Towards Climate-Resilient Neighbourhoods: Addressing Toronto’s Shortcomings

At the Climate Adaptation Summit in 2021, Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation stated that ”we may postpone and pay, or we can prepare and profit.” This phrase has struck a chord with me as I see global warming and its repercussions as both a shock and a stress to which cities must develop resilience. It is imperative that urban planning consider the impending issue of climate change. Climate change is, in my opinion, the biggest danger to mankind, and there is an urgent need for concrete measures to prepare urban populations for the impending crisis. We need to develop community resilience policies for neighbourhoods. The primary focus of Toronto’s response to climate change has been the threat to physical infrastructure and land use; thus, addressing the community is an essential component. By broadening the definition of resilience to incorporate communities, inhabitants should be better prepared to withstand climate effects. Involving, informing, and providing locals with support will improve their capacity to endure adverse climate impacts. Strengthening the engagement of communities and focusing on their needs throughout the decision-making process to implement changes to their neighbourhood is crucial; policy solutions can only be effective if community-centered planning is prioritised. Community links are crucial during times of adversity; thus, we must tackle the disparate distribution of adaptability among Toronto’s neighbourhoods. This is particularly relevant for communities with a higher proportion of underprivileged and racialized individuals. In these regions, participation barriers are likely to be greater, and there may be less social safety nets available to create climate-resilience. Toronto is presently not a frontrunner in adaptation and is lagging behind due to a lack of commitment in executing climate-related policies across the city, particularly those aimed at enhancing community resilience. This is not to argue that the underpinnings for excellent policies do not already exist; nonetheless, they must be implemented with an emphasis on adaptability.

The formulation of neighbourhood resilience plans (NRP) for each of Toronto’s communities would be very advantageous, as they would examine the vulnerabilities and dangers unique to each region, thus guiding the development of resilience-focused activities. Additionally, Toronto must guarantee that a resilience-focused evaluation is included into the city’s planning process. This evaluation would ensure that developers accounted for future climate-related circumstances in their development projects and gave proof that their plan will continue to function at a high level even under increasingly demanding conditions. This entails investing in the social well-being of the community and evaluating how this may enhance the social connection of the development region. I really hope that such steps are implemented since they represent a promising start for Toronto’s adaption plan and effort. Climate change adaptation is a difficult undertaking that requires a substantial financial commitment, but ignoring it would be even worse.