Canada is a highly urbanized country with ambitious climate mitigation targets, and yet an ever-growing population will require increased housing – typically through urban infill land intensification or expansion into greenfields for residential developments that results in the loss of green infrastructure.
Urban greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions make up 42% of Canada’s total emissions. What is poorly understood, however, are the contributions from urban green infrastructure – trees, vegetation, wetlands, water bodies and aquatic systems – to mitigating the impacts of climate change.
The RISE project aims to better understand the longer-term impacts of urban residential developments on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and seeks to measure the effectiveness of GHG mitigation efforts of green infrastructure.
Working with our partners, including municipalities and land developers, our hope is to create positive change within the residential planning and development sector that will lead to increased green infrastructure for more sustainable urban development.
News
New publication on the role of landscape architects and non-profits in shaping green infrastructure in residential developments
RISE team member and PhD candidate Hazem Ahmed co-authors paper with Principal Investigator Michael Drescher and co-Principal Investigator Dawn Parker published in Urban Forestry & Urban Greening.
RISE authors highlight benefits of nature-based solutions for tackling climate change in The Conversation
PhD candidate Adam Skoyles and Principal Investigator Michael Drescher offer insights into how green infrastructure can enhance communities and successfully combat climate change.
Rebecca Rooney’s Waterloo Wetland Laboratory partners with Toronto and Region Conservation Authority on urban park restoration project
The Meadoway, a 16-kilometre-long hydro corridor in Scarborough, Ontario, will be transformed into one of Canada’s largest urban linear parks.