Synergizing Toronto's Vision for Green Infrastructure Implementation and Prioritization: An Assessment of Guiding Environmental Documents Related to Green Infrastructure Implementation in the City of Toronto

Abstract

Green infrastructure is an important part of environmental sustainability at the municipal level. The City of Toronto has established various policy tools and guiding documents related to green infrastructure (GI). However, studies to date indicate that GI implementation has been somewhat slow. This study examines guiding documents in the City of Toronto where intersecting components of GI are stated as a policy goal and assesses implementation to date. The first phase involved using content analysis to examine eight current policy documents and strategies being used in Toronto related to GI (Toronto Green Standard, Green Streets Technical Guidelines, Wet Weather Flow Master Plan, Ravines Strategy, Parklands Strategy, Pollinator Strategy, Biodiversity Strategy, and Resilience Strategy). This stage was followed by key informant interviews to further examine the state of implementation of GI related to each document. This study concludes with some key findings and recommendations that can help to improve GI policy, strategies, and implementation in the City of Toronto.