Session 4: Climate Ready TOC
Integrating Environmental Sustainability and Resiliency
Watch Mass Timber Construction in Action
THE CHALLENGES
In 2030, the world’s temperature will increase by 1.5 °C above the pre-industrial level, crossing the threshold for avoiding catastrophic climate change if remain at the status quo.
Since the mass development of auto-dependent communities in the 1970s, which represents 2/3 of where Canadian lives:
- Canada has experienced temperature increase at twice the global average, and a frequency increase of extreme temperature and precipitation events, with an estimated annual cost of $21-43 billion;
- Within Ontario, Peel and Brampton have experienced extreme storms, floods, winds, severe heat and drought, which result in increased costs in building operation, healthcare, infrastructure upgrades, disaster relief and food supply.
Peel’s 2018 Climate Change Discussion Paper and Brampton’s 2018 Community Energy and Emission Reduction Plan have identified:
- EXTREME HEAT 2°C increase of average annual temperature, 2x increase of extreme heat days over 30°C, and increase frequency from 12 to 62 days by 2050;
- EXTREME RAINFALL 8% increase of extreme rainfall events by 2050;
- HIGH ENERGY COST $1.8 billion annual energy cost in Brampton, 65% of energy use is from buildings
- HIGH GHG EMISSION 59% of GHG emissions are from transportation in Brampton, and the need to enable walking and cycling to daily needs, taking transit to work and carpooling.
THE VISION
Canada has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 with renewed provisions for mass timber construction and decarbonization in Ontario. Brampton’s council endorsed 2040 Vision has committed to creating a city of transit-oriented communities and one planet living, with Uptown Brampton as a ‘people first precinct’ with advanced civic infrastructure, smart city technology and sustainability innovation.
Recognized by UN-Habitat as a leading example of Urban SDG Cities in achieving Sustainable Development Goals, and by World Health Organization (WHO) as a designated Age-Friendly City, Brampton is innovating practices and solutions at Uptown to create a model of:
- Resilient, climate adaptive community – with an interconnected network of blue and green infrastructure that provides co-benefits, addressing extreme weather events, meeting recreational and cultural needs, supporting natural habitat and urban agriculture, and serving as a place of community refuge and social connections.
- Walkable, decarbon community – with walkable access to a mix of uses in high-quality buildings, provides co-benefits through material such as mass-timber that reduces carbon from the atmosphere, reduces energy consumption, provides biophilic to improve physical and mental wellbeing, and a tech-friendly sustainable workplace community with local live, work, learn, play.
Building upon the collaborative model established for Uptown Brampton TOC and the existing climate-friendly infrastructure including geothermal, district energy, rapid transit, walkable mixed-use, creeks and valleys, etc, this workshop will further re-examine our current practices and solutions, and explore ways to optimize synergies and accelerate implementation.