Sustainability Film Festival : Food - 2013

Focus on Sustainability Film Festival: Food – Call for Submission 2013

The second annual Focus on Sustainability Film Festival returns to York University this winter semester 2013, with a spotlight on the increasingly vital and complex topic of Food.  In addition to feature films, panel discussions, and prizes centred on food, the upcoming festival also gives local film makers in the York U community an opportunity to have their food related film featured.  Following the submission deadline, the festival presenters will choose one prize-winning film to be highlighted, and up to three runner-up films to be exhibited.

Submission Requirements:

• York University enrolled (or previously enrolled) student in any department
• Run time for films must not exceed 60 minutes
•  Films must be focused on any food related issue
• Suggestions include: animal rights, agriculture, veganism/vegetarianism, local/global
• Deadline is January 10th 2013 to Jessica Reeve, IRIS Junior Fellow
• Email submissions to jreeve@yorku.ca; or drop in person to 395 York Lanes, IRIS Offices
• Submissions must be in digital formats, and accompanied by a 250 word abstract, title, and

Contact information

This call for submission is brought to you by The Osgoode Environmental Law Society (ELS), The Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS), and The Climate Consortium for Research Action Integration (CC-RAI).  For more information please contact Jessica Reeve at jreeve@yorku.ca.

July 17th – Toronto breaks yet another heat record. It is 11:54 pm and I am lying in the living room trying to take advantage of the small window mounted air-conditioning unit while an industrial fan is pointed towards me and a wet towel is draped over me. It is hot and in so much as I blame my overactive metabolism and my third storey apartment the culprit is the weather.  As someone who has spent the better part of the last five years involved in climate change work and research I know enough not to associate one incidence of extreme heat  with global climate change. That said, it hasn’t simply been one incidence, or two or three, or hundreds, but thousands. While the vast majority of scientists agree and continue to enhance their understanding as to how our climate is changing, for some – scientifically validated, and peer-reviewed evidence simply will not do.

How about some anecdotal evidence? In another excellent video from the producer of Crock of the Week, Peter Sinclair; we are introduced to what Eugene Robinson at the Washington Post points to as the type of weather we are likely to experience for the rest of our lives. It is from Robinson that the Crock of the Week gets its title. The compilation of news clips and videos entitled ‘Welcome to the Rest of Your Life’ is just over 8 minutes long and serves to highlight the past 3 weeks of extreme heat, wild fires and wild weather that has blazed, razed and rampaged its way across North America affecting millions of us directly and millions more indirectly now and in the months to come.

In an interview with PBS’s Judy Woodruff,  Dr. Kevin Trenberth of the National Centre  for Atmospheric Research in the US, is quoted as saying the weather has, ‘no parallel’ and that by simply looking out the window you can see climate change in action. CBS news reports that the period from May 2011 to April 2012 has represented the warmest 12 months since 1895 when the US started keeping records, while CNN goes on to report 1800 record high temperatures have been reported and that  40,000 daily heat records have broken so far this year, double that of 2011 (which by the way is still 20,000).

Tom Costello of NBC news reports that the storms that hit the northeast united states recently knocked out power to 5 million people, 2 million more than those who were without power as a result of Hurricane Katrina.  To put that in perspective, Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area represents a population of more than 5 million people.

While the focus of the ‘Crock of Week’ is focused on the US, the Canadian news could have certainly supplied some footage. The CBC reports, “Drought in Central, Eeastern Canada baking (July 15^th), another record breaking day in Toronto

While sun-worshippers may relish the heat, for others it can be agony and even deadly. However, it isn’t simply the heat that is the problem, it is the impact is has on our infrastructure, our agriculture, our farmers, their families, those vulnerable members of society, i.e., the elderly and the economically disadvantaged who cannot afford the air-conditioning or the secondary impacts of higher foods prices as a result of crop damage.

