Through its Sustainable Neighbourhood Retrofit Action Plan (SNAP) Toronto is taking an innovative approach to urban renewal by focusing on climate change mitigation measures in apartment buildings and single family homes.
SNAP is a locally tailored home retrofit program reaching both homeowners and renting tenants with building upgrades and community enhancement initiatives. Assisting residents from the planning to implementation of projects, SNAP simultaneously targets energy conservation, urban forest enhancement, water conservation and storm water management, as well as local food production in order to create more resilient neighborhoods.
2,200 tons of CO2 can be reduced annually when SNAP is undertaken in 1,750 homes.
Cities100 – 2016
In the Black Creek neighborhood, a community of 25,000 people which was home to one of SNAP’s six pilot projects, positive results are already been observed, with 88% of participants having already applied at least one retrofit action since the program launched in 2012. One particular SNAP program underway in Black Creek, Harvest the Rain, has distributed more than 217 rain barrels to residents in an effort to protect against basement flooding while using the collected water to support vegetable gardens and tree planting. Citywide, SNAP measures are expected to reduce storm water runoff and pollutants from private lots by 30%, expand urban forest cover by 8% and reduce electricity use by 10%.
Retrofit and climate mitigation measures can often be difficult to implement in Toronto’s older communities where the aging infrastructure requires the most improvements. The SNAP programs successfully enact change and increase communities’ resilience while fully engaging residents in the process.
The Challenge
Retrofit and climate mitigation measures can often be difficult to implement in Toronto’s older communities where the aging infrastructure requires the most improvements. The SNAP programs successfully enact change and increase communities’ resilience while fully engaging residents in the process.
Co-benefits
Economic SNAP aim to satisfy 20% of a community’s vegetable needs with on-site gardens, helping residents save money on grocery bills.
Environmental The 179 trees planted through SNAP have sequestered 417 kg of CO2 in 2015 and will sequester a total of 259,561 kg of CO2 over 40 years.
Health SNAP’s expansion of the urban forest cover and promotion of gardening increases the community’s contact with nature which has positive impacts on mental health.
Social 1,500 neighbors have connected with one another through the Black Creek SNAP program.
About Toronto
Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. With a population in 2016 of 2,731,571, it is the fourth most populous city in North America and is recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world. While the majority of Torontonians speak English as their primary language, there are over 160 different languages spoken in the city. Toronto is a prominent centre for music, theatre, motion picture production, and television production. Toronto is known for its many skyscrapers and high-rise buildings.
