into these non-profits. This is evidence of a respect for the commons and an active role for the commons in helping re-make the place.

hpm: So, John Knott represents a pretty progressive type of development contractor. Were there any developers from BC presenting?

TP: There was another one in the plenary session, and that was regarding the Elkington Forest near Shaunigan Lake on Vancouver Island. Doug Makaroff made that presentation. It's an example of what he called "conservation development." The idea is that the natural features of the place and the ecological value shape the extent and kind of development that might take place. The housing development is there for the purpose of generating enough revenue to maintain these values over time, to conserve, steward the value of the Elkington Forest. I believe the total area is about 1100 acres. A small portion of this is developed and those revenues are used to establish a trust that will support the stewardship and conservation of the remaining area.

hpm: We've got some progressive development content then at GGRC09. What about local government? What kind of presentations moved you from local government or from that kind of perspective?

TP: The only one from local government was the opening presentation by Gregor Robertson, Mayor of Vancouver and he was presenting the city's action plan for a green economy. He named ten goals – I won't go into them all – but he believes that Vancouver can be a leading green city and would like to see it become recognized as one of the top cities in the world, not only for the physical aspects of green development and ecology, but also for creating jobs in green industries, education that flows from what Vancouver is and what it does, and green building and design technology that's transferable. He is looking at those kinds of things.

hpm: As I understand it, Mayor Robertson's announcement was part of the confluence of interesting and positive things that were part of the Resilient Cities conference. How did people respond to Robertson's ten points?

TP: All I can say is that he recieved enthusiastic applause. I also think there was pretty good press coverage of his plan. Certainly at the conference his announcement was a position that aligned well with what Portland and Seattle are doing. There was a local government team from Portland at the conference, and discussion about the City of Vancouver and the City of Portland looking at a memorandum of understanding to work together on certain things on the theme of being lead green cities in the world and on the west coast.

hpm: Were there any other highlights for you at the conference. It seems to me that the John Knott presentation was a strong one.

TP: Yes, it was very good. The other one was Paul Hawkin. Many people already know Paul Hawkin quite well. He is well known for his work on Natural Capital and his more recent book, Blessed Unrest which I haven't read yet. In Blessed Unrest he talks about the ingenuity of nature and the organisms of the earth to understand there is a need for change and to heal itself. He thinks that humanity is going that way as well. Not a fast program, but he thinks that's the case.

He did make a strong case in his presentation about cities as part of that intuition, that cities are necessary for survival, for lessening the impact on the environment, by giving people the chance to have well-being without necessarily relying on traditional patterns of growth that we have seen. Certainly since North America was settled by Europeans. He believes that the literacy about the environment and ecology needs to be improved tremendously, and there there is a growing interest in that. Hawken made a key point for me when he talked about Gaining Ground and the community of interest around it, that this is where there is a feasible level for action that people can get inspired and can find collaborations to be engaged in and learn how to find information they may want so they can make decisions about where to be involved and how to move ahead.

hpm: Did you see any of that happening?

TP: Yes, there is always a lot of networking at the Gaining Ground events. This one was no exception, and I did hear a number of comments from people, that they found it very useful that way. The Foundation is working with some other organizations around this, and we had a meeting at the shoulder event the day before the conference started. We're looking at an open directory kind of strategy to accelerate the uptake and interest of knowledge about managing settlement change more sustainably. For us Gaining Ground and this kind of strategy represents a place where we can access a community of interest and pursue initiatives together.

hpm: Can you give me a summary as to why I would want to go to a Gaining Ground Summit? What did Resilient Cities inspire in you?

TP: It provides a wide range of view of generally very active people, places, cities that are working on changing for the better. You get a good dose of what they're doing, how they're doing it, what they plan to do next, who they are working with, and the fact that this all takes collaboration. You get usually a very strong message about the Gaining Ground conference. I think for me in this one, the message was that people need to re-connect with the place and feel more rooted. Out of that comes the ability to love your place and the desire to protect it or be a steward or being engaged in making it better. I think the modern North America has been too willing to re-locate when things got difficult, and we have abandoned places that have been messed up, as it were, by our inept city building and urbanism in the past. I can see now that that's changing.

hpm: If you were going to tell me to follow 3 people after the conference, who would they be?