Interspersed between the reports and interviews from NBC, ABC, CNN and is a conversation with Rex Tillerson, CEO of Exxon Mobil, who acknowledges, ‘clearly there is going to be an impact, I’m not distributing (sic that), increasing CO2 emissions in (sic) the atmosphere is is going to have an impact, it will have a warming impact, how large it is is what is very hard for anyone to predict and depending on how large it is – then projects how dire the consequences are.”

The consequences seem pretty dire – for example, simply consult the IPCC Special Report on Extreme Weather (SREX) or the farmer whose crop has been dessimated by extreme heat and long-lasting drought.

While we may wish to blame the oil companies our ravenous appetite for fossil fuels doesn’t seem to be decreasing, that is another issue. As scientists the world over acknowledge, even if we could halt the increase in greenhouse gas emissions immediately those already in play will continue to affect global climate change for years to come.

How much evidence scientific, anecdotal or otherwise does one need to accept the reality that global climate change is an issue. Not just for comparatively wealthy North Americans, but also billions more in the developing world.

One of my heroes, Sir Austin Bradford Hill, the famed an epidemiologist and statistician who was one of the  first to demonstrate the connection between cigarette smoking and lung cancer wrote “All scientific work is incomplete – whether it be observational or experimental. All scientific work is liable to be upset or modified by advancing knowledge. That does not confer upon us a freedom to ignore the knowledge we already have or postpone the action that it appears to demand at a given time.”

While science continues to validate projections of global climate change and further substantiate the drivers and mechanisms behind that change we might want to consider the overwhelming reality of change happening all around us.

And while I agree with Rex that we are indeed an adaptable species, adaptation isn’t as easy as he makes it sound.  While Rex contends, “it is an engineering problem and it has engineering solutions,” I’m not that convinced. Yes, engineering solutions will be important, but adapting to a problem as overwhelming and globally pervasive as climate change won’t simply mean a technical fix. Shifting agricultural production, bringing water to new deserts and equipping cities to effectively respond to the social, environment and economic challenges of our present reality will not be easy or inexpensive. That said, we can’t begin to consider adaptation if we can’t come to terms the reality of the rest of our lives and those of our children and grandchildren.

Companion Video from the YALE forum on CLIMATE CHANGE & THE MEDIA (Peter Sinclair)

This weeks blog post was written by Stewart Dutfield, CC-RAI’s Program and Communications Manager after viewing the most recent, ‘Crock of the Week’. Stewart has studied and worked in the area of climate change for nearly five years and is interested in the aspect of communications and public awareness around climate change, as well as climate adaptation in the urban context.

This blog post reflects the opinion of the author.

Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), Nova Scotia:

Susan Chalmers, Masters of Environmental Studies Candidate at York, continues her installments on climate change adaptation in Canadian coastal communities by discussing the results of her research. The current blog highlights the adaptation work underway in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax, Nova Scotia

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In 2004, the regional municipality began to develop Climate SMART – the Sustainable Mitigation and Adaptation Risk Toolkit. The main goal of this initiative is to mainstream mitigation and adaptation into decision-making and create management and planning tools to help the municipality address climate risks and reduce emissions. A steering committee, comprised of members of the municipality and the private sector, formed the conceptual model, while a working group of government officials created specific policies and strategies. Currently, the Energy and Environment Office coordinates and oversees climate change planning in the municipality. Compared to Saanich, Halifax Regional Municipality’s approach to climate change adaptation has been to incorporate it into the regional plan, various functional plans and municipal policies instead of creating a separate adaptation plan.

To assist its business units in preparing for and reducing climate impacts, the regional municipality developed a number of tools, including cost/benefit assessments, community based vulnerability analysis, sustainability analysis, environmental impact assessments, a Climate Change Risk Assessment Protocol, and a Risk Management Strategy. In creating the latter document, Halifax primarily followed the Canadian Standards Association’s risk management guidelines, which consists of the following six steps: 1) initiation; 2) preliminary analysis of impacts and vulnerabilities; 3) risk estimation; 4) risk evaluation; 5) risk control; and 6) action and monitoring. This strategy clearly outlined a number of possible adaptation actions for different departments in order to address impacts to water resources, infrastructure, coastal zones, and other sectors. Some have been implemented along with new measures.

