GIO Resources
Find out what GIO and its partner organizations are doing to advance green infrastructure. This page highlights GIO’s research, projects and publications.
Partners: Greenbelt Foundation, Ontario Parks Association (OPA), Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
Year: 2022
Description: This report is a follow-up to research published in 2019, the State of Large Parks in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe. This report revisits our analysis of the current and planned large parks in the Golden Horseshoe region with a focus on accessibility and equitable access, as well as proposing strategies to overcome barriers to the equitable funding, planning, and establishment of new large parks in the region, and presenting transferrable models from other jurisdictions.
Partners: Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange (GILE), Southwest Environmental Finance Centre (SWEFC)
Project: Green Stormwater Infrastructure Asset Management Resources Toolkit
Year: 2021
Description: The GSI Asset Management Resources Toolkit project aimed to build upon the free, online Integrated Asset Management Framework for combining green and gray assets into asset management work (launched by SWEFC in 2021) by beta testing it with six municipalities across Canada and the U.S. The Framework was applied to GSI assets that are commonly used within the right-of-way: pervious pavement, bioretention planters, and stormwater trenches, as well as streams, which provide essential stormwater services, resulting in this Toolkit, which includes lessons learned, examples, and case studies for each of the major components of asset management: Levels of Service, Current State of the Assets, Criticality, Life Cycle Costing, and Long-Term Funding.
Partners: Greenbelt Foundation, Ontario Parks Association (OPA)
Project: Advancing Municipal Action on Green Infrastructure
Year: 2020
Description: The Advancing Municipal Action on Green Infrastructure Project sought to identify gaps and barriers to the wider implementation of green infrastructure (GI) in the province of Ontario, and also improve the access to resources and tools available to municipal stakeholders.
Partners: Greenbelt Foundation, with support from Landscape Ontario (report prepared by The Delphi Group)
Project: Economic Impact Assessment of the Green Infrastructure Sector in Ontario
Year: 2020
Description: A first-of-its-kind assessment of the scope and economic impact of the green infrastructure sector in Ontario, showing the total jobs, contribution to GDP, and gross output (revenue) of the sector as a whole, as well as of each sub-sector.
Partners: Greenbelt Foundation, Credit Valley Conservation Authority, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
Project: State of Large Parks in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe
Year: 2019
Description: A report presenting the first regional scale analysis of park supply in the Golden Horseshoe, with a focus on large parks.
Partner: Greenbelt Foundation
Project: A Green Infrastructure Guide for Small Cities, Towns and Rural Communities
Year: 2017
Description: A guide to support small cities, towns and rural settlements with the integration of green infrastructure into their communities.
Project: State of the Urban Forest in the Greater Toronto Area
Year: 2016
Description: This report is a landmark effort drawing on data from 17 municipal and regional governments in the Greater Toronto Area to provide a comprehensive overview of the local urban forest. The report identifies the key benefits of the urban forest and outlines the challenges and opportunities associated with maintaining and growing this vital resource.
Project: Ontario’s Urban Forests: Call to Action
Year: 2015
Description: A call to action that outlines the current issues in urban forest management in Ontario, and proposes four strategic priority areas for protecting and enhancing the vital green infrastructure that our urban forests represent.
Partners: University of Toronto, Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests (LEAF)
Project: Urban Forestry Speaker Series
Year: 2014
Description: A video series that shares information about ongoing initiatives related to urban forestry undertaken in New York City.
Project: Green Infrastructure in the City Video Series
Year: 2014
Description: A three part video series that examines the following questions: 1) What is green infrastructure?; 2) Looking for Green Infrastructure; and, 3) Finding more green infrastructure.
Partner: Ecojustice
Project: Health, Prosperity and Sustainability: The Case for Green Infrastructure in Ontario
Year: 2012
Description: A report that draws on input from diverse stakeholders and existing research to present a strong case for improved policies and investments to support green infrastructure in Ontario.