TP: I think in BC it would be Mark Holland of Holland Bars Lanarc because he is a leader in this field, in his work and in his personal convictions. I didn't mentioned it, but he delivered a manifesto at the conference which was a very brave and outstanding document. Very much worth people finding. [editor's note: CITinfoResource will be talking to Mark Holland about posting his "Resilient Cities Manifesto" here.] Paul Hawkenis a thought leader for sure, as are a number of other people. I think if one goes and looks at the program of Resilient Cities online, depending on what you are doing, you might want to follow any of plenary presenters because they are all strong leaders in their particular approach in the issues they are addressing.

hpm: But Tim Pringle's "3 to follow" would be Paul Hawkins, John Knott, and Mark Holland?

TP: Yes.

hpm: Thank you very much Tim. Do you have anything you want to add to this conservation about Resilient Cities?

TP: It's a long conversation Hans, but this is a start on it.

We strongly encourage the reproduction of articles on this website non-profit educational purposes. Please notify the Foundation and the author of all reproductions, including in-house uses.

Monday, November 16, 2009

The Resilient Cities Interviews 2 (audio): Tim Pringle talks to hanspetermeyer about GGRC09

In October 2009 the 6th in the Gaining Ground Summit series attracted 600 people to Vancouver to learn, talk about, and build connections around the them of "Resilient Cities." Communities in Transition Information Resource editor hanspetermeyer talks to Tim Pringle of the Real Estate Foundation of BC about his impressions of the GGRC09 event.

Communities in Transition Information Resource will be conducting and posting a series of interviews over the coming year looking at the impact of GGRC09. These will be posted as audio, video, and transcripts whenever possible.

©Real Estate Foundation of BC / 2009. We encourage the reproduction of articles on this website non-profit educational purposes. Please notify the Foundation and the author of all reproductions, including in-house uses.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Editorial Notes: The September, "End of Summer" posting of the Communities in Transition Information Resource

by hans peter meyer, editor

Welcome to the September issue of the CIT Information Resource!

Food

It's appropriate that "food" should be at the top of our posts this "harvest" issue. There's a growing "foodie" culture, at least a part of which is focused on "local" and "organic." We are beginning to realize that Big Food, like so many Big things, isn't always looking out for the best interests of communities. In what has almost become a regular column, George Penfold weighs in with timely insights on the realities of harvest: What does it mean when communities or regions say they want to be self-reliant as food producers? What are the challenges to this "motherhood" topic? George's questions should be asked of every region and community that announces its intention to be Canada's next "Provence" or "Tuscany."

Green Values Vancouver Island
What does it mean to a region when huge tracts of land are moving towards development? This is one the questions Tim Pringle addresses in his current article, an overview of one of the big conservation, real estate, and governance opportunities (and challenges) in BC: the question concerning the future of the highly attractive EN Land Grant lands on the east coast of Vancouver Island.

CIT Project Summary - the Lake Windermere Project
CIT is also about on-the-ground projects addressing issues that affect the day-to-day health and quality of life in BC communities. An overview of the past 12 months or so of CIT grants is provided, as well as a summary of the four-year Healthy Water, Healthy Communities – Lake Windermere project. As project coordinator Heather Leschied indicates, long time residents in the Lake Windermere region are starting to weigh the costs and benefits of amenity-related development, and "are seeing that this has long-term implications for the aquatic health of the system." Foundation project funding through the CIT program is helping to establish baseline scientific data that is then feeding into public education, as well as local and provincial government policy.