To minimize water resource and infrastructure risks, the Halifax Regional Water Commission is adjusting its rate structure to increase water conservation, adopting best practices to minimize leakage in its distribution system, securing additional water supplies, upgrading wastewater and stormwater infrastructure to withstand future climate projections, and offering lower rates to customers who adopt measures that reduce stormwater runoff (e.g. green roofs or permeable pavement).

Infrastructure and Asset Management is also instituting specific actions for its area of responsibility. The forthcoming Urban Forest Strategy will allow for alterations to the species mix in parks to take into account climate change. Meanwhile, new municipal structures currently need to be LEED standard. In the near future, standards for its own buildings will be upgraded so they better adapt to climate change. Besides these preceding measures, this business unit has conducted vulnerability mapping of the social, built and natural environment around Halifax Harbour. These assessments assist the municipality in planning for climate related emergencies and making effective planning decisions. For example, new construction along vulnerable sections of Halifax Harbour now needs to be negotiated through development agreements on a case by case basis for large projects. In addition, developers are required to consider sea level rise and storm surges impacts and institute appropriate adaptation measures in project applications and construction.

Similar to the preceding department, Community Development is taking action to minimize potential damage to infrastructure. It published “A Developer’s Guide to Risk Assessment,” which identifies climate projections and impacts, explains how to evaluate risks, and provides a checklist for buildings and development in order to foster climate adaptation by the land development community. Land use policies and by-laws also exist to institute setbacks along the shoreline or inland waterways in order to limit risks from inland flooding or coastal inundation.

Halifax, Nova Scotia (CC - Hobolens)

A fourth department, Fire and Emergency Services, regularly educates residents on emergency preparedness. In order to enhance community and household preparedness for climate related emergencies, the Energy and Environment Office in consultation with the Emergency Management Organization developed a guide entitled the “Community Action Guide to Climate Change and Emergency Preparedness”. To provide additional assistance to high risk communities, these entities have jointly conducted some climate change planning workshops on portions of this guidebook and will continue to offer them in the future. During these sessions, participants map various types of vulnerabilities and are encouraged to develop a community action plan to help them until emergency personnel arrive. Fire and Emergency Services also has Joint Emergency Management Groups that act as a resource for rural, isolated and vulnerable communities during emergencies. They liaise with the Emergency Operations Centre, help community groups plan and respond quickly in emergencies, and assist vulnerable demographic groups. In recent years, the number and severity of forest fires has risen in the region. To address this particular type of emergency and the occasional challenges with reaching fires during extreme weather events, this business unit has been increasing its capacity and resources. For example, it now uses additional types of vehicles, new water sources and different access roads.

Beyond specific business unit actions, HRM is one of numerous organizations involved in the Atlantic Climate Adaptation Solutions Project. It has been active in several initiatives within this broader project, including wave run-up and seiche modelling for Halifax Harbour; the Halifax Harbour Sea Level Rise Project; impervious surface, stormwater, and sediment modelling; and water resource modelling, among others. Some of the modelling efforts have already influenced municipal policies and actions. For instance, wave run up and seiche modelling results are being incorporated into land use by-laws. Meanwhile, Northwest Arm seawalls are being upgraded to reflect one-hundred year climate predictions to provide more long-term protection to properties.

Sources: Interviews with municipal staff; the Climate Smart: Climate Change Risk Management Strategy for Halifax Regional Municipality; the Climate SMART Risk Management Strategy for HRM: February 2011 Status Update; and the Climate Smart website. For additional information on Halifax’s climate initiatives, please refer to the following link – www.halifax.ca/climate.

