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Making policy |
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The City's interest
The City of Toronto has had an interest in encouraging green roofs for some time, starting with its participation in the construction of two demonstration green roofs on the podium of City Hall (still under construction) and the roof of the Eastview Community Centre. At the policy level, support for green roofs is found in the recommendations of the Environmental Plan, which called for a strategy to encourage green roofs and rooftop gardens, and in the policies of the new Official Plan that state "... green building design and construction practices will be supported and encouraged in building renovation and redevelopment through... the development of innovative green spaces such as green roofs, and designs that will reduce the urban heat island effect".
| Toronto's Green Roof Strategy |
| There were a number of steps in preparing Toronto's green roof strategy. In 2004, the City commissioned a team from Ryerson University to prepare a study on the potential environmental benefits of widespread implementation of green roofs to the City of Toronto, given the local environment and climate. The Study, titled The Environmental Benefits and Costs of Green Roof Technology, was undertaken with a grant from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Green Municipal Funds, and in partnership with Earth and Environmental Technologies, one of five Ontario Centres for Excellence, supported by the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. |
Pilot Green Roof currently under construction on City Hall podium |
This Study indicated that widespread implementation of green roofs in Toronto would provide significant economic benefits to the City, particularly in the areas of stormwater management and reducing the urban heat island and associated energy use for cooling. Read more about the study findings here.
Breakdown of the stakeholders at workshop
The City held a set of consultation workshops with green roof stakeholders to receive input on its proposed strategies to encourage green roofs. Following these consultations, the City prepared a discussion paper, called Making Green Roofs Happen, which proposed options for encouraging implementation of green roofs. These options were based on a discussion and analysis of the results of The Environmental Benefits and Costs of Green Roof Technology study, the policies of municipalities considered international leaders in green roof development, and the findings of the stakeholder workshops. The paper also proposed criteria for defining green roofs, and identified barriers and solutions to green roof implementation. This discussion paper can be downloaded here.
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Section 1 Summary of the Consultants's Report:Environmental Benefits and Costs of Green Roofs
Section 2 Learning from International Leaders in green roof policy
Section 3 Summary of findings of Stakeholder Workshops
Section 4 Defining Green Roofs: Response to Workshop Input and Recommendations
Section 5 Making Green Roofs Happen: Options and Strategies to Implement Green Roof Technology
Conclusions
In November 2005, Making Green Roofs Happen was presented at a public meeting of Toronto's Roundtable on the Environment, an advisory body to City Council on matters of sustainability. Mayor Miller attended the meeting and spoke of his desire for Toronto to become a leader in green roof policies. "In addition to the direct benefits, green roofs are also about Toronto being a leader and an innovator. I would like Toronto to be a showcase for the world on green roof initiatives."
The meeting, which had an audience that filled Council chambers, included a presentation, (3 578 kb) on the results of the study, an overview of how other cities encourage green roofs, and Toronto's proposed green roof strategy. The proposed strategy was received positively by the members of the Roundtable and the audience, and there were many supportive deputations from the public.
Following some additional suggestions from the Roundtable, on February 1, 2006, Toronto City Council approved a set of recommendations to encourage green roofs (Policy and Finance Committee Report 1, Clause 20) which effectively comprise Toronto's green roof strategy.
The initiatives in this strategy fall into four main categories:
- Installation of green roofs on City buildings
- A pilot grant program
- Use of the development approval
process to encourage green roofs
- Publicity and education
The Toronto Green Development Standard
The City of Toronto has adopted the Toronto Green Development Standard for new City-owned buildings and to encourage private developers to build green. The Green Development Standard contains performance targets and guidelines that relate to site and building design to promote better environmental sustainability of development. The Standard is a "made-in-Toronto" approach that integrates existing City guidelines and targets with standards from private rating systems such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Green Globes. The Green Roof Strategy is being integrated into the Green Development Standard.
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