BC Land Summit coverage continues
We continue our coverage of one of the significant gatherings of land use practitioners in the province, the May 2009 BC Land Summit. In this issue we include an interview with social researcher Angus McAllister, whose work on "solving for similarity" is helping to shape some new and positive ways of building and re-building communities and neighbourhoods.

Gaining Ground Summit: Resilient Cities, October 20-22
Finally, we conclude this end of summer issue with a look ahead to the upcoming Gaining Ground Summit: Resilient Cities (GGRC09). We interview Gene Miller, the visionary behind the Gaining Ground Summit series on what GG is, and why it's important today. As an aside, it's important to note that while Resilient Cities may be about "cities," the lessons and methodologies apply equally to small communities: in the face of significant and common challenges (ie. climate change), we are all called on to be imaginative, informed, and ready to try new ways of working together, new ways of looking at our resources and our challenges. As Gene suggests, there is a "note of hope and optimism" sounded by the GGSummit series. Something most BC communities – and citizens – would likely enjoy hearing.

Stepping into Social Media at CIT
About half a year ago CIT stepped into the "social media" world with this blog. The CIT Information Resource is now taking some additional steps into other forms of social media. We've just set up a Facebook page, as well as Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube accounts. There's not much at any of these accounts – yet. We encourage you to share your words and images with us. Tag your posts with "#CIT" or "#CITinfoResource" (and, if you're at GGRC09, please tag everything with #GGRC09). That helps us share some of the many inspiring things that are happening, either directly through the CIT program or through the agency of our partners.

Why are we taking these steps? We're hoping that they'll become very useful tools for sharing the insights, knowledge, and experience of creating healthy, thriving neighbourhoods, communities, and regions. For example, most of us can't regularly travel from Vanderhoof or Castlegar or Cumberland to be at gatherings in Vancouver, Victoria – or Prince George. GGRC09 is going to be great. Many of us won't be able to make it due to financial, familial, or work constraints. With "on site" and "live" postings, however, as well as after-the-fact postings of blogs, photographs, and vidoes, we can tap into these events, share our observations and stories, and give these kinds of events a "longer tail" than a 2-3 day event usually has.

What can you do? Please check out and contribute to our social media resources. Leave comments on our blog posts. Send us links to project and event posts – pics, videos, blogs, tweets, etc. We'll be sharing stories about communities in transition, about people making a difference. Help us be more effective in what we do, so that we can be more effective in helping you. Join us online!

Use and share these resources
One of the hallmarks of the Real Estate Foundation's 22+ years is collaboration and sharing of resources. We actively encourage the reproduction of CIT Information Resource articles and materials for non-profit educational purposes. In return, we ask that you please notify the Foundation and the author of all reproductions, including in-house uses.

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©Real Estate Foundation of BC / 2009. We encourage the reproduction of articles on this website for non-profit educational purposes. Please notify the Foundation and the author of all reproductions, including in-house uses.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

What's Driving Settlement Change in the Mid-Vancouver Island Region?

by Tim Pringle

(This article was prepared as part of Tim's presentation to the Convening for Action Vancouver Island [CAVI] Learning Lunch series to start in Courtenay, BC on September 24, 2009. For more information about CAVI and the current Learning Lunches series, please click here...)

A strong argument can be made that the east coast of the mid-Vancouver Island region is one market for real estate development. According to research being done by the Real Estate Foundation, many factors indicate that this is indeed the case. In this context, all communities – from Cobble Hill to Campbell River – will continue to see a number of real estate development proposals at their front counters.

Given this demand, regional and local governments are in a relatively strong position with regard to development. They have the option of implementing more stringent assessment of the opportunity costs and benefits represented in these proposals. Over time, a more stringent assessment and approach to managing settlement change should enable communities to

realize more benefits than liabilities from the development that takes place.