About Susan Chalmers: Susan is originally from Vancouver. She completed her BA in Political Science and Environmental Studies from the University of Victoria in 2008 and is pursuing her master’s degree at York. Her research interests relate to climate change policy-making and climate justice generally.

Susan Chalmers, Masters of Environmental Studies Candidate at York, continues her installments on climate change adaptation in Canadian coastal communities by discussing the results of her research. The current blog highlights the adaptation work underway in Saanich, British Columbia.

Saanich, B.C. - Climate Change Adaptation Plan

Saanich, British Columbia:

In October, 2011, Saanich released its Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan. A broad range of people, including Saanich’s internal climate adaptation team, line staff, key stakeholders and the general public, played important roles in developing the plan. A member of the Planning Department and external consultants led the project, while the Management Group, comprised of directors and key managers from municipal departments, supervised and the plan’s development and provided support to the project leaders. One member of the Management Group, Saanich’s Chief Administrative Officer, truly believed in the importance of adaptation and championed the project from the beginning. To identify, validate and prioritize key impacts and adaptation actions, the project leaders consulted with line staff, influential stakeholders from the affected sectors, the general public, Saanich’s seven Advisory Committees, and senior personnel in the other twelve municipalities within the Capital Regional District, as one plan will eventually need to be developed for the entire region.

In order to facilitate the adaptation planning process and the development of its Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan, the municipality and its consultants created a customized framework that was modified from the ICLEI and Climate Impact Group’s guidebook, “Preparing for Climate Change”. The framework consisted of seven steps: 1) define at risk sectors; 2) assess impacts; 3) evaluate risks; 4) identify adaptive capacity; 5) conduct an urgency assessment; 6) validate urgency; and 7) rank actions.

The Adaptation Plan identifies eight-seven actions to address a wide variety of impacts in ten sectors, including agriculture, ecosystems, infrastructure, transportation, health, and emergency response. For instance, to increase local food production, the municipality intends to modify certain policies and bylaws to enable urban farming and support more community gardens. To deal with building and infrastructure threats, Saanich will consider climate change in the codes of its own buildings and engineering plans, retrofit critical infrastructure and incorporate stormwater management in new and retrofitted roads. Furthermore, the city plans to institute an erosion setback in high hazard areas, create variances and density bonuses to protect public amenities that buffer against coastal threats, and advise developers on mainstreaming adaptation into coastal properties. These actions will be incorporated into departmental plans and gradually implemented over the next ten years. Every three years, Saanich will formally review and update the plan considering actual impacts and instituted measures, although it will also track its progress on an annual basis.

Saanich, British Columbia

The newly released plan builds on adaptation initiatives already underway. The Urban Forest Strategy, Invasive Species Management Strategy and Natural State Covenant increase the tree canopy to provide shade during high temperatures, eradicate and limit the spread of non-native species, and protect natural ecosystems in their current state. To minimize flood risks to buildings, the municipality limits development in high flood prone zones and the construction of buildings below the floodplain. The municipality has also allocated funds to upgrade aging infrastructure, such as stormwater and water distribution systems, which is beginning to occur. Finally, the Emergency Response and Recovery Plan and several hazard specific action plans provide a foundation for responding to climate related hazards like flooding.

Sources: Personal interviews from municipal staff; Saanich’s Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan; and Adapting to Climate Change in Saanich: A Discussion Paper by D. Hegg. For further information on this community’s adaptation efforts, please visit the following website.

About Susan Chalmers: Susan is originally from Vancouver. She completed her BA in Political Science and Environmental Studies from the University of Victoria in 2008 and is pursuing her master’s degree at York. Her research interests relate to climate change policy-making and climate justice generally.

