Resaturated

Resaturated attempts to address how landscape architecture can promote a restorative relationship with water in the city. The uptake of blue-green infrastructure has increased as current grey systems of water management are over-capacity, aging, and contributing to far-reaching environmental consequences.

The City of Vancouver has defined increased water connectivity as a major objective through their One Water Initiative, with specific targets and strategies outlined in the Rain City Strategy. This project builds on these ideas by asking how design can inform and engage the general public, and incite a shift in attitude towards water. This project considers how a blueway could enrich public experiences of water in the urban landscape, while also meeting stormwater targets.

The selected site in Norquay Village follows a string of city-owned lots along the storm main where Still Creek once flowed. A block north, at Renfrew Ravine Park, this creek continues to flow as one of Vancouver’s few open watercourses. The objective of this project is to simultaneously improve the ecological function of Still Creek while actively engaging local communities in the process.

Norquay Village is currently dominated by single family housing, but has been designated for increased density in the coming years. Compared to other neighbourhoods in the city, this area is highly impermeable with limited park amenities. Through two speculative design scenarios, the project explores how a blue corridor could better integrate water into Norquay Village while providing amenity space to a changing neighbourhood.