Some persuasive data describe demographic change and real development activity in the mid-Island region. Among British Columbia’s eight development regions, the Vancouver Island Coast Region ranked 3rd in population growth (36%, or 1.8% annually) in the period 1986-2006. In comparison, the four regional districts comprising the mid-island region – east coast (Cowichan, Nanaimo, Comox and Srathcona) – expanded their populations by 49% or 2.49% per year. Of 10 regional districts in the development region, the Comox Valley Regional District ranked 3rd with 56% (2.8% annually) increase in population (Regional Economic Analysis, Vancouver Island Economic Alliance -2008). Of all BC development regions, only the Mainland Southwest matched the growth rate of the mid-Island.

Obviously this rate of growth far exceeds the net of births and deaths, which actually is negative. In the Comox Valley, for example, 30% of individuals reported in the 2006 Census lived at a BC address outside of the Valley (Courtenay CMA), or in a different province or country in 2001. Only 375 immigrants came to the Valley in the 2001 to 2006 period. Thus, nearly all mobile individuals came from another place in BC (including Vancouver Island) or Canada. During the census interval, roughly half of the migrants and immigrants replaced individuals leaving the Valley; the other half provided net growth.

Since the late-1980s, large scale real estate developments have become increasingly common in the mid-Island region. According to the BC Stats “Major Projects Inventory” (values of $15 million or more), there now are 35 projects – including a residential component – which are proposed (19), under way (12), or on hold (4) in the mid-Island region. These include infill, brown-field, and green-field sites. One or two are "complete communities" (that is, they include all types of land use as well as ecological conservation provisions). Several are mixed use developments where residential uses occur with commercial, retail, and institutional. Several are residential only and may include a recreation focus such as a spa or golf course.

Most of these proposals emphasize and capitalize on the natural amenities of the mid-Island region. The familiar real estate promotions citing access to beaches, waterfront, wildlife, nature, etc expect price premiums based on proximity to waterscapes and other natural features. In addition to these amenities, because of the historic EN Land Grant, the mid-Island region offers large tracts of privately owned land that investors hope to have rezoned. Some development proposals present watershed locations and site allocations to diverse land uses that make them very difficult to evaluate.

Local and regional governments are acutely aware of the pressures arising from real estate development demand in their jurisdictions and throughout the mid-island region.
The list of challenges is legendary including:

managing supply and usage of potable water,
handling rainwater, grey/black water and the attendant ecological concerns,
adopting design with nature strategies and technologies,
inclusion of attainable housing in the inventory of new residential development,
location of developments (infill, brown-field, green-field),
evaluating land uses, conservation uses, transportation services, and design footprint, etc. to manage green house gas emissions.

Fortunately for the Comox Valley, the regional district and municipalities are preparing well to manage the persistent, large-scale settlement change. The Regional Growth Strategy and Regional Conservation Strategy are 2 of several regional planning processes that will declare values and priorities. Beyond the adoption of the plans lie the challenges of joint-perspective on settlement change and strategic joint-management.

These challenges go beyond the bounds of the Comox Valley. Indeed, they face all communities on Vancouver Island's east coast that are living the legacy of the EN Land Grant of the 1800s. Stepping back to look at the really big picture, the question for communities from Cobble Hill to Campbell River remains: How do they deal with the legacy of this historic context? How do they align their efforts to ensure the right development in the right place in the right time? Market pressures are significant, but at this time, and given our increasing understanding of the costs and benefits of changing land uses, local and regional government is well-placed to be more directive and positive in it's approach to development proposals than it has ever been in the past.

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TIM PRINGLE is Director of Special Programs at the Real Estate Foundation of BC. Prior to assuming his current position, Tim was for 20 years the Executive Director of the Foundation.

©Real Estate Foundation of BC / 2009. We encourage the reproduction of articles on this website for non-profit educational purposes. Please notify the Foundation and the author of all reproductions, including in-house uses.