Coastal communities in Canada are expected to experience additional threats from climate change that inland communities will not, including coastal erosion and water inundation from sea level rise, more severe and frequent coastal storms, and storm surges. In some parts of coastal British Columbia and Atlantic Canada, land subsidence will intensify sea level rise. Arctic coastal communities face another unique risk – melting permafrost. Similar to other parts of the country, increases in annual mean temperatures and precipitation are also predicted for coastal regions in the coming decades. These changes are expected to enhance threats to buildings and other infrastructure, human health and safety, and important community resources like water, fisheries and agriculture.

Iqaluit, Nunavut at the centre of climate change in Canada

As part of her ongoing research, Faculty of Environmental Studies masters candidate, Susan Chalmers, is investigating what adaptation strategies that three Canadian coastal communities are implementing to address their particular impacts from climate change and which frameworks and tools they may be utilizing to assist them in adaptation planning. Her research on Saanich, BC, Iqaluit, Nunavut and Halifax, Nova Scotia will be featured in a follow up blog next month.

As the first in a series of blogs Susan will be introducing introducing a variety of coastal adaptation strategies that scholars and practitioners often recommend to address coastal risks. “Soft” strategies (e.g. beach nourishment, wetland habitat restoration and shoreline stabilization using vegetation) and “hard” structures (e.g. seawalls, dykes and storm surge barriers) could be used to protect towns from flooding, coastal erosion and storm surges. The former approaches are most effective in low to medium energy environments in sheltered coastal areas (e.g. lagoons and estuaries) or in conjunction with hard defensive structures, while coastal armouring structures are valuable in high energy coastal environments. A second form of coastal adaptation is retreat or withdrawal. Vertical or lateral coastal setbacks are a common form of retreat. They restrict new development within specific distances of the sea, and thus provide a buffer against erosion, sea level rise and storms. Managed realignment may also be used, in which case defences are moved further inland or property is relocated. Finally, hazard mapping, warning systems, wet and dry flood proofing, and floating agriculture may be instituted to minimize flood risks to property, human life and crops.

The City of Halifax, NS - another city beginning to adapt to climate. Photo by Karim Reznk

Similar to inland communities, coastal towns also need to implement more universal adaptive measures to reduce impacts on infrastructure, human health and natural resources and increase their resiliency. For instance, building codes and engineering design standards could be strengthened for infrastructure to limit threats from extreme weather events and climate variability. To address human health concerns, communities may wish to increase surveillance of climate-related diseases; institute more vector control and vaccination programs; develop emergency response plans, heat alerts and early warning systems; increase public education on climate related health risks; and plant additional vegetation to cool urban temperatures.

To protect water quality and supplies, municipalities could identify alternative water sources, adopt conservation strategies, store extra water from the wet season, and improve the safety of water treatment facilities. Finally, to enhance marine and freshwater fisheries productivity, local governments could preserve and restore important natural habitats, adjust harvest rates to provide conservation buffers, adopt ecosystem-based management or expand aquaculture farms.

The coast of Saanich, BC (Photo by Paul Hamilton)

In order to understand their climate risks and vulnerabilities as well determine appropriate adaptation measures, communities may utilize a variety of planning frameworks. Reputable risk assessment frameworks such as those developed by the UK Climate Impacts Program (UKCIP) and Canadian Standards Association (CSA) may be referenced by coastal communities. Alternatively, they may follow ICLEI Canada’s Five Milestone Adaptation Process or institute Integrated Coastal Zone Management to address climate change along with other coastal issues, to name just a few. Generally, these planning frameworks recommend the following steps: 1) define the problem and objectives; 2) create a climate change adaptation team; 3) engage stakeholders  throughout the planning process; 4) identify anticipated climate impacts based on future projections; 5) perform vulnerability and risk assessments; 6) develop and appraise adaptation actions; 7) implement adaptation actions; and 8 ) measure progress, evaluate the effectiveness of actions and update the plan as needed.

