Tree Huggers

Conventional residential development destroys large amounts of green space.

The loss of urban green space leads to increases in urban heat and flooding, which are amplified by climate change, and can threaten human health and well-being, and property.

Urban flooding due to increasingly severe storms can be reduced through well-designed green infrastructure, including green spaces.

Although many Canadians consider a detached house to be their dream home, conventional residential development may worsen climate change.

These climate change mitigation benefits are reduced when urban trees and green spaces are removed.

While improved green spaces may generate small premiums for environmentally oriented home buyers, land developers are not compensated for the public goods these green spaces provide.

Cities need new ideas that go beyond green infrastructure checklists that incentivize developers only to fulfil minimum expectations and do not take the future climate change performance of these natural assets into consideration.