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Green roofs are just one of the ways North Americans are trying to naturalize our urban landscapes (Architect: Busby Perkins + Will) Photo: Jim Burns, Stantec.

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Toronto’s green rooftops
By Melanie Sharpe

Toronto's rooftops are officially going green. A council decision on February 1, 2006 approved the city's 'Green Roof Strategy,' making Toronto the first municipality to formally endorse a comprehensive set of green roof policies in North America and a world leader in using the eco-friendly installations.

"Toronto's new strategy is the most comprehensive in the world," says Steven Peck, founder of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, a Toronto-based non-profit organization that promotes green roof technologies across North America

Green roofs have been growing in many urban landscapes for decades. They are man-made green spaces with trees, shrubs, flowers or other vegetation on the rooftops of city buildings.

Green roofs were first built in Toronto 30 years ago, but little was known about their impact on the city until recently.

On October 31, 2005, a Ryerson University research team published their study of the municipal costs and benefits of green rooftops. The researchers concluded that greening Toronto's 5,000 hectares of available roof space would have significant environmental and economic benefits.

Local temperatures would decrease by 0.5 to 2 degrees Celsius, storm water runoff would decline, Toronto would have three more 'beach open days' every summer, carbon dioxide levels would drop and rooftop gardens would save energy cooling costs. And Toronto would save over $37 million a year.

"No other city has done as good of a job understanding the benefits of green roofs and composing policy," says Peck. " Toronto's whole strategy is based on the best research in the world."

The new strategy sets a target of greening 50 to 75 percent of all newly built city-owned rooftops. Councillors also recommended a pilot project to offer developers green roof incentives.

"I'm really hoping Toronto's urban development looks into this and provides incentives for businesses to do the right thing," says Peck.

Currently, Toronto has 59 green roofs and there are 17 new ones being built.

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