Friday, June 5, 2009

In Conversation with Tim Pringle about the May 2009 Northern Sustainability Summit: Rural Revitalization in BC's North

by hans peter meyer

Tim Pringle is the Director of Special Programs at the Real Estate Foundation of BC. Tim was in Smithers, BC on May 28-29, 2009 for the Northern Sustainability Summit: Our Communities, Our Future. The Summit was hosted by the Town of Smithers, with support and sponsorship of a wide range of organizations, including the Real Estate Foundation of BC. The event attracted 88 registered attendees from across the north, from the Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii to Prince George. I interviewed Tim shortly after his return from several days in the Smithers region.

hpm: What was the purpose of the Northern Sustainability Summit?

Tim: It was organized as a way to engage leadership of that region from the perspective of how they could implement strategies to help them with the transitions they’re experiencing, socially and economically.

hpm: What are some of these transitions?

Tim: This area of BC has been stable or declining since at least the mid-90s. By one measure – population change – there have been some ups and some downs, but overall it’s been stagnation or decline. Whatever recent building and development activity that has occurred is due to demographic change: The population is aging; household sizes are getting smaller. There is also a rise in “mailbox incomes” – investments and pensions. This indicates not just aging, but also the likelihood of households relocating within or into the region who don’t need a job. That’s not to say there aren’t entrepreneurs or others who come into the region.

There is a subgroup within the region that is growing, the aboriginal population which makes up about 20% of the total population. They have a positive birth rate. From a housing and land development perspective, the impact of this growth is hard to see as this population is traditionally scattered rurally. We are, however, seeing more aboriginal persons relocating to the market towns of the region. These would be Prince George in the south, and Smithers, Terrace, and Prince Rupert to the north and west. It’s in these centres that we find greater diversity of housing types. You’re not going to find condos in the rural areas, for example. You might find a duplex here or there, but you’re not going to find multiple unit developments. These will be in the larger centres.

This begins to paint a picture for certain kinds of migration. Elderly people who no longer want to maintain a single family dwelling (SFD) will migrate to the centres where there are more housing options. It's part of a range of changes going on that are not unlike those facing non-metropolitan areas in southern BC.

hpm: Why has this region experienced population decline?

Tim: The economy of the region is primarily built on resource extraction, which is subject to world markets. We all know about the softwood tension, how BC is affected by that tension with the US. The impact of the mountain pine beetle is starting to be felt, and it will be a long term impact. In the short term, of course, there has been some increased harvesting activity. But in the long term there will be less fibre available. This will have an impact on the manufacturing in the region. Mining can be a strong employer, but it’s cyclical. Minerals have been strong, but have recently weakened. Communities in this region are therefore looking for a strategy that is more “place-based.” They’re planning for future well-being based on the kinds of assets and skill sets they have. They’re asking, How can we attract new households? How can we build on what we have? Framing these questions is, to a great extent, what the Northern Sustainability Summit was all about.

hpm: Why is the Real Estate Foundation involved in this kind of an event?

Tim: I'll give you some background. Land use and housing issues are a primary concern for the Foundation. As I've mentioned in an interview on the REIBC research on northern housing issues, retaining and attracting households has a significant economic multiplier effect in communities. It also has an impact on the social heritage or social capital assets in a community. From a real estate industry perspective, these contribute to community quality of life. In 2004 the Foundation launched the Communities in Transition (CIT) as a way to look at these and related "transition" issues. Our focus with CIT is on the non-metropolitan areas of BC.

This Northern Sustainability Summit was one of a number of projects we’ve been involved in over the years through CIT. Specifically, it is part of a series of community and regional forums that are part of a larger project looking at integrated sustainability planning and rural revitalization in north-central and north-west BC. It includes some housing research recently completed for the Real Estate Institute of BC, case studies of rural development projects that have been in operation for a number of years in Scotland, Maine, and Kentucky. It also involved the large regional conference that took place in Prince George in October of 2008, Reversing the Tide. The Smithers event is one of a series of events following up on Reversing the Tide. Others have been held in Barriere in the North Thompson area, in Clinton, Kamloops, and then Cranbrook. All of this has occurred in the context of this larger project that the Real Estate Foundation has been involved in.

hpm: You said you’ve already had some feedback about the conference. What are people saying?

