Authors: Shawna Stirrett and Stephanie Shewchuck
Cities have always been important as the centralized hubs of human interaction but they have never been as important as they are today with almost half of the world’s population now living in urban areas. The latest research from the Canada West Foundation analyses the resulting challenges and opportunities for the environment in the face of rising urbanism and outlines ways that Canadian cities can improve their environmental performance.
Tools of the Trade: Urban Environmental Improvement Options explores the tools that can improve environmental outcomes in cities. These tools fall within five general categories: landscape and ecology, urban design, transportation, water management, and energy use.
While there is a long list of tools that can improve the environmental performance of Canadian cities, having a full toolbox does not guarantee that they will be used effectively. The future potential is enormous, but we need to ensure that supportive public policy is in place and that everyone—including individuals, businesses and governments—is on board to truly be successful.
Tools of the Trade is the first report from the Missing Link Project, which is investigating the critical role played by public policy in the transition from the idea stage to the on-the-ground implementation of environmental initiatives in Canadian cities.