SNAP Program

The SNAP Program aims to accelerate the creation of sustainable neighbourhoods in older urban areas by providing a neighbourhood-based solution for achieving greater impact in urban renewal and climate action.

The SNAP Program consists of four activity areas:

Select the image below to view full-sized.

SNAP Program Activity Areas - Planning and Advisory Services - Neighbourhood Implementation and Facilitation - Knowledge Sharing - Scaling Up


Planning and Advisory Services

1. Planning & Advisory Services

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) provides planning and advisory services, enabling the development of new SNAP plans within and external to TRCA’s jurisdiction.

Current Initiatives:

  • New SNAP action planning processes are recently completed or underway in Bramalea, Brampton; Thornhill, Vaughan; and Rexdale and the Pocket, Toronto.
  • Neighbourhood Resilience Plans are being developed as a new component of SNAP action plans in Thornhill, Vaughan and Rexdale, Toronto, building upon a neighbourhood-scale climate vulnerability assessment and adaption initiative piloted in County Court, Brampton.
  • TRCA has advised groups external to its jurisdiction on the development and implementation of SNAP plans as part of special partnership arrangements for the following ongoing projects:

Neighbourhood Implementation and Faciliation

2. Neighbourhood Implementation & Facilitation

TRCA works closely with partners in each neighbourhood SNAP to identify strategic implementation projects and responsibilities.

TRCA’s role ranges from providing support to an implementing partner to leading multiple implementation projects and ensuring coordination among them.

Current Initiatives:
(See also SNAP Neighbourhood Projects)

  • Multi-unit residential (MUR) revitalization through partnerships with private landowners, tenant engagement, community groups and the municipality, using multi-functional designs (Black Creek SNAP, Toronto; Burnhamthorpe SNAP, Mississauga, Bramalea SNAP, Brampton)
  • Home retrofit programs delivering on multiple objectives through locally tailored one-window approaches that foster neighbour-to-neighbour connections. Building upon past program experience, programs are underway in West Bolton, Caledon and in development in: Bramalea, Brampton; Thornhill, Vaughan; and the Pocket, Toronto.
  • Stormwater management pond retrofit construction project to provide improved water management and supply local irrigation water as a public-private win-win (County Court SNAP, Brampton)
  • Community leadership in community resilience and public realm animation through public art (County Court SNAP, Brampton; Black Creek SNAP, Toronto; Bramalea SNAP, Brampton; Rexdale SNAP, Toronto)
  • Suburban park renewal for multiple benefits, including green recovery, natural infrastructure, climate resilience, urban agriculture, health and a catalyst for community engagement in home retrofit action (Ecopark in Bramalea SNAP, Brampton; Gallanough Park and York Hill Park, Thornhill SNAP, Vaughan)
  • Trail Master Plan and revitalization projects underway in West Bolton, Caledon as a strategy for neighbourhood connections and local green movements. An Active Transportation Master Plan developed with Ryerson University in Thornhill SNAP, Vaughan

Knowledge Sharing

3. Knowledge Sharing

TRCA facilitates intra-SNAP dialogue, knowledge sharing and connections with extended partner networks in the urban sustainability practice.

Current Initiatives:

  • Convened a forum of nine interested municipalities as part of a two-year Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Transition 2050 funded project, and in 2021 released a report with recommendations for future application and refinement of the neighbourhood model as an effective municipal practice for climate action. View the Report.
  • Climate Action Co-benefits Evaluation Guide: a transferable tool produced as part of a partnership with the University of Waterloo. View the Report.
  • Funded by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) National Housing Strategy (NHS) Demonstrations Initiative, a 2019-2020 study report documented a model for revitalizing aging, privately-owned affordable housing, based on the successful San Romanoway Revival project in Black Creek SNAP, Toronto. The initiative includes capacity building for stakeholders that could play a role in tower revitalization, including housing providers, resident groups, NGO’s and municipalities. The study measured and evaluated the socio-economic impacts associated with tower revitalization. View the Report.
  • SNAP training at FCM’s 2018 Sustainable Communities Conference. View the Presentation.
  • Advancing Integrated Infrastructure Renewal: Lessons learned about barriers/enablers of innovation and recommendations from a process evaluation of SNAP projects. View the Presentation.

Scaling Up

4. Scaling Up

TRCA seeks to identify opportunities for expanding and exporting successful solutions from pilot neighbourhoods for greater impact.

Current Initiatives:

  • Applying a municipality-wide neighbourhood screening process to identify candidate locations for future SNAPs and integrated projects, where there is alignment of multiple TRCA and municipal urban renewal and climate action priorities
  • Contributing to the design of municipal scale Nurturing Neighbourhoods program in Brampton
  • Transferring successful lessons in tower renewal from Black Creek SNAP and the San Romanoway Tower Revitalization in Toronto to Burnhamthorpe SNAP Tower Program in Mississauga and Bramalea SNAP Tower Program in Brampton
  • Expansion of the Harvest the Rain home retrofit program to Rexdale, another neighbourhood having characteristics similar to Black Creek SNAP. Success of this pilot expansion suggest potential scalability to 89,000 homes in the Toronto Region.

CONTACT

Shannon Logan
Senior Program Manager
(437) 880-2412
shannon.logan

Adriana Gomez
Senior Program Manager
(437) 880-2408
adriana.gomez