About Susan Chalmers: Susan is originally from Vancouver. She completed her BA in Political Science and Environmental Studies from the University of Victoria in 2008 and is pursuing her master’s degree at York. Her research interests relate to climate change policy-making and climate justice generally.

The UKCIP Experience - Advancing Climate Adaptation - Roger Street, Technical Director, UKCIP

On Thursday November 24^th, the Climate Consortium for Research, Action and Integration (CC-RAI) was pleased to host Roger Street, the Technical Director at the UK Climate Impacts Program (UKCIP) based at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute (ECI).

Roger Street, UKCIP Technical Director

Roger joined UKCIP in 2006 after working for over 30 years for the Canadian federal government, much of which focused on climate, and impacts and adaptation. Roger brought a wealth of experience to the discussion which stemmed from his leading role in the development of Canada’s first national assessment on climate change impacts, as well as an advisory role in the first US national assessment and most recently the UK’s first Climate Change Risk Assessment.

Participants discussing opportunities for advancing collaboration and climate change, David MacLeod, City of Toronto's Environment Office (centre)

In a room full of interested individuals from government and industry, Roger outlined the development of UKCIP as a boundary organization which works with the willing to advance climate adaptation in the UK and abroad. UKCIP is a leading figure in the world of climate adaptation and an example to not only governments, but also business in the development of climate adaptation measures. Following a brief presentation by Roger, Stewart Dutfield, CC-RAI Program and Communication Manager facilitated a conversation between Roger and other participants from various municipalities, businesses and NGOs. Over the course of more than two hours participants had the opportunity to directly engage in a discussion around climate adaptation and its relevance to municipalities, long-term planning, business continuity and overall sustainability.

A full house, public and private sector stakeholders engaged in a dilaogue around climate adaptation

Recognizing the challenges posed by a changing climate and a year characterized by a high number of extreme weather disasters the importance of climate adaptation is increasingly an issue of concern. Climate change will inherently have local implications to governments and businesses at all levels, but the global ramifications of climate impacts are increasingly understood to have a systemic implications. In that regard, Roger highlighted the importance of working collaboratively between jurisdictions, between sectors and across systems. As Toronto, as Ontario, and Canada as a whole considers it approach to adaptation a systemic, cross-sectoral approach will be essential to realizing the benefits of a collaborative approach.  CC-RAI as the acting secretariat of the Ontario Regional Climate Change Consortium (ORCCC) is working to support a pan-provincial, inter-institutional approach to climate research, modelling and services. As a member of the City of Toronto’s Environment Office and Civic Action’s WeatherWise partnership, CC-RAI looks forward to emulating some of UKCIP’s successes as a boundary organizing by supporting this important work in the area of climate adaptation.

Partnership will be key to advancing such collaborative work. CC-RAI would like to thank all the municipalities, private sector organizations and NGOs who took the time to contribute to this important dialogue. We would also like to thank the British High Commission, and Consul General for their support for this event. As one of the capstone events for the SSHRC Public Outreach Grant,  CC-RAI and Knowledge Mobilization would like to acknowledge our policy partners the Region of Peel, York Region, the Region of Durham, TRCA, ACER, and the City of Toronto’s Environment Office, not to mention the generous support provided by the Social Studies and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

A Conversation with Roger Street (UKCIP)

For anyone looking for information on the upcoming event: Climate Adaptation – A Conversation with Roger Street (UKCIP) or the Climate Change Graduate Research Symposium you have come to the right place!

Both events will be held on the 24th of November in the York Research Tower on York University’s Keele Campus. Directions to a ‘Conversation with Roger Street’ can be found here and those to the graduate research symposium can be accessed through the following link. .

A final agenda for both events will be posted closer to the date.

CC-RAI Graduate Research Symposium, November 24th, York Research Tower

CC-RAI and Knowledge Mobilization look forward to supporting a day full of lively discussion and dialogue around the challenges posed by a changing climate and the need for climate adaptation.