Tim: Responses from attendees’ evaluation form were almost all “good” or “excellent.” One telling remark came from Nathan Cullen, the MP for the area. He was the closing speaker for the conference. Cullen acknowledged and understood the need for a regional approach to the issues. He was impressed by the number and range of sponsors for the conference – this included local governments, provincial ministries, private sector interests, financial institutions, among others. He said that the program was excellent, and he supported the notion that communities in the North have the expertise and the ability to “reinvent” themselves - not his word - that in the conference room there was the confidence to get through the challenges facing the region, that have stymied them in the past.

As well, there is a group that has been active for some time on these issues in the Prince Rupert-Queen Charlotte area. Members of this group participated in the Summit, and reported back positively about how helpful the event information was, and also about the quality of the contacts they made. They found David Beurle, a consultant from Australia, particularly helpful. They’re already working on a larger regional approach, as opposed to a community or sub-regional approach [editor's note: see CIT interview with Victor Cumming on limits to community and sub-regional econ deve approaches], so their activities, while not a direct result of the Summmit, are in line with kinds of things the Summit was proposing. It’s good to see this kind of quick application of the Summit’s outcomes.

There were two speakers who stood out for me. One is Kim Fowler. She’s an experienced planner and has been working for some time as a consultant, helping communities with their sustainability planning and strategies. She’s worked for Victoria and Port Coquitlam. In Pt. Coquitlam she developed an extensive “sustainability check-list.” At the conference she provided a very practical, applied perspective on what tools and policies local governments can use to become more sustainable.

The other speaker who stood out was David Beurle. He’s very experienced in working with rural communities, looking at what their assets are, what their landscapes and people have to offer. His interest is in using these assets as levers for revitalization. David has developed “The Futures Game” to help in this work. We “played” the game in the last afternoon of the conference. Table-teams are given information about the landscape – at the summit David used a case from Southwestern Australia as an example. Teams are given the characteristics of the landscape and a card with events at specific updates over a span of 20 years or so, starting in 2008 with updates at 2012, 2020 and again at 2030. Table-teams make decisions based on each set of information, but not knowing what the next set of cards describes. So they make decisions based on the 2008 information, and then are given the 2012 information, and so on. At the end, the tables see what the decision-tree looks like, at the kinds of things they might have accomplished if they’d made different decisions. The endpoint or end analysis has the table-teams assess whether they gained or lost population, whether the landscape is healthier or more degraded, what happened with the economy – those kinds of things.

hpm: This sounds fascinating, very engaging.

Tim: Yes, it is. And it’s easy to do. Very intuitive to people. It’s what you’d be doing around the kitchen table or in a local government context if you were worried about your future.

hpm: This sounds like a fun way to engage people if your community is doing a Regional Growth Strategy or a Sustainability Plan.

Tim: Yes, it would be. It makes sense to everybody. The thing is that you’d have to do a lot of work, assembling the data, before you could run it in a community. The game needs intelligent information to work properly.

hpm: Anything you’d like to add about where the conference might go?

Tim: I think it was very successful in helping people understand their own capacity for self-determination. I’ve noticed over the years, and this is a good example, that there is less expectation that a senior level of government will be able to come in and “solve” things. Instead, I’m seeing communities saying, “We need to do this, and if we need senior levels of government to make policy changes, we’ll work on that. In the meantime, lets work with what we’ve got.” This can include existing provincial or federal programs that can be accessed for funding. There are some regional organizations in place for this. The Northern Development Trust, for example. This is a fund that supports community economic development, although it’s broader than just CED. There’s also the Nechako-Kitimat Development Fund. These are all examples of sources of funding that can be used for certain kinds of projects. And they’re locally based. What impressed me....I liked the emphasis on self-determination.

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©Real Estate Foundation of BC / 2009. We encourage the reproduction of articles on this website non-profit educational purposes. Please notify the Foundation and the author of all reproductions, including in-house uses.