How Canada’s biggest city built an urban forest

With a population of about 3 million people, Toronto is not only the biggest city in Canada, but also the fastest-growing urban centre in North America. Its downtown core is a hub of activity but venture just a couple of kilometres northeast and you’ll find yourself in the Don Valley Brick Works, a former quarry that over the course of three decades has been transformed into a wetland. Fringed by houses and high rises, the marshlands and the valley that surrounds them are home to ducks, foxes, beavers and even the occasional deer.  The urban oasis is one of several spread across Toronto, which was recently recognized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as a model for other cities aiming to restore their natural spaces.  “As in many other places, resource extraction initially prevailed,” says Mirey Atallah, Chief of the Adaptation and Resilience Branch in UNEP’s Climate Change Division. “With the restoration of this site, and by weaving nature into its urban fabric, Toronto is creating what more and more city dwellers are wishing for – sustainable, livable cities with nature at their core.” 

How Canada’s biggest city built an urban forest

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