A Street Tree Survival Strategy in Toronto (2011)

2012

The City of Toronto has an extensive network of street trees across its breadth to address issues of pollution, stormwater management and to reduce the urban heat island effect. These trees are vulnerable due to difficult growing conditions. Climate change will exacerbate the challenges faced by street trees and reduce the likelihood that they will reach maturity, when they will produce the greatest environmental benefit.

To protect the trees from the imminent climate change impacts, the City of Toronto has implemented several new planting techniques designed to give the trees adequate room to grow, and improve the likelihood that they will thrive. The case study discusses the features and techniques used in this program as well as the challenges that accompany such an undertaking, and the lessons learned by the City. This information may assist other municipalities in implementing similar programs to protect their urban forest, a key component of many urban climate change adaptation strategies.

Land Use Planning Tools for Local Adaptation to Climate Change

2012

This document describes tools in the land use planning sector that communities can use in preparing to adapt to climate change. In addition, it provides information on decision-support tools, tools that provide information and resources to help planners and local decision makers take effective adaptation action. A brief example of each tool and its use by a Canadian community is given.

Guelph Water Conservation Programming (2012)

2012

The City of Guelph, Ontario, is vulnerable to water shortages as they are not located nearby to a major source of water, a challenge that may be exacerbated by proposed climate changes in the region. To prevent such shortages, the City has established incentives, regulations and water conservation programs to relieve the strain on the groundwater source. These efforts are guided by a Water Supply Master Plan that commits the City to achieving a 20% reduction from the 2006 average daily water consumption by 2025.

The case study describes the elements of the City’s strategy and discusses the challenges of maintaining public engagement in such a prolonged program. It concludes by identifying several lessons learned that may be of value for municipalities that face similar challenges.

Sustainable Municipal Water Management: Measuring Progress and Reporting Publicly

2012

In the face of accumulating impacts including urbanization and climate change, municipalities are increasingly embracing an integrated approach to water management that captures the full spectrum of a community’s impact on water. This approach cuts across traditional municipal delivery areas, to include infrastructure design and operations, land use planning and approvals, public education and participation, emergency planning and response, pollution prevention, and habitat and shoreline restoration.

City of Windsor Climate Change Adaptation Plan

2012

Municipalities have a significant role to play in climate change adaptation as many climate change impacts will directly affect the services provided by the City of Windsor and our agencies. This plan was developed through consultation with all City departments and select City agencies and followed the five climate impacts that pose the greatest risk to the City. The actions taken today by the City of Windsor to proactively adapt to the changing climate will enhance community resilience to climate change while reducing the human and economic costs of climate related impacts.

Thunder Bay Cogeneration (2012)

2012

The City of Thunder Bay, Ontario, retrofitted and expanded its wastewater treatment plant in 2005 to accommodate greater volumes of wastewater. New equipment and infrastructure was constructed as part of the City’s Pollution Prevention and Control Plan (PPCP). The new design has led to greater efficiency and has boosted resiliency and adaptive capacity within the plant.

The case study reviews the features of the PPCP and discusses the benefits of the newly designed plant. The lessons that were identified provide insight for practitioners that are planning to update major infrastructural assets.

Adapting to Climate Change: Challenges for Niagara

2012

This report has been written to describe how climate is changing in the Niagara region, Ontario, the impacts that can be expected in the near future, protective activities that are underway in the region, and gaps that need to be addressed in order to develop and implement adaptation strategies.

Municipal Climate Change Adaptation Training

2012

In 2011 as part of the Ontario Regional Adaptation Collaborative, the Clean Air Partnership (CAP) delivered an Intensive Municipal Adaptation Training in climate change adaptation planning for municipal officials in Ontario. The Training Program addressed the key considerations for municipal climate change adaptation; the impacts of climate change on Ontario municipalities; how to assess community risks and vulnerabilities; key steps in planning for adaptation; and how municipalities can build on their strengths to integrate climate change adaptation measures into existing goals, plans and programs. Visit this tool to access all of the resources used for this adaptation training.

Visit site Municipal Climate Change Adaptation Training

Adapting to Changing Flood Patterns in the City of Hamilton (2012)

2012

Like many Ontario municipalities, the City of Hamilton has recently experienced extensive flooding as a result of several severe storms. More frequent and intense storm activity is expected in this region as a result of climate change.

The case study outlines Hamilton’s iterative and progressive approach to addressing flooding issues that arise from climate change. The strategy includes development of comprehensive Master Plans, creation of a Storm Event Response Group (SERG) and development of an independent Community Panel (ICP) composed of experts in the community. This case study concludes with the lessons learns from this process, which may assist other Ontario communities facing similar flooding challenges from increased storm activity.

City of Rochester Local Waterfront Revitalization Program

2012

The New York State Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) is a planning framework that offers to coastal communities the possibility to study their shoreline areas, establish policies to guide development, and implement appropriate waterfront land uses and projects. The City of Rochester has adopted its LWRP in 1990 and is still implementing and improving it. The file attached is the Executive Summary of the plan. To access all the documents related to it, please visit the City’s website.