This event is generously supported by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) 

Cornell, Markham, Ontario

The famous trinity in spatial planning: folk (people of the region), work (economy of the region), and place (geographical and the natural environment dimensions of the region) propounded by Patrick Gebbes in the mid-19^th century England has provided the foundation for regional planning. Gebbes demonstrated the interaction of these factors through the geographical notion of ‘The Valley Section’, showing the spatial relationship between wilderness and urban use. The contemporary connection to Gebbe’s approach are found in what has been coined ‘New Urbanism’.  Instead of a transect of a river valley, the modern concept uses a transect of the urban core to rural fringe (1).  As with it’s forbearer, New Urbanism is deeply rooted in basic ecological principles and internal diversity. These principles are equally relevant to any discussion on human health and climate change since our ability to harmonise environmental-human relationships will determine how well people and nature adapt. Therefore, planning by design based on the New Urbanism principles of: connectivity, walkability; mixed-use & diversity; increased density, as well as sustainability and quality of life, promotes not only active, healthy communities, but also adaptable and environmentally responsible communities.

New Urbanism is characterized by design improvements like expanding walking and cycling trails and playground development as well as long-termer commitments like community or regional transport systems, energy plans and more conservation areas to promote more physical activity and alternative transport options to reduce GHGs and improve local air quality. In Ontario, as well as across Canada, there are already many examples of communities re-thinking their health and future, such as the new development of Cornell in Markham, Ont.

Cornell is an intentional community prominently featuring mixed-use buildings -residential and businesses, with a ‘traditional’ design to create the ‘feel’ of a village in the city, along with integrated transport networks and energy efficient specifications for all buildings.  However, these design principles are not limited to new developments. For example,Temiskaming Shores Active Travel Program includes an ecological & recreation park system, while the Eco-Industrial Park in Hinton, AB includes a network of walking/ cycling trails to connect people from home to work.

These are only a select few examples of the growing number of innovative, place-making ideas that are taking hold in communities. In addition to design, other communities are calling for a collaborative commitment to tackle the causes and consequences of climate change, such as Hamilton’s ‘Climate Change Action Charter’, the first of it’s kind in Ontario to challenge organization to sign-up to Climate Action. As we continue to re-vision the design and values priorities of health and well-being, I predict ‘New Urbanism’ will continue to play a large part in re-shaping the built environment and how we choose to consciously interact with folks, work and place to create environmentally sustainable, healthy and adaptive communities.

To learn more about innovative urban design and healthy communities take part in ‘World Planning Day‘ events near you on Tuesday, November 8th organised by the Canadian Association of Planning Students (CAPS). In Toronto, you can join CAPS for a free walkshop – “Exploring Toronto’s Urban Fabric’,

Jamai Schile, CC-RAI Graduate Assistant and Masters Candidate explores the connection between health, planning and climate adaptation

Jamai Schile is a graduate student within the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University, Planning Program where she is pursuing a degree in regional planning. With over 10 years experience in environmental management and agriculture, she is currently exploring planning concepts in rural/ regional sustainable food systems.

(1) Gerald Hodge and David L. A. Gordon. Planning Canadian Communities, chap.9 pp. 226-227

SSHRC Case Study: Region of Peel's Active Transportation Initiative "Walk and Roll Peel"

As part of the Public Outreach Grant SSHRC interns had the opportunity to work with policy partners on profiling some of their current projects. Over the next few weeks CC-RAI will be highlighting that work as part of series of climate change related case studies. The case studies were developed by all of the SSHRC interns in partnership with Knowledge Mobilization and their respective hosts, including the City of Toronto’s Environment Office, Region of Peel, York Region, Durham Region, ACER and the TRCA.

The Region of Peel initiative aims to encourage active transportation to realize health, environmental and social benefits among residents. It one of the ways the Region of Peel aims to encourage more sustainable living and address some the issues associated with a changing climate. If you want more information visit Walk and Roll Peel!