What is Green Infrastructure?
Green infrastructure is the natural vegetation and green technologies that collectively provide society with a multitude of economic, environmental, health, and social benefits.
Green infrastructure includes, but is not limited to:
Green infrastructure has been defined and acknowledged in the Provincial Policy Statement, 2024 under the Planning Act as a necessary feature for building strong, healthy communities.
Policies in the Provincial Policy Statement encourage planning authorities to implement green infrastructure projects.
These projects should complement existing infrastructure and public service facilities to manage stormwater, save energy, improve air quality, and address climate change.
What Are the Benefits of Green Infrastructure?
Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
- Natural vegetation communities and urban forests capture and store carbon dioxide and some other greenhouse gases, mitigating the impacts of climate change.
- Green infrastructure reduces air temperatures through shade and evapotranspiration, countering the urban heat island effect. The urban heat island effect is worsened by increasing temperatures due to climate change.
Lower Energy Costs
- By reducing temperatures, some types of green infrastructure, such as trees, green walls, and green roofs, contribute to energy savings and decrease the cost of cooling buildings. They can also insulate and shelter buildings during the winter and reduce energy used for heating.
Stormwater Management and Flood Reduction
- Green infrastructure helps to decrease the amount of stormwater runoff during heavy rains and filters pollutants, leading to greater protection against floods and better air and water quality.
Improved Ecosystem Health
- Green infrastructure contributes to a healthier ecosystem by providing wildlife habitat, reducing rainwater runoff and erosion, improving water and air quality, and sequestering carbon dioxide.
Public Health
- Research has shown links between greater vegetation and urban forest cover and improved mental and physical health. LEARN MORE.
Economic Contributions
- Green infrastructure helps to create green jobs, both directly and indirectly – for example, jobs to create and maintain green infrastructure. It also lowers flood damage and stormwater maintenance costs, and can reduce the amount of money spent on building major traditional grey infrastructure for stormwater management.
To learn more, visit the Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition website.
TRCA and Green Infrastructure
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) works collaboratively with its partners to implement and manage a wide range of green infrastructure projects. These projects fall into two main categories:
MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
APPLIED RESEARCH
TRCA and its partners apply research focused on green infrastructure to projects and initiatives in the Toronto region:
Contact
TRCA Watershed Planning and Ecosystem Science: wpes@trca.ca