Toronto’s Green Revolution: Harnessing Nature-Based Solutions for a Sustainable Urban Future
Green roofs are a nature-based solution (NBS) for managing water resources and reducing associated risks, with Toronto leading the way through initiatives such as the Green Roof Subsidy program and the Green Roof Bylaw.
Green roofs offer a multitude of environmental benefits. They serve as natural sponges, absorbing rainwater, reducing runoff, and mitigating urban flooding. By providing insulation, they help in reducing energy consumption and combatting the urban heat island effect. Additionally, they enhance air quality by filtering pollutants and carbon dioxide out of the air. Green roofs also contribute to biodiversity by providing habitats for various species, thus creating green oases in urban landscapes.
Apart from their environmental benefits, green roofs also offer social and economic advantages, including job creation, support for local businesses, and improved health and well-being for urban residents. Studies have demonstrated that green roofs positively impact mental health and overall well-being by reducing stress and elevating mood.
Despite their promise, green roofs still face challenges, such as limited awareness and understanding of NBS among decision-makers, which can hinder funding and support for these projects. Additionally, designing and implementing effective, affordable, and long-term sustainable NBS can prove challenging.
Toronto greening its future
The City of Toronto, in its commitment to combat climate change, has instituted grants to encourage the installation of ‘eco-roofs’ — green and cool roofs — on city buildings. Green roofs, or vegetated roofs, include a multi-layered system with vegetation, which offers numerous benefits such as energy savings, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, stormwater management, and habitat creation. Cool roofs, alternatively, reflect the sun’s rays to reduce heat absorption. The grant scheme provides $100/m² for green roof installation and up to $1,000 for a structural assessment, and for cool roofs, $5/m² for a new membrane, and $2/m² for a cool roof coating on an existing roof. This program applies to existing and new buildings with a gross floor area of less than 2,000 m², including those constructed by Toronto School Boards and non-profit organizations.
Meanwhile, the City of Toronto’s Green Roof Bylaw, established in 2009, mandates the construction of green roofs for new developments or additions with a gross floor area greater than 2,000 m². The required green roof coverage ranges from 20–60% of the available roof space, depending on the building’s size. This applies to new commercial, institutional, residential, and industrial buildings. For industrial buildings, the bylaw requires either a green roof covering 10% of available roof space or a roof with cool roofing materials covering 100% of the available roof space. These buildings must also adhere to stormwater management performance measures.
The Take-Out
Green roofs are a versatile and eco-friendly solution to manage water resources while generating multiple co-benefits.
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Call for Chapters: Palgrave Encyclopedia of Sustainable Resources and Ecosystem Resilience
The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Sustainable Resources and Ecosystem Resilience, published with Springer Nature, provides practitioners and researchers with a tertiary body of knowledge on how improving resource efficiency and ensuring ecosystem resilience can achieve green growth, which values ecosystems, promotes inter-generational development policies, and protects human life and livelihoods from environmental risks and ecological scarcities. Submissions are open for chapter contributions by academics and practitioners. DM Robert C. Brears (Editor in Chief) for more information.
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