Canada
Toronto, ON – urban farming is cropping up all over the GTA. With an increasing desire for people to be involved in something with a positive impact on the environment, they’re turning to backyard farms. Zawadi Farms is a 2,500 square foot backyard that grows a wide variety of vegetables, sold and donated to local communities in the GTA. The impact of urban farms is far reaching, they can help address food security issues in our communities, enhance job security, mitigate stormwater runoff, and reduce carbon emissions associated with food transport. To learn more about urban farms: https://greeninfrastructureontario.org/agriculture-urban-agriculture/
Montreal, QC – Everyone knows the infamous 340-hectare Central Park in New York City, but did you know that The City of Montreal is ready to far surpass this with plans to develop a 3,000-hectare park? The park is currently in the public consultation phases, but the City of Montreal is eager to protect as much greenspace as possible. The plan would include acquiring new land and connecting existing parks to conserve biodiversity and mitigate climate change. Read more about the announcement here.
Singapore
The design firm tasked with building the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Singapore were challenged with creating a comfortable, stress-reducing hospital. The immediately turned to green infrastructure to help create a calming environment for patients, families and hospital staff. The hospital has over 700 native plant species integrated into the building and includes a volunteer-run rooftop garden with fruits, vegetables and herbs that are all used by the hospital kitchen staff to create meals for the patients. Learn more about this award winning facility here.
USA
Rain gardens are being adopted in a big way in cities large and small in the U.S. The City of Puyallup (pop. 40,000) Rain Garden Program in Washington has been running strong for a decade. The program provides funding for residents to enhance their properties with permeable pavement, rain barrels and rain gardens that help mitigate stormwater runoff. Since 2009, the program has helped divert 10 million gallons of stormwater. Meanwhile, New York City recently announced that it will be more than doubling its existing curbside rain gardens, adding 5000 new gardens. These rain gardens are designed as beautiful landscape features that act as mini stormwater facilities to filter, collect and store runoff. They also have an important role to play in enhancing community biodiversity by providing ample habitat for pollinator species.