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As the world’s population grows and as our planet increasingly urbanizes, we need to redefine the relationship between cities and nature. It is no longer enough for us to ‘protect the last great places,’ as we used to say,” wrote Mark Tercek. “Nature can help cities solve some major environmental, social and financial challenges. We don’t just need to preserve nature — we need to create more of it, particularly in cities, so people can benefit from its healing powers.”

The government would work directly with cities throughout 2016 and 2017 to set decade-by-decade goals for the creation of “urban canopies”, announced Greg Hunt. The creation of tree cover, he stated, would reduce heat within city environments and improve health outcomes. “Our task is to establish those goals and increase them progressively over each of the decades.”

“Beyond the Guidebook supports and/or complements other provincial initiatives, notably: Living Water Smart and the Green Communities Project. Collectively, these initiatives establish expectations that, in turn, will influence the form and function of the built environment in general and green infrastructure on the ground in particular,” wrote Glen Brown.

“Our analysis confirmed that people do report their health to be better in areas with more green land cover. Importantly, however, we find that across urban, suburban and rural areas, we can better explain differences in how healthy people report themselves to be if we also consider how scenic the area they live in is,” stated Dr Suzy Moat.

“Decisions related to urban and rural land development in this province are shared by many; therefore, this document is intended to support and encourage good decision making by all those involved in land development in British Columbia. Develop with Care emphasizes the use of the Water Balance Model to achieve desired rainwater management outcomes”, stated Peter Law.

Right now, big storms can overwhelm the city’s combined stormwater and sewer system, causing raw sewage to overflow into rivers and streams. If a surface is paved over — or has a building on it — rain will run off it into the sewers. But take the building away and the rainwater can seep into the ground instead. “We were amazed to find that the building demolitions actually resulted in a large amount of water capture for relatively very few dollars of investment,” said Brian Hoelscher.

“With municipalities receiving just eight cents of every tax dollar to build and maintain almost half of the country’s core infrastructure, it’s not surprising that Canadian cities are looking for innovative, cost-saving approaches to manage it. As aging infrastructure eats up more and more of municipal budgets in maintenance, repair and replacement costs, this becomes urgent,” wrote Michele Molnar.

“We shouldn’t lose sight of less-expensive and longer-lasting solutions to many of our infrastructure needs, like planting trees in urban areas for stormwater management and other services,” wrote David Suzuki. “Adding 10 trees to a block can produce health benefits equivalent to a $10,000 salary raise or being seven years younger. Despite their enormous value to society, urban forest canopies are stressed and in decline in many parts of the country.”

Sponge Park is a $1.5 million pilot project that will determine whether such spaces can effectively prevent new pollution from entering the canal. “In the vast majority of storms, the park would capture all of the water flowing to a dead end at the canal,” said Susannah Drake. During the heaviest rainfall, the park will at least cleanse and filter water before it flows into the canal.”

“Following the High Line’s evolution from abandoned railway to bustling park, urban planners have been brainstorming creative ways to develop more green space for New York City. This latest proposal is unique—instead of utilizing unused space, it would re-purpose one of the busiest streets in the borough,” wrote Michele Debczak. “A few recent changes to the area have already laid the foundation for the project.”