Connecting data to the lived experience
Toronto’s drastically changing climate has direct impacts on human and socio-ecological health.
Understanding that climate justice is embedded within social justice led us to studying the inequitable spatial impacts of Toronto’s climatic conditions, with a particular focus on vertical communities.
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The morphology of our city has deep implications for how our natural and built environments interact. Between 1971 and 2011, Toronto’s built up area increased by 1,189 square kilometers (or 120%), more than any other Canadian city during that time.
The impact of such intense urbanization is the sprawl of impervious surfaces, such as parking lots and transportation infrastructure. With this increase in hard surfaces come higher rates of runoff and lower infiltration rates.
Looking at Toronto there is a significant spatial disparity in how these surfaces are distributed. As we studied different climatic and environmental urban conditions, a clear correlation was observed.
Toronto’s ravines with their steep slopes and our waterfront with extensive bluffs are at risk of erosion. Water and wind dictate soil movement, but surface runoff poses the greatest threat, especially as permeability levels decrease.
Slope stability can be attained through vegetation, as seen in the ravines. However, our ravines contain the steepest slopes across the city and are threatened by soil degradation from pollution and severe flooding.
Signs of decreasing slope stability within the ravines comes from the presence of bending or leaning trees and exposed roots. Slope failure in the ravines is potentially devastating for the surrounding landscape.
Ultrafine particles, also known as UFPs, are nearly invisible particulate matter less than 1 micron large. The presence and distribution of UFPs indicate the breathability of a city and have the potential to cause severe respiratory impacts.
Looking at Toronto’s UFP concentration, these spatial patterns echo the spatial distribution of the city’s permeability. The main source of UFPs is traffic-related emissions and often results in ‘road dust.’
Higher concentrations are found near major roads and airports, with particles spreading primarily by wind. The presence of clustered tower communities potentially disrupts the movement of UFPs, leaving pockets of higher concentrations near these buildings, as seen on the northeast part of the city.
Air pollution is considered a serious threat to not only human health but also to the ecological integrity of our urban ecosystems.
Soil contamination is one of the biggest threats to our urban environment as pollution of our soil leads to polluted groundwater. The main contributors to soil pollution are traffic, chemical spills, road salts, pesticide use, and CSOs.
Contaminants are primarily toxic heavy metals that accumulate overtime to potentially lethal doses. Data for soil pollution is fragmented and rapidly becoming outdated as it is estimated that nearly 20,000 chemical spills occur in Ontario each year.
Given Toronto is in an estuary zone, soil contaminants from upland eventually make their way down and accrue within our city’s soil, in addition to the local urban pollution. For tower communities located within highly contaminated areas, an opportunity exists to explore phytoremediation techniques.
Deep spatial inequalities exist regarding Toronto’s tree canopy distribution, which can be correlated to both the city’s ravine system and the spatial socio-economic distribution of Toronto’s population, with many tower communities falling within lower income brackets.
Despite the roughly 11.5 million trees documented within the city, almost three-quarters of our canopy consists of small, young trees (<15.2 cm DBH) and in general Toronto’s average tree condition is in decline.
Many of Toronto’s tower communities are located in or near the hottest heat islands. While some are nestled next to the cooler ravine systems, few tower communities have sufficient respite from surrounding harsh climatic conditions.
The spatial impacts of UHI directly correlate to the permeability coverage across the city of Toronto. The main factors influencing UHI are the presence of open spaces, vegetation, and paved surfaces.
As urban sprawl continues to spread, with some estimates saying Toronto’s urbanization is growing at 3% per year, it is predicted that temperatures in the city will only continue to increase. With these higher temperatures come greater risks to human health, as warmer weather makes the spread of disease easier and exacerbates air pollution.
Toronto’s sewer system, established in the 1970s, is built for a 2 year storm; modeled after Hurricane Hazel 100 year storm levels from 1954. Modern estimates claim this former 100 year level has become the new 60 or even 30 year storm.
The primary causes of flooding are drainage failures from our aging sewer system and the backing up of combined sewer outflows.
Flood vulnerable clusters, as identified by TRCA, are parts of the city most at risk, with over 15 tower communities impacted. As observed from the spatial distribution of flood calls, impermeable surfaces are at greater risk of flooding.
Team: Fadi Masoud (PI), Karen Smith, Oya Mercan, Blake Poland, John Robinson, Paul Kushner, Imara Rolston
Research Assistants: Ambika Pharma, Louisa Kennett, Ruiqui Zhao, Alex Sheinbaum, Tina Cui, Nadia Chan, Yue Wang
This project is funded by the Mayflower Research Fund and the University of Toronto - School of Cities.
Research Assistants: Ambika Pharma, Louisa Kennett, Ruiqui Zhao, Alex Sheinbaum, Tina Cui, Nadia Chan, Yue Wang
This project is funded by the Mayflower Research Fund and the University of Toronto - School of Cities.
